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Home Illness & disability Becoming independent Protecting yourself from discrimination

Protecting yourself from discrimination

For information about the Americans with Disabilities Act or how to file a complaint, call:
1-800-514-0301

Have you ever felt that you were treated unfairly because of your disability? Maybe you think your disability is the reason you didn't get a job that you were qualified for. Or maybe you can't take the bus to the shopping mall because the bus doesn't have a lift for people in wheelchairs.

The treatment of people in an unfair or unequal way based on things such as race, health, disability, or religion, instead of their value as a person, is known as discrimination (dis-KRIM-uh-NAY-shuhn). The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination in:

• Employment. No employer is allowed to reject you for a job for which you are qualified because of your disability. Also, if you're hired, your employer may be required to modify your work space so that you can use it. For instance, if you have a wheelchair, your employer may have to install ramps so that you can get to where you need to go.
• All services provided by state and local governments. This means that the public transportation system where you live must have some vehicles that can take people in wheelchairs. It also means that all public parks, public health care services, and voting places must be accessible to people with disabilities.
• Public buildings. This means all buildings that are open to the public must be accessible to people with disabilities.

Content last updated October 21, 2009

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