Final Milestone
Running head: REGULATORY LEGISLATION 2
REGULATORY LEGISLATION 2
Americans With Disabilities Act
Deanna Buchanan
Southern New Hampshire University
Introduction
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed to prevent the discrimination of individuals with disabilities. The U.S government made it illegal to discriminate against people living with disabilities in terms of employment, education, communication, public transport, and many more. Higher institutions of learning are experiencing a growth in diversity, and all their clients expect effective services that will meet the needs of every one of them. Hence, colleges and universities should understand that the government protects people with disabilities, and compliance with ADA is essential. Public colleges, universities, and many private institutions of higher education have a legal obligation to ensure that all students' environments are accessible to all students (Myers, 2020). ADA is meant to accomplish many things, the major one being the protection of individuals with disabilities in higher institutions of learning. This can be both learners and employees. Higher education institutions have to operate to ensure students with disabilities have the hope of receiving a high-quality education—students with disabilities. Without compliance with ADA, this will be hard to achieve.
Impact of the Regulatory Decision
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973: Section 504 protects students with disabilities against discrimination in all educational programs that receive funding from the U.S. Department of Education (McAlvage, & Rice, 2018). The regulation will ensure higher education institutions can integrate students with disabilities in their goals and missions. Colleges and universities will foster an environment where all students, including those with disabilities, enjoy their student experience. There is a need to ensure all students and employees in higher institutions can access both physical and digital services in the institutions. Compliance with this regulation will provide the institution is applying all state and federal laws for the good of every student.
Stakeholders in higher education institutions should adopt new technologies that consider the needs of students and employees with disabilities while complying with the set laws and regulations associated with ADA. The institution will not be able to meet the government's set standards without compliance with this Act. It will be hard to accommodate diversity in the institutions if every individual's needs regardless of their differences, are not met. Hence, the priority of the institution's management should be to comply, and administrators should understand all the laws about disability and how that should be applied in higher institutions of education.
If the university does not comply with this regulation, it is an implication that our institution does not respect individuals with disabilities, which is illegal. An institution can attract students when it meets all ethical standards and complies with government regulations. Therefore, non-compliance will mean a loss to the institution. No one would like to be associated with an institution where there is no equality, and the needs of the people are not catered.
Impact of the Act on Operations
Compliance with ADA will change the structure, programs, and activities of the institution. Colleges and universities must be structured to allow students with disabilities to access all the services they want quickly. Students or employees will not be denied to participate in activities because of their disabilities. Things like transit systems must change to ensure disabled individuals in institutions have access to parking, busing, and shuttle options. If housing on campus is provided, it must also be made available with necessary modifications to accommodate persons with disabilities at the same cost (Myers, 2020). Students who have hearing and speech disabilities must also be provided with the necessary resources to aid their education. With higher institutions adopting technology, all students with disabilities must have access to the digital platform on campus and use public websites and online courses.
Conclusion
The government plays a huge role in higher education institutions, and compliance with its legislation is essential. With the growth in diversity in institutions of higher learning, there is a need for colleges and universities to ensure their programs accommodate all students and meet their needs. Implementation of this plan implies that the campus will have met the required standards, and the requirements of every student and employee will be addressed. For the management, compliance with this Act is a chance to show their ability to integrate diversity. Students with disabilities will be able to get access to high quality and standard services and education. Disabled students and employees will be able to access quality services and enjoy their experience in studies and work. Equal opportunities for students with disabilities will be advantageous to the whole community and not the students alone. Advanced education is the wellspring from which society draws its future pioneers and addresses the overall population (Abdeldayem, & Aldulaimi, 2018). Implementation of ADA will ensure educational goals are met, and equality is achieved.
References
Abdeldayem, M. M., & Aldulaimi, S. H. (2018). Corporate Governance Practices in Higher Education Institutions: The UK vs Bahrain. International Journal of Learning and Development, (8), 22-36.
McAlvage, K., & Rice, M. (2018). Access and Accessibility in Online Learning: Issues in Higher Education and K-12 Contexts. From" OLC Outlook: An Environmental Scan of the Digital Learning Landscape". Online Learning Consortium.
Myers, E. (2020). DA Compliance for Colleges & Universities. Retrieved from https://www.rev.com/blog/ada-compliance-for-colleges-universities