Government and public statistics

Fact Sheet: Disability Discrimination

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 1997

Read on October 16, 2026

What it is: A short EEOC fact sheet on Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It explains which employers are covered, who counts as a qualified individual with a disability, what reasonable accommodation can include and what undue hardship means.
How much weight it carries: Official guidance from the federal agency that enforces the employment part of the ADA. It is a plain-language summary first issued in 1997, so it predates the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 in places; the statute, regulations and later EEOC guidance govern.

Facts taken from this source

According to the EEOC, the ADA covers employers with 15 or more employees, including state and local governments, and a covered employer must make a reasonable accommodation for the known disability of a qualified applicant or employee unless it would impose an undue hardship.
“The ADA covers employers with 15 or more employees, including state and local governments. ... An employer is required to make a reasonable accommodation to the known disability of a qualified applicant or employee if it would not impose an "undue hardship" on the operation of the employer's business.” (Fact Sheet: Disability Discrimination, coverage and reasonable accommodation paragraphs)
The EEOC says an employer does not have to provide a reasonable accommodation that imposes an undue hardship, defined as significant difficulty or expense judged against factors such as the employer's size, financial resources and the nature of its operation.
“An employer does not have to provide a reasonable accommodation if it imposes an "undue hardship." Undue hardship is defined as an action requiring significant difficulty or expense when considered in light of factors such as an employer's size, financial resources, and the nature and structure of its operation.” (Fact Sheet: Disability Discrimination, undue hardship paragraph)

Government and public statistics

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 1997

Read on October 16, 2026

What it is: A short EEOC fact sheet on Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It explains which employers are covered, who counts as a qualified individual with a disability, what reasonable accommodation can include and what undue hardship means.
How much weight it carries: Official guidance from the federal agency that enforces the employment part of the ADA. It is a plain-language summary first issued in 1997, so it predates the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 in places; the statute, regulations and later EEOC guidance govern.

According to the EEOC, the ADA covers employers with 15 or more employees, including state and local governments, and a covered employer must make a reasonable accommodation for the known disability of a qualified applicant or employee unless it would impose an undue hardship.
“The ADA covers employers with 15 or more employees, including state and local governments. ... An employer is required to make a reasonable accommodation to the known disability of a qualified applicant or employee if it would not impose an "undue hardship" on the operation of the employer's business.” (Fact Sheet: Disability Discrimination, coverage and reasonable accommodation paragraphs)
The EEOC says an employer does not have to provide a reasonable accommodation that imposes an undue hardship, defined as significant difficulty or expense judged against factors such as the employer's size, financial resources and the nature of its operation.
“An employer does not have to provide a reasonable accommodation if it imposes an "undue hardship." Undue hardship is defined as an action requiring significant difficulty or expense when considered in light of factors such as an employer's size, financial resources, and the nature and structure of its operation.” (Fact Sheet: Disability Discrimination, undue hardship paragraph)