PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ENTITIES THAT RECEIVE FEDERAL FUNDS

THE REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973 -
SECTION 504

States that “no qualified individual with a disability in the United States shall be excluded from, denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under” any program or activity that either receives federal financial assistance or is conducted by any executive agency or the United States postal service. Each federal agency has its own set of section 504 regulations and is responsible for enforcing them. Requirements common to these regulations include reasonable accommodation for employees with disabilities; program accessibility; effective communication with people with hearing or vision disabilities; and accessible new construction or alterations.

STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT OF 1990 ( ADA) TITLE II

Covers all activities of state and local governments. Requires that state and local governments provide people with disabilities an equal opportunity to benefit from all of their programs, services and activities. They are required to follow specific architectural standards in new construction or alteration of existing buildings. They must relocate or provide access to programs located in inaccessible buildings. They must effectively communicate with people with disabilities (i.e. ASL interpreters, Braille, large print). They are not required to take actions that would result in an undue financial or administrative burden or that would fundamentally alter the nature of the service, activity or program being provided.

www.ada.gov