Section 5
Accessing Disability Services
Activity 36
    Learn about your legal rights and your responsibilities as a student in high school and in college according to the federal laws: the IDEA, Section 504 and the ADA.

Vocabulary

  • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
  • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504)
  • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Research icon
Visit the Post-ITT Website and click on Disability Law. Click on each of the following laws:
  • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
  • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504)
  • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Review the summary statements, questions and answers for each law. You may want to continue reading detailed information on these laws.

Click on Comparisons between the IDEA, Section 504 and the ADA. In this section and in the summary statements mentioned above, find the information you need to answer the following questions:

  • Which of the three laws apply to public schools? To colleges?
  • What is the purpose of each law?
  • Who is protected under each law?
  • Which law no longer applies after high school graduation?
  • Whose responsibility is it to identify students having academic difficulty in public schools? In colleges?
  • How is eligibility to receive services determined for a high school student? College student?
  • Under each law, who is responsible to advocate for students with disabilities?
Think about icon

Discuss what you learned with a special education teacher or a guidance counselor (or in a classroom discussion). As a college student, what will you do to qualify for disability services?