Section 504

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) is a civil rights law that prohibits agencies that receive federal funding from discriminating against persons with disabilities on the basis of that disability.  Several federal Department of Education regulations specifically tell schools how to implement Section 504 requirements.

The main emphasis in the schools is equal educational opportunity, which is mainly accomplished by providing appropriate classroom accommodations to eligible students with disabilities that are not severe enough to qualify for special education, but which are substantially limiting their learning or other major life activities.  Eligible students are afforded an equal opportunity to participate in school extracurricular ad non-academic activities.

Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin.  It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities.  These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction.  Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge.

                                                                      The International Dyslexia Association