In 1975, Education for All Handicapped Children Act was passed by congress which made free,
accessible education a right for all children regardless of disability. This legislation is now part of the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which mandates programs and policies for students
with disabilities in the K-12 system. In addition to the federal mandates and funding through the IDEA,
section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) also requires that students with disabilities not
be discriminated against. This legislation spans K-12 and higher education. In addition, the Americans
with Disabilities Act, first passed in 1990 and updated in 2008 to include a wider array of people with
disabilities, prohibits discrimination and requires reasonable accommodations for individual with
disabilities. Both Section 504 and ADA span the entirety of the educational system and the workforce, but,
unlike the IDEA, they do not provide funding for services or accommodations but provide sanctions for
violations of these laws. These laws and subsequent education policies also interact with the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act now called the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) which mandates
measurable standards in education. NCLB requires specific outcomes be demonstrated for specific
populations of students including students with learning disabilities. The IDEA, Section 504, ADA, and
NCLB all impact students with learning disabilities throughout their education, though IDEA and NCLB do
not cover students at the post-secondary level. Section 504 and ADA are markedly different from the
legislation that covers Special Education services and does not require college to provide support services
for students or specialized curriculum; instead, colleges must provide accommodations to make courses
reasonable accessible for students with learning disabilities.