If you’re the parent of a child with a disability, it would greatly benefit you to have a basic understanding of the federal laws dealing with disability and what they cover. Like any other legislation, disability laws are not always clear-cut or completely understandable. But by having a basic overview of what laws are in place, you will know which law is likely to cover your situation, should one arise.

There are numerous laws that impact people with disabilities. But there are three key federal disability rights laws that every parent should be aware of:

1. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973
2. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
3. Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

The ADA and the Rehabilitation Act are civil rights laws that are designed to prohibit discrimination on the base of disability. Because of that they define what constitutes a disability, as follows:

“Any individual with a disability who: (1) has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more life activities, or (2) has a record of such an impairment, or (3) is regarded as having such an impairment.”

Major life activities are generally defined as walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, working, caring for oneself, or performing basic manual tasks.

IDEA deals specifically with education of children with disabilities, so it’s not considered a civil rights act, but rather an educational act.

Over the next few blogs, I’m going to explore each of these three major laws in a bit more depth, what each covers and how they differ. The other civil rights laws that may have relevance for your child’s situations include:

- The Fair Housing Act of 1988
- The Telecommunications Act of 1996
- The Air Carrier Access Act
- Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act
- Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act
- Architectural Barriers Act

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