What do The American Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 mean to employers and employees?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 are similar, but not identical, laws that address discrimination on the basis of a disability. Section 504 prohibits recipients of federal funds from discriminating on the basis of disability. The ADA strengthens Section 504 by extending it to the workplace, private institutions, and other institutions that were not identified under Section 504 (Brinckerhoff, L.C., Shaw, S.F., and McGuire, J.M., 1992). In addition, Title II of the ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in state and local government services by state and local governmental entities, whether or not they receive federal funds. Section 504 and the ADA do not specify evaluation and placement procedures; they do specify provision of reasonable accommodations for eligible employees across different activities and settings. The purpose of this article is to help employers understand these obligations, particular
