Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is American legislation that guarantees certain rights to people with disabilities. It requires that people with disabilities are able to take part in all programs that receive federal funding, while being free from discrimination. It was one of the first U.S. federal civil rights laws that offered legal protections for people with disabilities. Section 504 set precedents for subsequent legislation expanding the rights of people with disabilities, and kickstarted a political movement by in the United States for people with disabilities, resulting in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990.