The Americans with Disabilities Act has set our sights on removing the barriers that deny individuals with disabilities an equal opportunity to share in and contribute to the vitality of American life. The ADA means access to jobs, public accommodations, government services, public transportation, and telecommunications -- in other words, full participation in, and access to, all aspects of society. Through the provision of technical assistance, such as this manual, we hope to achieve our goal of making the ADA's promise of equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities a reality while holding costly litigation to a minimum. We anticipate that many of the barriers facing individuals with disabilities will disappear through the sincere, informed efforts of Americans to voluntarily comply with the ADA. We in the Civil Rights Division wholeheartedly share the goals of the ADA and have committed ourselves to implementing and enforcing this landmark civil rights legislation in the fairest, most effective manner possible.
John R. Dunne Assistant Attorney General
Civil Rights Division
This technical assistance manual addresses the requirements of title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which applies to public accommodations, commercial facilities, and private entities offering certain examinations and courses. It is one of a series of manuals to be issued by Federal agencies under section 506 of the ADA to assist individuals and entities in understanding their rights and duties under the Act.
This manual is part of a broader program of technical assistance conducted by the Department of Justice to promote voluntary compliance with the requirements not only of title III, but also of title II of the ADA, which applies to the operations of State and local governments.
The purpose of this technical assistance manual is to present the ADA's title III requirements in a format that will be useful to the widest possible audience. The guidance provided in the Department's regulations and accompanying preambles has been carefully reorganized to provide a focused, systematic description of the ADA's requirements. The manual attempts to avoid an overly legalistic style without sacrificing completeness. In order to promote readability and understanding, the text makes liberal use of questions and answers and illustrations.
The manual is divided into nine major subject matter headings with numerous numbered subheadings. Each numbered heading and subheading is listed in a quick reference table of contents at the beginning of the manual. The numbering system is designed to facilitate planned periodic updates of the manual.