The following are different disability laws that protect people with disabilities from discrimination and provide them equal access to different areas of life.1
- Americans with Disabilities Act
- Telecommunications Act
- Fair Housing Act
- Aire Carrier Access Act
- Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act
- National Voter Registration Act
- Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
- Rehabilitation Act
- Architectural Barriers Act
This article will focus on three major federal laws that protect the rights of people with disabilities. They are:
- Americans with Disabilities Acts
- The Rehabilitation Act of 1973
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), first singed into law in 1990, protects individuals from disability discrimination in all areas of public life. The purpose of ADA is to provide people with disabilities the same rights and opportunities to find employment, receive education, purchase goods and services, and participate in public programs.
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was the first civil rights legislation to address the issue of equal access for people with disabilities through the removal of various societal barriers. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act prohibits discrimination solely on the basis of disability in programs or services that receive federal financial assistance. Section 504 provides the same rights and opportunities for people with disability in education, employment, and other settings. It was the first national civil rights act that provided equal access for individuals with disabilities to higher education institutions, public and private, that receive federal fundings.
Congress enacted the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, also known as EHA or Public Law (PL) 94-142, in 1975. This act required all states that received federal fundings to provide equal access to education and one free meal per day for children with disabilities. States had the responsibility to ensure compliance with the law in all of their public-school systems.
PL 94-142 was reauthorized and renamed as The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA)2 in 1990. IDEA is a federal legislation that ensures eligible students with disabilities a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) and provides special education and related services for these students to meet their individual needs.
The following chart gives a brief overview of the differences among the three disability rights laws:
References:
1 To find out more about these laws and how they apply to your unique situations, please refer to U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section: https://www.ada.gov/cguide.htm.
2 The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law that makes available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities in the United States. The IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education, and related services to eligible infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities.
Infants and toddlers, birth through age 2, with disabilities and their families receive early intervention services under IDEA Part C. Children and youth ages 3 through 21 receive special education and related services under IDEA Part B. https://sites.ed.gov/idea/about-idea/#:~:text=Infants%20and%20toddlers%2C%20birth%20through,services
%20under%20IDEA%20Part%20B.