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This blog post is chapter 2 in a four-part series reflecting on the legacy and significance of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Written by Yair Oded and Jesús Veliz; edited by Jennifer Mathis.
August 20, 2025
The ADA protects people with disabilities from discrimination. A disability includes: (1) a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity or major body function, (2) a history of such an impairment, and (3) being treated as having such an impairment. It is divided into five Titles laying out key protections against discrimination in different areas of public life.
Title I of the ADA protects people with disabilities from discrimination in employment. Among other things, it requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations, which may include things like flexible schedules or telework. These protections include people with mental health conditions.
Title II requires state and local governments to ensure equal access to public programs, services, and activities for people with disabilities. It prohibits exclusion, unequal treatment, and other forms of discrimination based on fear, stereotypes, or unfounded assumptions. One of its most significant protections is the requirement that state and local governments administer their services to people with disabilities in the most integrated setting appropriate — sometimes known as the “integration mandate.”
Title III applies to public accommodations. It prohibits private businesses and public venues — like restaurants, hotels, stores, theaters, and doctors’ offices — from discriminating based on disability. Meanwhile, Title IV demands accessible telecommunications, and Title V outlines additional rules for how the ADA is to be interpreted.
Together, these titles require non-discrimination across state, local, and private sectors, including for people with mental health disabilities. These requirements are not optional.
The ADA has made an enormous difference in the lives of people with disabilities, including those with mental health disabilities. It has enabled people with disabilities to secure accommodations they need to work, access public transportation, be educated alongside their non-disabled peers, and live in their own homes and communities instead of institutions, among other things.
Yet despite these great strides, many disabled people still face deep-rooted prejudice, and certain policy changes at both the federal and state level threaten to undermine the goals of the ADA. For people with mental health disabilities, this prejudice is often compounded, leading to even greater marginalization.
Stay tuned for chapter 3, where we will explore the mental health gap in disability rights.
Join the Bazelon Center in marking the 35th anniversary of the ADA at our Annual Awards Reception, taking place Wednesday, September 17, 2025, from 6:30–9:00 PM ET at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Get your tickets and event details here.
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