The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a civil rights law that supports people with disabilities in participating fully and equally in public life. Because of the ADA, we have legal requirements for making public spaces accessible to people with disabilities. This promotes equitable and inclusive workplaces, employment opportunities, and ensures people with disabilities have equal access to public programs and services.
Universal Design is a way of designing environments to include all people. It is a term that is rooted in the ADA and was later defined in the Disability Act of 2005. See our virtual building tour to see how the ADA and Universal Design can make spaces more welcoming and accessible:
Every region in the United States has an ADA Center as part of the federal ADA National Network. The role of the regional ADA Center is to provide unbiased information and resources about the ADA and to foster a greater understanding of the ADA. The Northwest ADA Center serves Region 10 which includes Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska. The NWADA Center is housed in the Center for Continuing Education in Rehabilitation at the University of Washington in Mountlake Terrace, just north of Seattle.
Phone : 800-949-4232
Email : nwadactr@uw.edu
The Northwest ADA Center has partners in each state within Region 10, and Community Vision is the partner for Oregon. Cynthia Castañeda, the AT Lab’s Accessibility Specialist, provides technical assistance via phone and email, conducts trainings on the ADA and related topics, creates and shares ADA guides, and fosters connections between ADA Coordinators and stakeholders in the state.
