The Law
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilties Act of 1990, and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities.
Section 504
Section 504 protects people with disabilities from discrimination, and ensures that people with a disability have equal access to education. Section 504 specifically says, “No otherwise qualified individual with a disability shall, solely by reason of his or her disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity of a public or private entity that receives or benefits from Federal financial assistance.”
Americans with Disabilities Act and Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was created to attempt to end segregation and exclusion of people with disabilities. It does not change the Section 504 regulations. ADA specifically says, “No qualified individual with a disability shall, by reason of such disability, be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of the services, programs, or activities of a public entity, or be subjected to discrimination by any such entity.” The Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) was enacted in 2008 in order to restore much of the original intent of the ADA.
Legal Definitions
“Qualified individual,” with respect to post-secondary educational services, means "a person who meets the academic and technical standards requisite to admission or participation in the education program or activity, 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."
"Person with a disability" means "any person who:
- has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities [including walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working],
- has a record of such an impairment, or
- is regarded as having such an impairment."
For more information, guidelines, and/or required forms for requesting
accommodations and submitting documentation, please contact Dvora
Zipkin, Academic and Disabilities Support Coordinator, at 802-322-1639,
or email adsoffice@goddard.edu.
