ABSTRACT
The two laws, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), are both considered civil rights laws. These laws are major federal legislative acts designed to protect the civil rights of individuals with disabilities. Their intent is to prevent any form of discrimination based on disabilities. Under Section 504 schools must afford students with disabilities with equal opportunities to obtain the same result, to gain the same benefit, or to reach the same level of achievement, as students without disabilities. Section 504 does not guarantee success for students with disabilities; it guarantees an equal opportunity for success. The ADA, passed in 1990, is also civil rights legislation for individuals with disabilities. Under Section 504 and the ADA, a person is considered to have a disability if that person has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of such person's major life activities.
