Protecting Disability Rights: Section 504, the ADA, and Chance Events (Volume 3, Episode 4)

In this newest “Improving Education Today: The Deep Dive” podcast, hosts Davey Johnson and Angela Jones discuss Dr. Howie Knoff's recent Blog post focusing on the importance of the recently-updated Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to better align it with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Blog highlights how Section 504 protects individualsfrom discrimination based on disability, emphasizing that disabilities often arise from chance events. Hence, anyone could potentially need 504’s legal protections. The Blog also provides examples of the disabilities covered, and the accommodations required to ensure equal access to education and other services.  Davey and Angela share their concerns regarding a currentlawsuit, Texas v. Becerra, which appears to focus on questioning the inclusion of “gender dysphoria” as a disability in the 2024 update of Section 504. But the lawsuit may really be about an additional request to eliminate Section 504 as unconstitutional. If successful, the civil rights, access to education and the workplace, and accommodations protected by Section 504 would be stripped from millions of students and adults with disabilities.  Echoing Dr. Knoff, Davey and Angela urge listeners tocontact their state officials to oppose the lawsuit and safeguard these critical protections.   Davey and Angela share Dr. Knoff’s advocacy for maintaining Section 504, even if its "gender dysphoria" inclusion is deleted. They note that anyone could become disabled—needing Section 504’s protections—due to life's sometimes unpredictable events.