Discussion: The Disabilities That Society Sees

 To prepare:

• Focus on Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
• Reflect on the types of disabilities that are difficult to identify but need some type of accommodation.
• Reflect on the background you have discovered leading up to this act—the history or the prevailing societal attitudes at a given time.

Then:

 Describe the historical context of the policy in a few sentences.

Describe the population the policy serves.

Explain how the visibility of a disability (i.e., one that is easy to see vs. one that is not physically evident) may affect society’s perception of the need for and the acceptance of policies to help those with disabilities.