Kimberly Noe

ETEC 424.01W

March 25, 2019

Discussion 4: ADA, OL, and Section 508

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is one of the most important laws that was

passed in 1990. The Americans with Disabilities Act was created in 1990 to prohibit

discrimination of disabilities for employment, public accommodations, transportation, and even

education(Burgstahler,S.). Before is ADA was passed, people with disabilities were denied

employment just because he or she was disabled.The ADA protects the rights of people with

disabilities. The ADA defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental

impairment that limits certain parts of their life . This law guarantees that every individual has a

fair chance to be successful in getting an education and a job. Any student protected under the

ADA must not be denied any services or programs and must receive accommodations for their

disabilities.

Although college students are not required to disclose their disability to their school, if

the school is not notified with the proper documentation then they do not have to provide proper

accommodations (The Americans with Disabilities Act). While taking classes online it is

extremely easy for students to cover up that they have a learning disability. That is why it is

important for the students to communicate with their professor so they can get the proper

accommodations to be successful in the class. If a student does not disclose their disability then

they may not blame or file a claim against the school. Professors can provide the student with
alternative text if the student cannot read certain passages or even transcribe videos or audio for

students who have difficulties translating the lessons to English or other languages. Transcribing

the lessons also benefit the student by increasing their spelling and vocabulary by seeing the

words and how they are used (Burgstahler, S.).

Section 508 of The Rehabilitation Act is very similar to the ADA. This law also prohibits

discrimination on people with disabilities when it comes to jobs and getting an education. 508 of

the Rehabilitation Act states that all electronic information and technology must be accessible to

all their employees and people of the public with disabilities (What is Section 508?). This law

ensures that disabled individuals have access to extra information to help them get around such

as audio, videos, pictures, and other forms of documents to meet their accommodations. The

ADA and Rehabilitation Act state that students with disabilities must have an equal access to

post secondary institutions. All private and public colleges that receives financial aid or allows

students to receive financial aid must follow these laws to continue to receive government funds.

It is important as a teacher to be aware of all the accommodations that our students may

need to to know of ways to help out our students so they will be successful in the class and life

just like the rest of the class. It is important that the teacher keeps a strong relationship with the

students so they will stay motivated to do well in the class and possibly be able to share ways the

teacher may be able to help them out as well.

Works Cited
 Burgstahler, S. (n.d.). ADA Compliance for Online Course Design. Retrieved March 26,

2019, from https://er.educause.edu/articles/2017/1/ada-compliance-for-online-course-design

The Americans with Disabilities Act and Your Rights as a College Student. (n.d.).

Retrieved March 26, 2019, from http://studentcaffe.com/prepare/students-with-disabilities/ada-

your-rights-college-student

What is Section 508? Who Needs to be 508 Compliant? (2018, September 07). Retrieved

March 27, 2019, from https://brailleworks.com/508-compliance-needs-compliant/

 Responses

Response to Keeandra Cummings: Giving extra time for a student that has a learning

disability can help more than some people think. I have students who struggle with reading so

just an extra day on an assignment helps control their stress instead of them rushing through an

assignment and failing. I also like your example of including captions on videos for online

classes. It makes it easier for students to follow along and keep them from missing some

important information that may be on a test.

Response to Mandi Isom: I also agree with Tracie that technology can be a great way to

help students gain independence and have a confidence booster. We work with some of our ELL

students at my job to help them become more confident with their English. I think your example

with deaf students is a great resource too. It would be a great idea for someone who plans to

work students with that type of disability. Great post!

Response to Samatha Frye: I agree with you completely about living on campus causing a

lot of stress. It is expensive and not for everyone I learned that personally. By having classes

online it eliminates the adding up of gas costs for commuters. You made lots of personal and

valuable points in your post.