ADA Title I: Employment

ADA specifies that no covered entity shall discriminate against a qualified person based on his/her disability. The mandate covers application procedures, hiring, advancement, discharge, employee compensation, job training, and other terms conditions, and privileges of employment. Employers with 15 or more employees are covered.

A "qualified individual with a disability" is defined as "…an individual with a disability who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of the employment position…."

"Reasonable accommodation" can include making facilities accessible, modifying jobs and work schedules, acquiring or modifying equipment, etc. However, covered entities are not required to undertake accommodations that create undue hardship. To determine undue hardship, the difficulty and expense of the accommodation is weighed against the overall financial resources of the entity, the number of people with disabilities who will be affected, and the type of operations of the covered entity.