The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 expands the scope of institutional and service provider responsibility for providing reasonable accommodations to the disabled. The ADA is a civil rights statute.
It promises protection from discrimination on the basis of disability. It promises equal access to opportunities for persons with disabilities. A "person with a disability" as defined by law is someone who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity.
The Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 ("ADA Amendments Act" or "Act") emphasizes that the definition of disability should be construed in favor of broad coverage of individuals to the maximum extent permitted by the terms of the ADA and generally shall not require extensive analysis. The effect of these changes is to make it easier for an individual seeking protection under the ADA to establish that they have a disability within the meaning of the ADA.
Students with disabilities are a rapid growing minority at UNCW, as elsewhere in American higher education.
To assure equal opportunity to participate, both physical and programmatic access must be provided. This means more than the removal of architectural barriers and the provision of auxiliary services. It means that reasonable accommodations must also be made in the instructional process.
