Section 504 is part of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which was enacted by Congress to combat discrimination against individuals with disabilities in services, programs and activities administered by any entity that receives federal funds, including public schools.
Section 504 and the ADA provide specific protections for “qualified individuals with a disability.” There are three categories that may qualify someone as an “individual with a disability.” These are:
Most of the student situations that schools encounter involve students with actual current impairments that substantially limit a major life activity. These students may need specific services and accommodations in order to access the school program, but it may occasionally also be true that an eligible child under Section 504 is not in need of any interventions at the present time, especially based on the expansion of the ADA and Section 504 by the enactment of the ADAAA.
For a student to be identified under Section 504, in most circumstances the school must conclude that the child has: (1) a physical or mental impairment that (2) substantially limits (3) a major activity.
Candace Lord - School Counselor/Section 504 Case Manager