History of Disability Rights

The American Bar Association offers this comprehensive timeline of the history of disability rights in the United States. Of special relevance to higher education are these moments in history: 

1973 - Rehabilitation Act

• Section 504 - Mandates that "No otherwise qualified individual with handicaps in the United States . . . shall, solely by reason of her or his handicap, 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.. (U.S. Department of Education, n.d.)

• Section 508 (adopted by the state of California in 2003) - In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology (EIT) accessible to people with disabilities. Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, open new opportunities for people with disabilities, and encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals. The law applies to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. Under Section 508 (29 U.S.C. ‘794 d), agencies must give disabled employees and members of the public access to information that is comparable to access available to others. (General Services Administration, 2024) 

1990 - The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

• "The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in everyday activities. The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability just as other civil rights laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion. The ADA guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to enjoy employment opportunities, purchase goods and services, and participate in state and local government programs."

• Title 2 of the ADA "Beginning April 24, 2026, a public entity, other than a special district government, with a total population of 50,000 or more shall ensure that the web content and mobile apps that the public entity provides or makes available, directly or through contractual, licensing, or other arrangements, comply with Level A and Level AA success criteria and conformance requirements specified in WCAG 2.1, unless the public entity can demonstrate that compliance with this section would result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of a service, program, or activity or in undue financial and administrative burdens." 

References

General Services Administration. (2024, October). Section 508: What is it and why is it important? Section508.gov. https://www.section508.gov/training/online-course/section-508-what-is-it/ 

U.S. Department of Education. (n.d.). Section 504. https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/individuals-disabilities/section-504

World Wide Web Consortium. (2018, June 5). Web Content      AccessibilityGuidelines (WCAG) 2.1 (W3C Recommendation). https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/