History

• President Bush signed the ADA into law on July 26, 1990, according to HR Hero. The push toward discrimination protection for the disabled started before this time. The Civil Rights movement started in the 1960s and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 came out of this era. Unlike the ADA, the RA was limited in scope -- declaring discrimination in federal funding for the disabled illegal.
  
  

Function

• Title I of the ADA requires employers to give disabled individuals equal opportunity at employment. This means that, for instance, an employer cannot refuse to hire a worker able to perform a job just because the individual has a disability.
  
  

Scope

• The ADA only applies to businesses with at least 15 employees and covers all aspects of employment, such as training, recruitment and promotions. Employers are also required to accommodate an employee's disability.
  
  

Misconceptions

• Most employees who require accommodations do not cost much money to a company. The average accommodation expense runs less than $500, according the Department of Labor.