The Importance of Section 504

Posted on | by Leah Smith

In the current State of Texas V. Becerra case, 17 states are challenging the legality of Section 504. On February 25, 2025, all 17 states and HHS were due to file a joint report. Once a briefing schedule has been posted, views from the disability community can be presented to the court. The National Center for Disability, Equity, and Intersectionality will issue more information as it becomes available. In the meantime, you can find more information from DREDF (Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund) here.

Pink, blue and green clouds with a paper grid background (looks like it was written on notebook paper). Text reads: The importance of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The National Center for Disability, Equity, and Intersectionality. What is Section 504? a law that protects the rights of people with disabilities. Section 504 states that no one with a disability can be excluded from, denied benefits of, or discriminated against in any program or activity that receives federal funding. Why does section 504 matter? Section 504 has operated as a protection that allows disabled people to access all aspects of their lives. Some examples of this are: reasonable accommodations to gain or maintain employment, access to an interpreter at doctors appointments, preventing a landlord from turning someone away because of a disability Equal access discrimination education three columns- first column: (image of three hands coming together to form a circle) section 504 guarantees that people with disabilities can participate in programs and activities that receive federal funding, like schools, workplaces, and public areas. Second column: (image of a fist raised with a heart in the middle of it) section 504 protects individuals with disabilities from being treated unfairly or excluded just because of their disability. Third column: (image of attack of books) in schools, Section 504 helps students with disabilities get the accommodations they need to succeed, such as: extra time on tests or special equipment. State of Texas V. Becerra (image of a gavel) 17 states are challenging a new rule from the Biden Administration that updated regulations under section 504. The states argue that parts of the new rule are not legal. The states claim that these parts of the rule violate the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) and the Constitutions Spending Clause Why this case is important (image of an exclamation mark in the middle of a circle) If the court agrees with the states bringing this lawsuit, people with disabilities could lose important protections that have been afforded for 50+ years. Both children and adults would see their rights reduced, and schools and medical providers could stop providing accommodations altogether.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *