1. Assistive Technology Laws
Re-published with permission from the Family Center on Technology and Disability (FCTD)
Updated as of 9/2014

2. Assistive Technology Laws by: Family Center on Technology and Disability

3. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Public Law 101-334 [42 USC 12101]
ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the following areas:
Employment
State and Local Government
Public Accommodations
Commercial Facilities
Transportation
Telecommunications

4. The law is organized by section, or “Title”
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Public Law [42 USC 12101]
The law is organized by section, or “Title”
Title I – Employment
Any employer who has 15 or more employees must offer “equal opportunity” to employment related activities
Title II – State and Local Governments
Insists that all people with disabilities must be given equal access to public education, employment, transportation, recreation, health care, and other areas under their control

5. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Public Law 101-334 [42 USC 12101]
Title III – Public Accommodations by Private Companies
Public accommodations must be made by all private companies, including private schools, restaurants, stores, hotels, and doctors’ offices.
Title IV – Assistive Technology
All telephone companies must provide the necessary services to allow people who are deaf or hearing impaired to use telecommunication devices.

6. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Public Law 94-142
Originally passed in 1975 as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA), IDEA guarantees that eligible children and youth with disabilities receive a free and appropriate public education (FAPE)
Amended many times, most recently in 2004

7. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act 29 USC § 794d
Requires that all electronic and information technologies that are developed and used by any Federal government agency must be accessible to people with disabilities. These technologies include:
Websites
Video and audio materials
Electronic books
Televised programs
Any other type of electronic media
Does not apply to the private sector or to organizations that receive Federal funds. (It does, however, apply to materials developed by those organizations for the Federal government and funded by government agencies.)

8. Assistive Technology Act of 1998 Public Law 105-394 [29 USC 2201]
Also known as the “Tech Act”
Provides funds to states to support three types of programs:
Assistive technology (AT) demonstration centers, information centers, equipment loan facilities, referral services, and other consumer-oriented programs
Protection and advocacy services to help people with disabilities and their families, as they attempt to access the services for which they are eligible
3. Federal/state programs to provide low
interest loans and other alternative
financing options to help people with
disabilities purchase needed assistive
technology

9. Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act Amendments of 1998 P.L Section 1 (b) [20 USC 2302]
Defines vocational technical education as organized educational programs offering sequences of courses directly related to preparing individuals for paid or unpaid employment in current or emerging occupations requiring other than a baccalaureate or advanced degree.
Requires schools to:
Integrate academic, vocational and technical training
Increase the use of technology
Provide professional development opportunities to staff
Develop and implement evaluations of program quality
Expand and modernize quality programs
Link secondary and post-secondary vocational education
Requires states to:
Submit an annual report on how special populations, including persons living with disabilities, engaged in vocational education are faring relative to the state’s performance guidelines

10. Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006 (1)
Changes language: "career and technical education" instead of "vocational education“
Keeps Tech Prep program as a separate federal funding stream within the legislation
Maintains state administrative funding at 5 percent of a state’s allocation
Introduces local accountability requiring local programs to set specific performance targets and be responsible for meeting these targets
(1) ACTE Summary of Perkins Act

11. Fair Housing Act Amendments of 1988 Public Law 100-430 [42 USC 3604]
Addresses non-discrimination issues for potential tenants with disabilities.
Makes it unlawful to deny housing to a renter/buyer because of a disability that the person may have.
Mandates that reasonable exceptions to policies be made to accommodate individuals with disabilities.
Allows tenants to make reasonable access-related modifications to property if necessary.

12. The Television Decoder Circuitry Act of 1990, Section 3 Public Law 101-431 [47 USC 303(u)]
All individuals who are deaf or have hearing impairments should have access to information and entertainment via television to the fullest extent possible through technology.
Requires that all new televisions with at least a 13-inch screen have the built-in capacity to display closed-captioned TV transmissions.

13. Telecommunications Act of 1996
Title I – Public Law [47 USC 255]
Requires that telecommunications equipment and services be accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.
Telecommunication products covered include:
Wired and wireless telecommunication devices (telephones, cellular phones, pagers, and fax machines)
Other products that have a telecommunication service capability such as computers with modems
Equipment that carriers use to provide services, such as a phone company’s switching equipment
Title II – Public Law [47 USC 613]
Discusses rules concerning closed captions and video descriptions of
video programming

14. Federal Government Procurement of Accessible Information Technology Public Law Section 408 [29 USC 794 (d)]
Individuals with disabilities can not be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance or under any program or activity conducted by any Executive agency or by the United States Postal Service.

15. Workforce Investment Act of 1998 Public Law 105-220 [29 USC 701]
This law defines technology in the vocational rehabilitation process and mandates its use in job planning, acquisition and retention of people with disabilities.
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR  Employment and Training Administration

16. Additional Resources
A Guide to Disability Rights Law – U.S. Department of Justice

17. Family Center on Technology and Disability 1825 Connecticut Avenue, NW 7th Floor Washington, DC