aug 23, 1973 - Passage of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Description:
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was the nation’s first civil rights law regarding people with disabilities. Section 504, arguably the most important section, was intended to allow individuals with disabilities access to a K-12 education (Esteves, 2012). It was also intended to end disability discrimination and provide students with disabilities the right to reasonable accommodations. Section 504 gave all individuals the right to FAPE: “free appropriate public education”(Esteves, 2012). “Appropriate” includes granting appropriate accommodations to students with disabilities. The school is charged with identifying eligible students with no additional cost to the parents. The Rehabilitation Act also prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in any “programs and activities” that receive public funding, including airports, parks, and tax collection (Esteves, 2012). The passage of this legislation, following the PARC and Mills case, is indicative of a new era for individuals with disabilities: an era of access and inclusion, replacing the previous era of isolation and exclusion.
Added to timeline:
EDUC 1220
Date:
