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Opinion of the Court
State prisons fall squarely within the statutory definition of "public entity," which includes "any department, agency, special purpose district, or other instrumentality of a State or States or local government." § 12131(1)(B).
Petitioners contend that the phrase "benefits of the services, programs, or activities of a public entity," § 12132, creates an ambiguity, because state prisons do not provide prisoners with "benefits" of "programs, services, or activities" as those terms are ordinarily understood. We disagree. Modern prisons provide inmates with many recreational "activi-ties," medical "services," and educational and vocational "programs," all of which at least theoretically "benefit" the prisoners (and any of which disabled prisoners could be "excluded from participation in"). See Block v. Rutherford, 468 U. S. 576, 580 (1984) (referring to "contact visitation program"); Hudson v. Palmer, 468 U. S. 517, 552 (1984) (discussing "rehabilitative programs and services"); Olim v. Wakinekona, 461 U. S. 238, 246 (1983) (referring to "appropriate correctional programs for all offenders"). Indeed, the statute establishing the Motivational Boot Camp at issue in this very case refers to it as a "program." Pa. Stat. Ann., Tit. 61, § 1123 (Purdon Supp. 1998). The text of the ADA provides no basis for distinguishing these programs, services, and activities from those provided by public entities that are not prisons.
We also disagree with petitioners' contention that the term "qualified individual with a disability" is ambiguous insofar as concerns its application to state prisoners. The statute defines the term to include anyone with a disability
"who, with or without reasonable modifications to rules, policies, or practices, the removal of architectural, communication, or transportation barriers, or the provision of auxiliary aids and services, meets the essential eligibility requirements for the receipt of services or the participation in programs or activities provided by a public entity." 42 U. S. C. § 12131(2).
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