The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which was signed into law by President George H. W. Bush in 1990, protects an array of individuals with disabilities at colleges and universities from discrimination by imposing comprehensive obligations on private sector employers, public services and accommodations, and transportation. In this respect, the ADA effectively extends the reach of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to the private sector and programs that do not received federal financial assistance.

The purpose of the ADA, as stated in its preamble, is “to provide a clear and comprehensive national mandate for the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities” (42 U.S.C. § 12101). The ADA provides protections similar to those of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination ...