Your rights

Governments, businesses, and health care providers must provide interpreters, captions, braille, large print, and other aids you need, at no cost to you. See Interpreters, captions, and relay.

• Under the ADA, a service animal is a dog trained to do work or tasks for a person with a disability, like guiding a blind person or alerting a Deaf person to sounds. Trained miniature horses may also be allowed.
• When it is not obvious, staff may ask only two questions: Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability? What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?
• Staff cannot ask about your disability, ask for papers, or ask the dog to show its task.

• Students can get services through an IEP, including braille, orientation and mobility, interpreters, captioning, and technology.
• Students who do not need special education can get accommodations through a 504 plan.
• Colleges must provide accommodations through their disability services office.

See Babies, children, and school.

Employers must provide reasonable accommodations, like a screen reader, interpreter, or captioned phone. See Rights at work on Employment Atlas.

• Airlines must help you board and move through the airport, and your guide dog can fly in the cabin.
• Transit agencies must announce stops and offer paratransit to people who cannot use the regular bus or train. More on MobilityAtlas.

In April 2024 the Department of Justice set a rule that state and local government websites and apps must meet WCAG 2.1 level AA. In April 2026 it moved the deadlines: April 26, 2027 for governments serving 50,000 people or more, and April 26, 2028 for smaller ones.

• ADA: ada.gov/file-a-complaint. Questions? ADA Information Line 800-514-0301 (TTY 1-833-610-1264).
• Health care: the HHS Office for Civil Rights.
• Housing: HUD, within one year.
• Free legal help: your state's Protection and Advocacy agency.