Laws in Higher Education
Students and parents familiar with the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act of 1990, or IDEA, often are surprised to find that this
law does not apply to postsecondary education.
Madison Area Technical College is governed by the following federal
statutes that prohibit discrimination against individuals on the basis
of disability and requires reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals.
No public or private institution may discriminate against a disability
solely by reason of the disability based on Section 504 of the 1973
Rehabilitation
Act and the Americans
with Disability Act .
Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Section 504
Sec. 504(a) No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United
States, as defined in section 7(20), 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
or under any program or activity conducted by any Executive agency or by the
United States Postal Service.
Section
508
In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act to require Federal agencies
to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with
disabilities. Inaccessible technology interferes with an individual's ability
to obtain and use information quickly and easily. Section 508 was enacted to
eliminate barriers in information technology, to make available new opportunities
for people with disabilities, and to 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 .
Additional Legal Resource
“Students
with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education: Know Your
Rights and Responsibilities.” - U.S. Department of Education
Last Modified:
January 29, 2007
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