What laws protect a student with a disability?
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 protect individuals with disabilities from discrimination. The ADA extended the protections under Section 504 to cover private institutions of higher education as well as those receiving federal funding. Colleges and universities have experienced increased enforcement of the law with the passage of the ADA due to more awareness of people with disabilities regarding their rights to equal access to programs and services. However, Section 504 contains more specific information about compliance issues in post-secondary education than the ADA. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 states that … “No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States … shall, solely by reason of … disability, be denied the benefits of, be excluded from participation in, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” Under
