The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a federal civil rights statute and is the primary disability legislation in the United States. For the purposes of higher education, the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) mostly restates what had earlier been stated in the Rehabilitation Act.
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 has gone through several reauthorizations. A reauthorization is basically a rewrite with subsequent approvals by the various affected agencies. During the 1998 reauthorization, major changes were made to Section 508.
What does it mean?Practically speaking, §504 requires that all entities which receive federal funds must provide access to programs and services to qualified persons with disabilities. Access includes reasonable accommodations and appropriate auxiliary aids and services, which include AT accommodations.
Most of the interpretation of §504, as well as other legislative pieces, comes from a variety of enforcement agencies such as the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and the U.S. Department of Education – Office for Civil Rights (OCR).
Q: What about private schools?Most private schools receive some type of federal money. If they receive a single dollar of federal money, all of their programs and services must comply with §504.
Q: What constitutes appropriate auxiliary aids and services?
OCR has ruled that effective accommodations must meet the following three
- Delivery must be timely
- Translation must be accurate
- Provision of service must be in a manner and medium appropriate to the disability and the significance of the message.
