Americans With Disabilities Act Guidelines for Public Schools

ADA Law

The 1990 ADA law accommodates people with disabilities in many settings. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, "the ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment." People covered under this law have a right to participate in employment, government and public transportation and seek public accommodation. People with needs also have a right to telecommunication.

The federal government protects all students with disabilities to age 21 under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This law, updated in 2004, mandates a public education for students in special education in their least restrictive environment. Their education needs are addressed in individual education plans by a team of parents and educators.

Students over 21 years old in public schools are covered under the ADA. According to the U.S. Office of Civil Rights, "at the post-secondary educational level, a qualified student with a disability is a student with a disability who meets the academic and technical standards requisite for admission or participation in the institution's educational program or activity."

More adult students with health problems now qualify under the ADA. In 2008, President George W. Bush signed the ADA Amendments Act. The new rules expand the definition of a disability as "an impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of such an impairment, or being regarded as having such an impairment." Limitations now include problems with "reading, bending, communication and bodily functions." It also covers remissions if the sufferer is impaired while the illness is active.

Colleges and post-secondary schools are meeting the needs of students with disabilities by providing adaptive programs. Think College.net provides information for students with intellectual disabilities. Wisconsin's Shepherds College offers instruction for students with intellectual disabilities. Aldelphi University accepts qualified students with learning disabilities.