Rights+for+the+Disabled

=**__Rights for Disabled Americans__** =
 * Include a summary of the facts of the case (who was suing who and why)
 * the court's decision and reasoning used (include any dissenting opinions)
 * the impact the decision had on individuals' civil rights and liberties

Rehabilitation Act of 1973
This act replaces the Vocational Rehabilitation Act, to extend and revise the authorization of grants to States for vocational rehabilitation services, with special emphasis on services to those with the most severe handicaps, to expand special Federal responsibilities and research and training programs with respect to handicapped individuals, to establish special responsibilities in the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare for coordination of all programs with respect to handicapped individuals within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and for other purposes.
 * Act: The first “ rights” legislation to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities. This law applied to only Federal programs however. This includes employment, any program that received federal assistance, and government contractors.
 * Effects: This was the first major piece of legislation to give people with disabilities equal opportunities and rights as the non disabled.

The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975
This act required all public schools accepting federal funds to provide equal access to education and one free meal a day for children with physical and mental disabilities. It was enacted in 1975 by United States Congress. The act also required that school districts provide administrative procedures so that parents of disabled children could dispute decisions made about their children’s education. The law was passed to meet four major goals: 1. To ensure that special education services are available to children who need them 2. To guarantee that decisions about services to disabled students are fair and appropriate 3. To establish specific management and auditing requirements for special education 4. To provide federal funds to help the states educate disabled students.

===The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) === The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, State and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunications. It also applies to the United States Congress

To be protected by the ADA, one must have a disability or have a relationship or association with an individual with a disability. An individual with a disability is defined by the ADA as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment. The ADA does not specifically name all of the impairments that are covered.