This digest compares the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as amended in 1997, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Comparisons are provided which look at: (1) the type/purpose of each Act; (2) eligibility for services under each Act; (3) whether the Act requires the…

This brief paper presents a comparative overview of three major federal laws affecting people with disabilities: the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Presented in chart form, the three pieces of legislation are compared for the…

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that educational institutions make all of their programs, services, and activities readily accessible to and usable by learners with disabilities. The ADA also requires that all screening and testing procedures used to evaluate learners with disabilities be fair, accurate, and nondiscriminatory.…

Despite the 1973 Supreme Court decision, Keyes v. Denver School District, Hispanic students are more segregated today than they were 20 years ago, and gaps between the educational attainment and earnings of Hispanics and non-Hispanics continue to widen. The nation's Hispanic population has grown almost five times faster than the non-Hispanic…

This paper describes the content of two major laws affecting special education, identifies the agencies charged with their implementation, and provides a list of resources that address specific questions about these laws and their application in special education. The first law, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, prohibits…

The major legal issues pertaining to academic employment are examined. Four areas affecting higher education are analyzed in depth: employment practices, equal pay, developing issues under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; and financial exigency. In addition, guidelines for evaluating current institutional academic employment practices…

This ERIC Digest on teaching about the Bill of Rights in the schools examines the status, the deficiencies, and means to improve citizenship education. Currently, the Bill of Rights is taught at least four times during the elementary and secondary grades. Constitutional rights and liberties are stressed in K-12 curriculum goals for social studies…

The eleven publications reviewed in this annotated bibliography discuss litigation and legal issues in education, such as administrator discretion in student discipline, the constitutional rights of students and teachers, defamation of character, and the school board's authority to transfer personnel. The literature also examines the issue of…

Students in career and technical education programs increasingly represent gender, racial, and cultural diversity. Students with disabilities from a wide range of backgrounds are entering the work force and career and technical education programs. This paper takes a critical look at equity issues in career and technical education. After a brief…