Legal Requirements

Section 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (A.D.A.) and Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations require community colleges to make their facilities, programs and activities accessible to students with disabilities. Sections 504 in part states that "No otherwise qualified person with a disability in the United States...shall, solely by reason of...disability, be denied the benefits of, excluded from the participation in, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance." The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 provides civil rights guarantees and protection from discrimination for individuals on the basis of a disability. Students with disabilities have the right to receive reasonable academic accommodations in order to create an educational environment where they have equal access to instruction and programs without fundamentally altering any course, educational program or degree.

These laws exist, in part, to ensure that qualified students with disabilities are provided the opportunity to participate in and benefit from all community college educational programs and activities.

Revised: December 2007        5