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Faculty and Instructor Resources

UF Faculty, Staff, and Instructors

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 are the primary pieces of legislation that impact postsecondary institutions and students with disabilities.

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was designed to empower individuals with disabilities to gain employment, economic self-sufficiency, independence, inclusion and integration into society. Section 504 of the Reha­bilitation Act of 1973 was designed to ensure that any program or activity receiving federal assistance did not discriminate on the basis of disability for “otherwise qualified” individuals. No “otherwise qualified” individuals, solely by reason of their disabilities can “be denied the benefits of, be excluded from partici­pation in, or be subjected to discrimination” in these programs.

An individual with a disability is defined as any individual who:
1. Has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, for example: walking, hearing, seeing, speaking, learning or caring for oneself
2. Has record of such impairment or
3. Is regarded as having such an impairment.

Some impairments, such as health or mobility impairments like cancer or multiple sclerosis, are readily apparent or “visible” while other impairments, such as learning disabilities or psychiatric impairments like a math learning disability or depression, are not as readily apparent or “invisible”. Factors such as chronic fatigue, pain, or medication side effects can also impact an individual's ability to perform specific life and academic-related tasks. In all cases, postsecondary institutions have a responsibility to provide program access to qualified students with disabilities.

The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 expanded many of the provisions of Section 504 to the public and private sector who did not receive federal funding. Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 specifically addressed programs and services provided by state and local governmental entities. The ADA requires that individuals with disabilities be provided equal access to public programs and services. The ADA upholds and expands the standards of compliance to employment practices, communications and all policies, procedures and practices that impact the treatment of individuals with disabilities.

Making programs and services accessible is the responsibility of the provider of the specific program or service. Specific to postsecondary institutions, access includes not only physical access such as accessible parking, ramps and curbcuts, but classroom access through the assignment of reasonable accommodations such as modifying testing requirements, providing accessible classroom locations and providing written communication in alternative formats.

Reasonable accommodations are established by the Disability Resource Center (DRC).  Students with disabilities are issued accommodation letters which specify their accommodations and are responsible for providing the letters to their faculty members.  Upon receipt of the accommodation letter, a faculty member is responsible for reviewing the information in the letter and providing the requested accommodations.  If there are any questions or concerns about the information contained in the letter, a faculty member should immediately contact the Disability Resource Center.  Unless the DRC is contacted, it can only be assumed that there are no questions or concerns with any particular student's accommodation package. Most classroom accommodations are easy to arrange and will not take much time to administer. If, however, assistance is needed, please contact the DRC. The Disability Resource Center attempts to make the accommodation process as efficient and effective as possible for everyone involved.