Laws & Regulations

The way a classroom is built and how language and sounds are heard in it can be an educational barrier for children who have hearing loss, use cochlear implants, have speech impairments or learning disabilities. The Access Board will address acoustics in classrooms by referencing a voluntary consensus standard developed by the Acoustical Society of America with support from the Board. The Board's rulemaking will focus on adding scoping provisions to its ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines to apply specific technical standard to classrooms that are newly built or significantly renovated. The Board will gather information on cost impacts in preparation for a proposed rule that will be made available for public comment.

The U.S. Department of Justice provides information about the ADA through a toll-free information line (1-800-514-0301). This service permits businesses, state and local governments and others to ask questions about ADA requirements and order ADA technical assistance materials.

Information from the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights on higher education's obligations to provide auxiliary aids to qualified students with disabilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Lists and describes the 14 primary disabilities included in the IDEA under the definition of child with a disability. These definitions guide how states define disability and determine eligibility for a free public education under special education laws. Also includes links to more information about most of the disabilities listed.

Technical assistance for state departments of education, parents and school administrators using mediation and other collaborative strategies to resolve disagreements about special education and early intervention programs.

Online form for filing a complaint that an educational institution or other covered entity has discriminated on the basis of disability.

Answers from the U.S. Department of Education about educational requirements under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Answers to common questions about educating children with disabilities, including the differences between the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

ESEA program description regarding the purpose, eligibility and awards to local education agencies and schools with high numbers of poor children to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards.

Information about epilepsy, including its characteristics and educational implications for eligibility for special education and related services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). More information is available from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stroke.

Information about filing a complaint about discrimination with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights.

Information to help state educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), schools and postsecondary institutions address the implications of a prolonged school closure or other disruptions in the regular educational services to students in the event of an outbreak of the H1N1 influenza virus during the 2009-2010 school year. Includes information about the importance of ensuring that education activities provided during a school closure are accessible to students with disabilities. This link opens a Word document. More information is available from Flu.gov.

Assists educators, parents and state and local educational agencies in implementing the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) regarding IEPs for children with disabilities.

Information about the Impact Aid Law, now Title VIII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), which provides assistance to local school districts with concentrations of children residing on Indian lands, military bases, low-rent housing properties or other federal properties.

Information and resources about the IDEA from the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY).

Information on the purposes and key definitions of IDEA from the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY). This link opens a PDF document.

The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education have sent a letter to colleges and universities about the use of electronic book readers that are not accessible to students who are blind or have low vision. The letter points out a serious problem with some of these devices that do not have an accessible text-to-speech function. Requiring use of an emerging technology in a classroom environment when that technology is inaccessible to an entire population of individuals with disabilities- individuals with visual disabilities-may constitute discrimination prohibited by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504). The letter can be downloaded in PDF format. Read the blog post on this from Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy.

Information on Other Health Impairment conditions, which make up one of 14 categories of disability listed under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that may make a child eligible for Early Intervention and Special Education services. Includes diabetes, epilepsy, heart conditions, hemophilia, lead poisoning, leukemia, nephritis, rheumatic fever, sickle cell anemia and Tourette syndrome.

H.R.5610, the Independent Living Centers Technical Adjustment Act, makes a technical adjustment to funding for independent living centers under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to ensure stability and funding for independent living centers.  This law will ensure that independent living centers have enough funding to continue to provide services to people with disabilities. This link opens a PDF document.

Find, review and submit comments on federal documents that are open for comment and published in the Federal Register, the government's legal newspaper.

Links to information on No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the U.S. Department of Education's budget and strategic plan.

Provides information on disability laws and other subjects available to download and listen to, as well as podcast transcripts to read. Information covered includes the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Air Carrier Access Act, the Ticket to Work program, the Fair Housing Act and other laws and programs that support the rights and independence of people with disabilities. This information is also available in Spanish. Disability Law Lowdown ASL videos are on YouTube.

Information for state educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), parents, advocacy organizations and others on secondary transition for students with disabilities. This information can be downloaded in PDF or Word formats.