There are three major accessibility laws that apply from kindergarten to grade 12 (K-12 range) in American education..

These are:

• The Rehabilitation Act of 1973
• Individuals with disabilities education Act (Idea)
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

In this week's accessibility tips, we will explain the basics of the first law, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

What is the Rehabilitation Act of 1973?

It is a law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs conducted by Federal agencies, in programs receiving federal financial assistance, in federal employment, and in the employment practices of federal contractors.

The Rehabilitation Act promotes Affirmative action

Sections 501 and 505 of the Rehabilitation Act require affirmative action in the hiring and employment promotion of qualified people with disabilities. This means that the groups it covers must actively recruit, promote, or increase the representation of people with disabilities in their workforce.
Section 504 of the act is more involved in education. It says that schools may not exclude students with disabilities from the facilities, programs, benefits, activities, or services provided to students without disabilities.
Finally, section 508 requires federal agencies to ensure that their information and communication technologies are available to people with disabilities. This includes Internet pages, software, applications, intranet pages, and electronic documents, among others.

Who is protected from discrimination under this act?

Qualified people with disabilities. According to this same act, this group of people has "a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of their main activities" and at the same time "can develop the essential skills of the job for which they applied to or were hired to develop".