Districts Must Expand Definition, Services to Students With Disabilities

The Office for Civil Rights at the federal education department has recently drafted a letter guiding school districts through the 2009 amendments of the ADA.

The letter urges school districts to define disability broadly. In cases in which a student's disability limits a major life activity, schools should consider special education or related services, even if the dissability in question is not a learning disability. If special education and related services are not needed, then the school should consider whether or not reasonable accommodations are necessary. For instance, a student with a lung condition that makes breathing difficult may be given the reasonable accommodation to use the faculty elevator, even if students are not normally allowed to do so.

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