Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act was the first disability civil rights law to be enacted in the United States. It prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in programs that receive federal financial assistance, and set the stage for enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Section 504 works together with the ADA and IDEA to protect children and adults with disabilities from exclusion, and unequal treatment in schools, jobs and the community.
DREDF Materials
- Sample Section 504 Plan and Health Care Plan for a Student with Diabetes
- A Comparison of ADA, IDEA, and Section 504
- A sit-in and demonstrations in San Francisco and Washington DC, in 1977, changed the course of civil rights history, and resulted in the signing of the 1977 Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) regulations implementing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
For more information:
- U.S. Department of Education regulations implementing Section 504
- The U.S. Department of Education, Protecting Students with Disabilities: Frequently Asked Questions about Section 504 and the Education of Children with Disabilities.
- The Civil Rights of Students with Hidden Disabilities Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
- U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Complaint Process
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, “Your Rights Under Section 504 Of The Rehabilitation Act”
- Federal Agency Section 504 Contacts List
- U.S Department of Justice complaint procedure
- Department of Housing and Urban Development HUD’s Section 504 One-Stop Web Site
- Rehabilitating Section 504 – by the National Council on Disability. February 12, 2003.