The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted into law in 1991. ADA was a broad-sweeping piece of legislation's that mandated many changes in the design and layout of publicly accessible areas to accommodate disabled persons. ADA does not therefore focus exclusively on lighting, but it does have a direct effect on the design of lighting relative to the amount of projection allowable for wall sconces and lanterns, and relative to the amount of clearance for hanging lights and lanterns.

Section 4.4 of the ADA contains language specific to lighting: "objects projecting from walls with their leading edges between 27 inches and 80 inches (2' 4" to 6' 8") above the finished floor shall protrude no more than four inches into walks, halls, corridors, passageways or aisles". The lighting industry came together in immediate compliance, but the fixtures they produced were not very imaginative. Years later, it is a totally different story, and trusted lighting manufacturers like Hubbardton Forge and Minka Lavery have created some stunning ADA-compliant fixtures for those publicly accessible places.
Click here for more information about ADA compliance