subject: Section 504 Plan To Meet The Needs Of Students With Disabilities [print this page] The 1973 Rehabilitation Act of the United States, Section 504 prohibits educational discrimination of students with disabilities. It states that the educational needs of disabled students who are otherwise qualified must be met with the same adequacy of education as those students without disability. They cannot be denied the benefits of or participation in any program or activity that receives federal funding. Addressing the special needs of students with disabilities is not optional for public schools - it is a federal statute with required compliance in order to maintain federal financial assistance. It is not mandatory for privately funded institutions.
For a student to be covered by Section 504, the student must be otherwise qualified, which typically means meeting the age requirements for school attendance at a given level. The student must also have a disability as defined by federal law as follows: "An individual with a disability means any person who: (i) has a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity; (ii) has a record of such an impairment; or (iii) is regarded as having such an impairment."
There is no list of specific impairments that would qualify a student for Section 504 inclusion due to the extensive conditions, diseases, or disorders that would require, however it is specified that only physical and mental impairments are considered, eliminating economic or cultural disadvantages. Some disabilities are apparent, including mental or physical impairments, injury or illness. Others conditions are not as visible, such as some learning disabilities, allergies, epilepsy, diabetes, heart disease, or other chronic illness. Any condition that limits the student's ability to attain the same educational benefits as unaffected students may be considered to meet the definition of impairment to qualify for Section 504.
The 504 plan allows students with disabilities to pursue the same educational opportunities given to nondisabled students. It requires that schools provide accommodations or modifications to enable their participation with such assistance as wheelchair ramps, peanut-free cafeteria environment, blood sugar monitoring, home instruction, tape recorder, or an extra set of textbooks for home use. The 504 plan covers those students who not qualify for the more thorough Individualized Education Plan (IEP), but do require some added assistance.
It can be quite difficult to attain qualification for 504 plan assistance. Parents often find numerous road blocks placed in their paths by school districts that prefer to not deal with meeting the special needs of students with disabilities. It is important to have a highly qualified, professional advocate on your child's side to ensure that the child's needs are met for the equal education every student deserves.
