Keely and the ADA Rehabilitation Act section 508

The ADA is here for anyone with a disability, and this is especially important in school and in the work
place. "Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires that all electronic and information technology...
developed, procured, maintained, or used by federal agencies must be equally accessible to persons
with disabilities as it is to those who are not disabled" (American Foundation for the Blind). This is for
all means in public and in the education/ work place.
Everyone must respect and honor these rights, but not all of these disabilities are obvious. To tie this
in to a point that will be important for teachers (since we want to be educators) I think that it is
important to recognize how likely it is that we will need to know more and more about ADA and the
policies written. This is for your own protection, the student's safety and protection, and for an all
around healthier relationship between you, the student, and, most likely, the parents as well. We
cannot treat them differently, or with a different respect in the classroom, so we have to have material
that everyone can access the same ways, and everyone still benefit.
You're also not allowed to ask about a lot of disabilities; so it's best to have the most understanding
prior to our reaching the point where we are actually teaching in a classroom. Even though this
specific act is based on the blind, I strongly encourage everyone to acknowledge the "Cognitive
Disabilities" as well. The reason I say this now is because this is the time to learn about it without
consequences, and cognitive disabilities are not always seen nor are they always diagnosed. I
personally have a cognitive disability and am registered with tamu-c, but when I have my service dog
with me there are a wide range of negative responses. In the library I once had my dog, who was
perfectly behaving, but I was asked to leave because I "was not blind, or in a wheel chair. I mean,
you're not blind are you". I just can't fathom that someone who works directly next to the disability
office would limit me to blind or wheel-chair permissions only, and this is when I realized that the
world needs more awareness to all the possibilities out there.
http://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-section508-standards
United States Access Board cited:
"United States Access Board." About the Section 508 Standards -. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 July
2015.
http://www.afb.org/info/programs-and-services/public-policy-center/the-ada-and-key-sections-of-therehabilitation-act/123
American Foundation for the Blind
"ADA and Key Sections of the Rehabilitation Act." Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act -.
N.p., n.d. Web. 02 July 2015
https://transition.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/504/disability_primer_1.html
Federal Communications Commission
"Disability Rights Laws." Rehabilitation Act -Section 508 -. Federal Communications
Commission. Web. 02 July 2015