Amarillo College is governed by the following laws and provisions in order to service students with disabilities:  Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 2000, the ADAAA of 2009, and the Amarillo College Mission Statement.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 states that “No otherwise qualified individual with a disability shall solely, by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), and the overall mission of Amarillo College are the guidelines by which Amarillo College provides reasonable accommodations for our students.

Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act states that “No qualified individual with a disability shall by reason of such disability, be excluded from participation in, or be denied the benefits of a public entity, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

The ADA defines disability as “a person who has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities.” These include; learning, working, eating, performing manual tasks, carrying, lifting, walking, standing, seeing, breathing, hearing, talking, and caring for oneself.

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 2000 “Requires that federal procurement of electronic and information technology after August 2000 must be accessible to federal employees who have disabilities and to members of the public with disabilities who need to use that technology - Section 508 also applies to web sites that are produced for government agencies.”

The ADAAA has expanded the definition of “major life activities” and adds a new major life activity category called “major bodily function.”  The implication for higher education is that with the expanded definition of disability more students may be eligible for services.