ADA and Section 504

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, transportation, public accommodation, communications, and governmental activities.  The ADA also establishes requirements for telecommunications relay services.  To be protected by the ADA, one must have a disability or have a relationship or association with an individual with a disability.

An individual with a disability is defined by the ADA as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment. The ADA does not specifically name all of the impairments that are covered.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, like the ADA, protects qualified individuals with disabilities.  Under this law, individuals with disabilities are defined as persons with a physical or mental impairment, which substantially limits one or more major life activities.  People who have a history of, or who are regarded as having a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, are also covered.  

BCR 2546: Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Complaint - Title II

To learn more about ADA and Section 504, please click here.    

If you have any questions about IDOT's policies and programs related to ADA and Section 504, please contact:

Erin Emmett
Bureau of Civil Rights
ADA Coordinator, EEO/AA Officer
Illinois Department of Transportation
2300 S Driksen
Springfield, Illinois 62703
Phone: 217-782-9103
Email : erin.emmett2@illinois.gov