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Champions for Children with Disabilities
PACER Partner, the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth, is an excellent resource for further information on transition-related legislation.
Legislation
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An Overview of the Rehabilitation Act
The Rehabilitation Act states that:
"Disability is a natural part of human experience and in no way diminishes the right of individuals to live independently, enjoy self-determination, make choices, contribute to society, pursue meaningful careers, and enjoy full inclusion and integration in the economic, political, social, cultural, and educational mainstream of American society."
Section 2(a)(3) of the Rehabilitation Act
The Rehabilitation Act is the Federal legislation that authorizes state vocational rehabilitation, supported employment, independent living, and client assistance programs. These programs provide training, equipment, and other services that people with disabilities may need in order to work and live independently in their communities.
The Act also authorizes a variety of training and service grants administered by the Rehabilitation Services Administration, research activities that are administered by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, and the work of the National Council on Disability.
Title V of the Act also includes important provisions focused on rights, advocacy and protections for individuals with disabilities. The Rehabilitation Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs conducted by Federal agencies, in programs receiving Federal financial assistance, in Federal employment, and in the employment practices of Federal contractors.
Section 501 requires affirmative action and nondiscrimination in employment by Federal agencies of the executive branch. The standards for determining employment discrimination under the Rehabilitation Act are the same as those used in title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Section 503 requires affirmative action and prohibits employment discrimination by Federal government contractors and subcontractors.
Section 504 states that "no qualified individual with a disability in the United States shall be excluded from, denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under" any program or activity that either receives Federal financial assistance or is conducted by any Executive agency or the United States Postal Service.
Each Federal agency has its own set of section 504 regulations that apply to its own programs. Agencies that provide Federal financial assistance also have section 504 regulations covering entities that receive Federal aid. Requirements common to these regulations include reasonable accommodation for employees with disabilities; program accessibility; effective communication with people who have hearing or vision disabilities; and accessible new construction and alterations. Each agency is responsible for enforcing its own regulations. Section 504 may also be enforced through private lawsuits.
Section 508 establishes requirements for electronic and information technology developed, maintained, procured, or used by the Federal government. Section 508 requires Federal electronic and information technology to be accessible to people with disabilities, including employees and members of the public. An accessible information technology system is one that can be operated in a variety of ways and does not rely on a single sense or ability of the user. For more information on section 508 is available on the Web site of the US Access Board.
The entire text of the Act (Word doc) is available on the web site of the US Department of Education.
PACER's site offers many PDF files for download, which require 
