Although Section 504 was enacted more than 20 years ago, districts continue to struggle with Section 504 eligibility decisions. This Section 504: Determining Appropriate Eligibility is designed to help educators properly identify students who are Section 504 eligible. The Section 504: Determining Appropriate Eligibility gives a clear understanding of the history and purpose of Section 504 because errors in eligibility determination often stem from educators misinterpreting the purpose and language of the law. The Section 504: Determining Appropriate Eligibility also explores the process of Section 504 eligibility, how to correctly determine when a disability does or does not result in a substantial limitation to learn, and lessons that can be gleaned from case law and OCR Letters of Finding related to Section 504 eligibility.

Chapters

Chapter 1 Understanding the History and Purpose of Section 504
Chapter 2 Section 504 Eligibility Determination Process
Chapter 3 Disabilities: Determining Substantial Limitations to Learning
Chapter 4 Lessons Learned from Section 504 Case Law

Learning Outcomes

After successfully completing this Section 504: Determining Appropriate Eligibility, you will be able to:

• Explain the history of Section 504, state its purpose, and recognize key terms.
• Describe the duty of the district to identify Section 504 eligible children and determine whether you are following the proper steps in determining Section 504 eligibility.
• Distinguish between the substantial limitations to learning that are commonly associated with specific disabilities.
• Infer lessons from case law that can be applied to your job to reduce or eliminate errors in determining Section 504 eligibility.
• Complete chapter assessments with 100 percent mastery and the final assessment with 80 percent mastery.