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Madison Langston

Professor Wolfe

ETEC 424.01W

27 March 2020

Unit 5: Disc #4 -ADA, Section 508 & OL Instruction

When in comes to disabilities in the classroom, two laws in the United States protect

individuals, or SPED children, so they will be able to learn at the same pace as everyone else

who does not qualify under these two laws: The Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, and

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. With these two laws passed in the U.S., both aid children

in a public or private school/university, college, junior college, and online education courses

from being discriminated against because of their specific disability. These laws help students

learn, no matter what the case may be.

In terms of online courses, such as this course, accomodations can be made with

anything, just like a face-to-face class. While it may seem like a few changes for some students,

others are impacted in ways that can lead to passing the class instead of failing the class. These

accommodations may include different work loads between students, different quiz formatting,

assignment curves and more.

What’s even more important is the fact that these courses, online or otherwise, also fall

under the umbrella because of their affiliation with the university. For instance, with TAMU-C,

an official, Texas university under the A&M school systems, they are required to make

accommodations for disabled students due to them being recognized as an American

university, regardless of the state.

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It can also deal with the type of disability someone may have. Accomodations, however,

can be made anywhere in a classroom, regardless if the disability is physical or mental. These

include, but are not limited to: deafness, blindness, schizophrenia, depression, autism, anxiety,

arthritis, and many, many more. What may seem as something trivial to one can lead others to

believe that accomodations shouldn’t be made, however, all education platforms are under law

to make these accommodations, and they can keep their opinions out of it.

Works Cited
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Best_Schools. (2018, October 29). Laws Impacting Students with Disabilities: Disability

Guide. Retrieved March 27, 2020, from https://thebestschools.org/resources/students-

disabilities-laws/

Disability Discrimination. (2020, January 10). Retrieved March 27, 2020, from

https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/frontpage/faq/disability.html

Disabilities in Higher Education. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2020, from

https://legalaidatwork.org/factsheet/disabilities-in-higher-education/