Para eLink: Where Minnesota's Paraprofessionals Learn Online

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1.2 (1K2C): Awareness of the human and legal rights and responsibilities of parents and children/youth as they relate to students.

Laws that Protect the Rights of Individuals with Disabilities

There are many laws, rules, and regulations that protect the rights of individuals with disabilities. As a paraprofessional, it is your responsibility to be familiar with these laws, as well as the policies your employer has developed to ensure the laws are followed at your workplace. Paraprofessionals who work directly with individuals with disabilities should be informed of and trained to follow the policies and procedures needed for their specific jobs. If you're unsure of these policies, ask your supervisor to provide you with a copy of the policies and procedures you're expected to follow.

Every child is guaranteed an education designed to meet their individual needs. There are specific procedures for identifying what those needs are and how best to meet them. In competency area three, Assessment, Diagnosis, and Evaluation, these procedures are discussed more fully.

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 guarantees that individuals with disabilities have access to buildings and programs on which federal dollars have been spent and it protects the rights of individuals not to be discriminated against in jobs where federal dollars are being used. This legislation has been instrumental in increasing the accessibility of parks, monuments, museums, schools, universities, and other public buildings for individuals with disabilities. The educational component of this act, known as Section 504, provides for specialized plans for students with disabilities to gain full access to educational opportunities. (Rehabilitation Amendment Acts of 1998)
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires public schools to provide a free, appropriate education to all children, regardless of disability. This law mandates that each person being educated has an individual education plan designed to meet his or her specific needs. IDEA also mandates that families be part of the planning team for their child. A mechanism called "due process" was created so that parents who disagree with the plan have a way to formally object and to work, through channels, to resolve disagreements. (IDEA was formerly the Education for All Handicapped Act, PL 94-142).
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 speaks especially to the workplace and the rights of individuals with disabilities to access business, industry, transportation, communications systems, and educational settings generally used by the public. It addresses accommodation - the alteration of job settings so that work can be done by people with disabilities.

Accessibility is the idea that all people have the same opportunities to work, go to school, and use other public buildings and services. Accessibility is defined as a barrier-–free environment which allows maximal participation by individuals with disabilities. Many people may notice differences in public design since the implementation of the ADA in 1990.

Examples of some designs that improve accessibility include specialized door handles, wheelchair ramps, Braille signs, use of sign language interpreters at public events, and so on.