Americans with Disabilities Act

The ADA only covers employers with 15 or more employees. It applies to private employers, state and local governments, and employment agencies. The ADA does not apply to tax-exempt private membership clubs or the federal government. However, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is another law that is almost identical to the ADA and does apply to federal agencies.

If you are treated unequally or worse than other people because of your disability, you are being discriminated against. Here are a few examples of how you could be discriminated against at your job:

• You are denied a job or a promotion because of a disability; or you are paid less than other nondisabled coworkers doing the same or similar work.
• Your employer uses a practice or system that means that you or others with similar disabilities can’t get jobs or opportunities because of your disabilities, and the practice or system is not justified by the needs of the business.
• You were denied a reasonable accommodation that was necessary to perform your job because the employer did not want to spend money on accommodations.
• You face coercion (which means forcing you to do something against your will), intimidation (which means frightening or bullying you), or interference (which means hindering you) from enjoying the same privileges and benefits of employment because you asked for your rights under the ADA or participated in the procedures under the ADA for investigating and addressing discrimination.

If you believe that you have been discriminated against because of your disability, you can file a complaint with either the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or the Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity (GCEO). You must file your complaint within 300 days of the date the discrimination took place if you file with the EEOC. If you file with the GCEO, then you must file within 180 days for an employment complaint and within 365 days (one year) for a fair housing complaint.