The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is one of the most comprehensive civil rights legislation in American society for individuals with disabilities signed into law on July 26, 1990 and amended through the ADA Amendments Act on September 25, 2008.
The Americans with Disabilities Act gives civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities similar to those provided to individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion. It guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in all aspects of society.
The ADA mandates effective and equal access to all individuals and prohibits discrimination in all employment practices, including job application procedures, hiring, firing, advancement, compensation, training, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment. It applies to recruitment, advertising, tenure, layoff, leave, fringe benefits, and all other employment-related activities.
The New International Accessibility Symbol of Access
The original International Symbol of Access, designed in the 1960s, emphasizes an individual's disability rather than the individual person. The new symbol emphasizes motion and abilities rather than focusing on one's disabilities.
- Head Position: Head is forward to indicate the forward motion of the person through space. Here the person is the 'driver' or decision maker about her mobility
- Arm Angle: Arm is pointing backward to suggest the dynamic mobility of a chair user, regardless of whether or not she uses her arms. Depicting the body in motion represents the symbolically active status of navigating the world.
- Wheel Cutouts: By including white angled knockouts the symbol presents the wheel as being in motion. These knockouts also work for creating stencils used to spray point application of the icon. Having just one version of the logo keeps things more consistent and allows viewers to more clearly understand intended message.
- Limb Rendition: The human depiction in this icon is consistent with other body representations found in the ISO 7001 - DOT Pictograms. Using a different portrayal of the human body would clash with the established and widely used icons and could lead to confusion.
- Leg Position: The leg has been moved forward to allow for more space between it and the wheel which allows for better readability and cleaner application of icon as a stencil.
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