Final answer:
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 is a law that made public buildings and transportation accessible to all and prohibited workplace discrimination against individuals with disabilities, requiring employers to provide reasonable accommodations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a critical piece of legislation passed in 1990 that requires all public buildings and transportation be made accessible to all, including individuals with disabilities. This act also robustly prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in the workplace, encompassing both public and private sectors. It enforces that employers make reasonable accommodations for disabled employees to perform their job duties.
The ADA was a landmark civil rights law that followed earlier legislative efforts to eliminate discrimination based on disabilities, such as the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Education for all Handicapped Children Act of 1975. By shifting away from a medical model of disability, the ADA broadened the definition of disability and emphasized the societal barriers rather than just the impairments themselves.