Which ADA title covers employment?

• A. Title II
• B. Title I
• C. Title III
• D. Title IV

Answer: (B)

Employment protections under the ADA come from Title I. It makes it illegal to discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities in all aspects of the job process—whether applying, hiring, promoting, paying, or continuing employment—and it requires reasonable accommodations so a worker can perform the essential duties of the job. The idea is to level the playing field so a disability does not prevent someone from having and keeping work, as long as they can do the job with or without a reasonable adjustment. This often involves an interactive process with the employer to identify feasible accommodations, such as assistive technology, modified duties, or flexible scheduling. Importantly, accommodations should not impose an undue hardship on the employer, considering factors like cost and impact on operations. Medical inquiries are limited; you generally can’t ask about disabilities before a job offer, and medical exams after an offer must be applied to all applicants consistently. Also, protected status applies to applicants and employees, and retaliation for requesting accommodations is prohibited. Federal employees are primarily covered by the Rehabilitation Act rather than the ADA’s Title I. Other ADA titles address different areas—Title II covers public entities and their services, Title III covers public accommodations like stores and restaurants, and Title IV concerns telecommunications.