ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)

Federal Legislation passed into law July 26, 1990, that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a landmark civil rights law that both identifies and prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, state and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunications. This Act requires all Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) to provide direct and equal access to emergency telephone services for people with disabilities who use teletypewriters (TTY/TDDs), which are also known as telecommunications devices for the deaf. This means that the personnel answering calls at the PSAP level must be able to directly receive TTY/TDD calls and must be able to engage in TTY/TDD conversation.