In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in an effort to stop discrimination against people with disabilities. For the purposes of the ADA, a person is considered to have a disability if he or she

• has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities,
• has a history of such an impairment, or
• is regarded as having such an impairment.

Unlike the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which functions to provide a free and appropriate public education for individuals ages birth to 21, the ADA provides these protections across the entire life span. The act is subdivided into five parts referred to as “titles.”