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Rehabilitation Act of 1973

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 93–112, 87 Stat. 355, enacted September 26, 1973) is a United States federal law, codified at 29 U.S.C. § 701 et seq. The principal sponsor of the bill was Rep. John Brademas (D-IN-3). The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 replaces preexisting laws (collectively referred to as the Vocational Rehabilitation Act) to extend and revise the authorization of grants to States for vocational rehabilitation services, with special emphasis on services to those with the most severe disabilities, to expand special Federal responsibilities and research and training programs with respect to individuals with disabilities, to establish special responsibilities in the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare for coordination of all programs with respect to individuals with disabilities within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and for other purposes. It created the Rehabilitation Services Administration.

Long title

An Act to replace the Vocational Rehabilitation Act, to extend and revise the authorization of grants to States for vocational rehabilitation services, with special emphasis on services to those with the most severe disabilities, to expand special Federal responsibilities and research and training programs with respect to individuals with disabilities, to establish special responsibilities in the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare for coordination of all programs with respect to individuals with disabilities within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and for other purposes.

Rehab Act

the 93rd United States Congress

September 26, 1973

Pub. L. 93-112

87 Stat. 355

Vocational Rehabilitation Act

29

29 U.S.C. § 701 et seq.

31-41c

The Rehabilitation Act requires affirmative action in employment by the federal government and by government contractors and prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs conducted by federal agencies, in programs receiving federal financial assistance, in federal employment, and in the employment practices of federal contractors. The standards for determining employment discrimination under the Rehabilitation Act are the same as those used in title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act.[1]


President Richard Nixon signed H.R. 8070 into law on September 26, 1973 after he had vetoed two previous versions.[2]

Section 501[edit]

Section 501 requires affirmative action and nondiscrimination in employment by Federal agencies of the executive branch. To obtain more information or to file a complaint, employees must contact their agency's Equal Employment Opportunity Office.[1]

Section 503[edit]

Section 503 requires affirmative action and prohibits employment discrimination by Federal government contractors and subcontractors with contracts of more than $10,000.[1]

Section 505[edit]

Section 505 contains provisions governing remedies and attorney's fees under Section 501.[3]

Operational administration of the disability civil rights laws[edit]

Court cases occur because operational administration of the laws may be faulty in individual or related to classes (e.g., restaurant industry, sensory impairments), or there is disagreement about the law itself (e.g., definition of reasonable accommodation), in addition to other reasons (e.g., disagreement that citizens are entitled to civil rights). Experts in civil rights laws are involved in education of governments, Americans with disabilities, citizens, special interest groups (e.g., disability classes), non-profit and for-profit agencies, and community groups on the "application of these federal laws" in daily lives, including workplaces.


In the area of employment law, Syracuse University's Peter Blanck, currently Executive of the Burton Blatt Institute, has offered detailed advice on the implementation of central concepts of the employment-rehabilitation laws. While the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 is the current base law, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, amended in 1978 is also cited in these legal cases, including accommodations for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.[4][5] Hearings at the local levels often do not recognize experts in practice, and thus legal cases repeatedly must be appealed through the federal systems.


Personal assistance in the workplace has also been supported as a reasonable accommodation, a central concept in employment and disability law (Sections IV &4.8, 4.11; XI & 11.6, 11.8, 11.10; XVI & 16.7, 16.8).[6]: 47–48 [7] The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities has indicated that supported employment is considered to be a workplace accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Sections IV & 4.7, 4.11; XI & 11.6, 11.8, 11.10: XVI & 16.7,16.8).[6]: 46–47 

Coleman v. Schwarzenegger

Plata v. Schwarzenegger

School Bd. of Nassau County v. Arline, 480 U.S. 273 (1987)

Switzer, Jacqueline Vaughn (2003). . Georgetown University Press. ISBN 978-0-87840-897-9. OCLC 50503215.

Disabled Rights: American Disability Policy and the Fight for Equality

OCR Senior Staff Memoranda, "Guidance on the Application of Section 504 to Noneducational Programs of Recipients of Federal Financial Assistance," January 3, 1990.

Lynch, William, "The Application of Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act to the Internet: Proper E-Planning Prevents Poor E-Performance," 12 CommLaw Conspectus: Journal of Communications Law and Policy 245 (2004).

Turnbull, H. Rutherford III; Stowe, Matthew J.; Turnbull, Ann P.; Schrandt, Mary Suzanne (2007). . In Odom, Samuel L.; Horner, Robert H.; Snell, Martha E.; Blacher, Jan (eds.). Handbook on Developmental Disabilities. London: Guilford. pp. 15–34. ISBN 978-1-59385-485-0.

"Public policy and developmental disabilities: A 35-year retrospective and a 5-year prospective based on the core concepts of disability policy"

Racino, Julie Ann (2014). . Public Administration and Disability: Community Services Administration in the US. New York: CRC Press (Francis and Taylor). pp. 298–299. ISBN 978-1-4665-7981-1. OCLC 899156066.

"Future of Public Administration and Disability"

of the United States Code from LII

As codified in 29 USC chapter 16

as amended (PDF/details) in the GPO Statute Compilations collection

Rehabilitation Act of 1973