A lot of people are pointing out the fact that the ADA only allows for “reasonable” accommodations, not any accommodation. True. But there are several other things that make the “I don’t have to wear a face mask because of the ADA” thing so ridiculous.

ADA complaints are notoriously difficult to enforce (most are not honored) and usually have to be precedented by explicit written requests to the business in question that then give them time to fulfill it- the ADA is far less enforceable than these people suddenly want it to be.

It’s not only *not* a ticket to special treatment, it’s rarely even a ticket to basic equality. When a lack of reasonable accommodations that are inarguably required by law (like no ramp in a brand-new building) gets by unimpeded, your dubious mask claim ain’t going anywhere.

Also, the ADA is a civil rights law. It’s meant to protect the 1 in 4 Americans with a disability. It’s aimed at a marginalized group. If you aren’t in that marginalized group, it doesn’t apply to you.

No, you don’t have to tell a stranger at Costco your exact diagnosis that requires the use of a service dog. But even in that case, a business could ask what tasks the dog performs related to your disability.

If you escalate the issue and tried to enforce the ADA, hell yeah you’d have to assert at the very least that you were disabled, that that was relevant to the issue at stake, and that it caused you some kind of harm to not be able to access something.

Most importantly, you’re harming not just anyone who works at or is patronizing the business you want to visit maskless, but also disabled people- who already struggle to get anyone to take their right to access seriously. The ADA is already regularly attacked and denigrated.

It’s especially ironic and disgusting because disabled people are likelier to have an underlying condition that puts them at risk of developing complications if they contract the virus. So you’re co-opting a civil rights law to screw over the very group you’re stealing from.