Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 protect the civil rights of individuals with disabilities. Section 504 states that “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 entity.”

Further, in a post-secondary education setting, the term “otherwise qualified” 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” 34 C.F.R Part 104.

In general, a person with disability is an individual who: (1) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities (functions such as performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, or learning); (2) has a record of physical or mental impairment; or (3) is regarded as having a substantially limiting physical or mental impairment.

Under this legislation individuals with disabilities are entitled to reasonable and appropriate accommodations to ensure equal access to education. Individuals are responsible for their own transportation, assistance with homework, coaching, mobility training, personal care attendants, and activities outside the University as well as accommodations of a personal nature or unrelated to their education.