The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) provides guidelines that assure the provision of services to people with disabilities and the protection of their legal rights. The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, access to public services, public accommodations, and commercial facilities, and it requires telephone companies to offer telephone relay service for individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TTYs) or similar devices. The ADA includes a legal definition of disability, in part defining a person with a disability as one who has “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.” . . . . In 2002, 51.2 million people (18.1 percent of the population) had some level of disability and 32.5 million (11.5 percent of the population) had a severe disability