Laws Relating to Visual Impairment
Vocational Rehabilitation Act
n AKA the Smith Fess Act - authored in 1920
n Beginning of civilian rehab for persons with disabilities
n Provided for
n Vocational guidance
n Training
n Occupational adjustment
n Prosthetics
n Placement services
Vocational Rehabilitation Act
n Revised and updated in 1943, 1954, 1965, 1973, 1986, 1992 and 1998
n In 20s and 30s people felt that individuals who were blind had little vocational potential and received little from the legislation
Rehabilitation Act (1973)
n New name-
n Focus on individuals with most severe disabilities
n Section V (including 504) added in 1973
n Amended to stop discrimination against individual who are disabled
n Precurser to ADA
Randolph- Sheppard Act (1936)
n Gave new focus on employment opportunities for Blind and VI
n Provided free space in State and Federal buildings for Blind consumers to operatre vending stands
n Still in effect but has been folded into the Rehabilitation Act
Javits-Wagner O’Day Act
n Helped establish sheltered workshops
n Established purchasing requirements for feds to purchase from workshops
n Now called AbilityOne
n Largest source of employment for individuals who are blind and others with “severe disabilities”
n jwod.org
Revenue Act (1943)
n Provided income tax exemptions for individual who were legally blind
PL 94-142 IDEA
n Education for all Handicapped Children Act -1975 later became IDEA
n Least restricted environment
n Before this legislation 1 out of 5 children with disabilities were educated in public schools
IDEA
n Orientation and Mobility was added as a required related service in 1997
IDEA
n Revised and amended periodically
n Provides funding and regulations for education of students with disabilities
n Federal laws are refined and interpreted by states for implementation
Americans with Disabilities Act
n Federal Legislation that emphasized making “reasonable accommodation” for jobs and environmental access
n Adopted some of the same language as the Rehab Act of 1973
ADA
n A "disability" is defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. A person is considered disabled if the person has such a physical or mental impairment, has a record of such an impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment.
ADA
n Complements other legislation
n It is intended to protect qualified persons with disabilities from discrimination in employment, government services and programs, transportation, public accommodations, and telecommunications.