The Section 504 Process in Middle School: Perspectives of Parents, Teachers and Section 504 Coordinators

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a federal anti-discrimination statute protecting the civil and constitutional rights of persons with disabilities (29 u.s.c. 794 (a), 1998). Under Section 504, one might expect accommodations to be made in the school setting for such diseases, conditions, and disabilities as attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity, anxiety, asthma, behavioral difficulties, central auditory processing disorder, cerebral palsy, communicative diseases, conduct disorder, depression, drug/alcohol addiction, eating disorders, medical conditions (e.g., allergies, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, hemophilia), obesity, posttraumatic stress syndrome, and temporary illness (Miller & Newbill, 2006).

Interpretation and understanding of the mandates set forth by Section 504 for eligible students continue to evolve in the field of education. For more than 20 years, Section 504 was virtually ignored by many public schools because many administrators assumed that meeting the needs of students with disabilities under P. L. 94-142 was all that was required (Council of Administrators of Special Education, 1992). School district administrators perceived their main obligation under Section 504 as ensuring physical access to public buildings (i.e., ramps were installed, curbs were cut, elevators were added to multi-story buildings, etc).