Section 504 is federal civil rights law under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. It provides protection against discrimination for individuals with disabilities. Students in school settings fall under the civil rights protection of Section 504. The law and regulations prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability from all school programs and activities in both public and private schools receiving direct or indirect federal funding. Section 504 accommodations could be available to identified students with disabilities, who have been evaluated. Section 504 is designed to provide equal access and fairness in general education to students with disabilities, thereby leveling the playing field for them through what is known as a Section 504 Accommodation Plan. The Section 504 Accommodation Plan is not mentioned in the law or regulations but is a good way to document efforts. It is not a plan designed to enhance a student’s performance. It is a plan to provide fairness and equal access to education. The student must be evaluated and meet the Section 504 identification criteria.

A student is entitled to a Section 504 Accommodation Plan if they have been identified and the evaluation shows that the individual has a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. A team of knowledgeable individuals, including the parents, who are familiar of the student and his/her disability, makes this determination.