Section 504 Rehabilitation Act Analysis

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is a federal law that states any discrimination of a qualified disabled individual is strictly prohibited. These disabled individuals cannot be denied from benefits or services due to their disability. Employers are not allowed to discriminate in the process of hiring to those that are disabled. Those that are required to comply are ones that receive any federal funding and/or assistance. Federal divisions and agencies are also required to comply. The organizations that receive federal funding are diverse. They consist of healthcare organizations, educational programs, housing, et cetera. Healthcare organizations cannot deny services to a disabled individual on the basis of the disability (“Your Rights
Under”, 2006). This section encompasses different areas where discrimination may take place, even though there are other detailed regulations pertaining to those situations, Section 504 provides a back-up to fully enforce those laws. Section 504 also ensures children with disabilities are not being denied the proper education other students are receiving. In the Ramirez vs. District of Columbia court case filed in 2005, the parents of a disabled child in a wheelchair filed a discrimination suit due to the bathrooms within the school the boy was attending did not have accommodations for him. The small bathroom stall space did not provide enough area for him to maneuver around. According to Section 504, the school is federally funded therefore must provide reasonable accommodation for all disabled students. The court stated that carrying the boy to the stall is not considered reasonable accommodation. The court went in favor of Ramirez and enforced the school to comply with Section 504 (“Ramirez v. D of Columbia”, 2005).