Physical Access – Page 2 – globaldisabilityrightsnow

Focus Countries

U.S. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), formerly called the Education for all Handicapped Children Act of 1975, requires public schools to make available to all eligible children with disabilities a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment appropriate to the child’s education needs. Under the law, State and local education agencies are… Continue reading U.S. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

Section 504 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act of 1973

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, or Section 504, can be considered the oldest federal disability civil rights law in the U.S. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in public and private programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance. The law also covers programs and activities that are conducted by the federal… Continue reading Section 504 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act of 1973

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a civil rights law that critically extended Section 504’s disability nondiscrimination mandate to the private sector. The ADA reaches such entities as private employers (with 15 or more employees), retailers, service establishments, transportation companies, and telecommunication companies, regardless of whether they receive federal financial assistance. The law is… Continue reading Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)

National U.S. Disability Laws

The laws included on the RightsNow! website are primarily rights-oriented laws that prohibit many different kinds of entities, such as individuals, state and municipal governments, private employers and businesses, and service organizations, from discriminating on the basis of disability. However, we include some explanation and links related to the ongoing federal benefits and support laws that pertain… Continue reading National U.S. Disability Laws

Building Accessible Environments in Developing Countries

Handicap International’s first technical manual in the series How to Build an Accessible Environment in Developing Countries focuses on accessibility standards. The series uses Cambodia as the specific development context but has transferable lessons for building accessible environments in other developing countries. According to Handicap International “an accessible environment must allow for free and safe movement, function… Continue reading Building Accessible Environments in Developing Countries

Putting Physical Access Legislation into Practice

Planning accessible meetings, conferences and workshops is very important for including all members of the community, including people with different types of disabilities. These two resources can assist with planning accessible events. 1. The Marae Accessibility Toolkit is targeted at the development of maraes (meeting grounds of the indigenous Māori people of New Zealand) but is relevant for any government and civil… Continue reading Putting Physical Access Legislation into Practice

Implementing an Accessibility Law in Puerto Rico

A Playground for Everyone

Educating Businesses on Disability Access

Many countries already have laws that require businesses to be accessible for people with disabilities. However, businesses may not realize that they are required to make reasonable adaptations to make their services and products available to consumers with disabilities. They may not know how to make these adaptations. Businesses also may not realize that accommodating… Continue reading Educating Businesses on Disability Access

Kenya’s National Laws Relating to Disability

These laws were passed in Kenya between 1988 and 2014 and are provided in English, one of Kenya’s official languages.