In July 1990 Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in order to guarantee the civil rights of persons with disabilities. The act protected their rights to equal opportunity in public accommodations, employment, and transportation. The ADA also mandated that federal, state, and local governments provide equal services to individuals with disabilities. Under the law, government offices and private businesses have to provide accessible parking, entrances, and workspaces. Some businesses protested the act claiming that it would be too expensive to provide accessibility for customers or employees with disabilities, However, most Americans supported the law. The federal government allowed smaller businesses more time to meet the requirements of the law. Within three years after the law passed, more than 43 million Americans with disabilities had benefited from it.
