The Americans with Disabilities Act

• The ADA states that no person can be discriminated against based on disability. This applies to employment opportunities, state and federal government, transportation and public accommodations among others. To be protected by this act, you must have a disability or be associated with a person with a disability in your daily life.
  
  

The Writ of Habeas Corpus

• The concept of habeas corpus is centered around the notion that all people have a right to demand a hearing while being held. It states that no person can be held indefinitely. The writ of habeas corpus is older than the U.S. Constitution.
  
  

Common Ground

• The people of the United States are like puzzle pieces, each one as important as the next.united states of america image by Vladislav Gajic from Fotolia.com
  
  Despite dealing with different groups of people -- accused criminals in the case of habeas corpus and those with disabilities in the case of the ADA- - and having been enacted centuries apart, these two acts strive to protect those groups against discrimination in society. They are just two of the hundreds of acts designed to create an equal footing among all people in the United States.