Sample Solution

Section 504 is a federal law designed to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities in programs and activities that receive Federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education (ED). Section 504 provides: “No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States . . . shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance . . . .” The Section 504 regulations require a school district to provide a “free appropriate public education” (FAPE) to each qualified student with a disability who is in the school district’s jurisdiction, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability. Under Section 504, FAPE consists of the provision of regular or special education and related aids and services designed to meet the student’s individual educational needs as adequately as the needs of non-disabled students are met. Since its inception in 1973, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act has been amended several times to better protect disabled individuals from discrimination. In 2008, Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act (ADAA) which broadened and clarified protection for those with disabilities by expanding definitions such as what is considered a disability and who can qualify for such protections under this law (McLaughlin & Bearse, 2013).