Legal Information

Legal Definitions

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities.

According to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 'no otherwise qualified individual with a disability shall, solely by reason of his/her disability, be excluded from the 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.'

"Qualified" 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:

1. has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities [including walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working]
2. has a record of such an impairment, or
3. is regarded as having such an impairment."

Disabilities covered by legislation include (but are not limited to) AIDS, cancer, cerebral palsy, diabetes, epilepsy, brain injuries, hearing impairments, specific learning disabilities, loss of limbs, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, psychiatric disorders, speech impairments, spinal cord injuries, and visual impairments.