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K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Americans with Disabilities Act

Learn more about Americans with Disabilities Act

Can Americans define the term "learning disability?"
This article examines the statistics surrounding what Americans know — and don't know — about learning disabilities. The results highlight the necessity of educating parents and teachers more comprehensively about learning disabilities and what causes them.
Format: article
By Jennifer Job.
Black codes, 1866
In North Carolina in the Civil War and Reconstruction, page 9.6
Excerpts of legislation passed by the North Carolina General Assembly after the Civil War to limit the freedoms of former slaves. Includes historical commentary.
Format: legislation/primary source
Commentary and sidebar notes by L. Maren Wood and David Walbert.
And justice for all: The Trail of Tears, Mexican deportation, and Japanese internment
Many textbooks mention the Trail of Tears, but fail to mention that this early displacement of an ethnic minority is only the one of many legally-sanctioned forced relocations. This lesson will address the displacement of American Indians through the Trail of Tears, the forced deportation of Mexican Americans during the Great Depression, and the internment of Japanese American citizens during WWII.
Format: lesson plan (grade 8–12 English Language Arts and Social Studies)
By Patricia Camp.
Mid-1800s reform era group presentations
Students will work in groups to present information on the reforms of the mid 1800's. Topics could include the Unitarians, abolition, women's rights, growth in education, treatment of the mentally ill, temperance, and utopian communities.
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 Social Studies)
By Angie Panel Holthausen.
Black codes
In Antebellum North Carolina, page 1.9
Excerpts from the North Carolina Revised Code of 1855 with respect to free and enslaved African Americans, known as the "black codes." Includes historical commentary.
Format: legislation/primary source
Commentary and sidebar notes by L. Maren Wood and David Walbert.

Find all 11 resources in our collection.

Passed by the U.S. Congress in 1990, the ADA guarantees equal employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. The ADA also provides for reasonable accommodations to increase the numbers of students with disabilities in primary, secondary, and postsecondary education.

See also accommodation.

Additional information

Reasonable accommodations are provisions that assist students in performing at their best. In the school setting, reasonable accommodations might include preferential seat placement, signers in the classroom, or changes in a test format, including extended time.

Examples and resources

Wrightslaw provides a page on “Section 504, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Education Reform.”