What accommodations can my child get under the ADA?

If a program or space is open to the public, the ADA likely applies. This means your child cannot be excluded, denied participation, or placed into a separate program simply because they have a disability.

Under the ADA, public programs are expected to provide reasonable accommodations so that children with disabilities can fully participate. Typical accommodations can look the following:

• Allowing service animals in restaurants, classrooms, or other public places

• Providing sign language interpreters or real-time captioning

• Offering/allowing assistive technology (such as screen readers, AAC devices, or text-to-speech or speech-to-text tools)

• Offering accessible materials (braille, audio tools, or large print)

• Providing health-related supports (inhalers, diabetes blood sugar checks, feeding tube support, snacks, etc.)

• Allowing aides or support staff to accompany a child in programs

• Providing accessible transportation and ADA-compliant features(paratransit, lifts/ramps)

These are just a few examples of the accommodations that the ADA protects. This is important to understand, as a program can’t turn your child away just because they need accommodations — doing so would be a direct violation of their rights.

For more information, see our full article The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 101.