Section 504 is designed to protect people with disabilities from discrimination. It applies to all employers and organizations receiving federal assistance of any kind. Under the law, qualified students with disabilities must have equal access to information and the avenues of communication in their university. They must be able to access all university services, programs, and courses, including Web sites, Web-based courses, and other computer and Internet resources.
Basic Requirements
Students with disabilities who have been admitted may register with their university's office of disability services; they are not required to do so, however, and in many cases students who believe they can independently surmount any challenges in their courses remain unregistered.
If a student does notify their office of disability services, faculty members, course developers, and other relevant parties are informed the student may require adjustments to guarantee equal access to course materials. These adjustments usually go by the term "reasonable accommodations." They are provided by the university at no cost to the student. Reasonable accommodations must be carried out in a timely manner, ensure accuracy of translation, and be appropriate to the particular disability for which the student is requesting the accommodation.
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If a student registers a disability, relevant parties will be notified about accommodations that may need to be made. Accommodation requests may also occur when a student who has not registered reveals a disability and asks how it will affect academic performance.
In such cases faculty members should refer the student to the office of disability services and suggest that he or she register there. Faculty members need to work diligently with the available support services to ensure they meet the needs of all students taking their courses, including those with disabilities.
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Impact on Web-based Courses
In a classroom, reasonable accommodations might involve sign language interpreters for students who are deaf or readers for students who are blind, or extra time or alternative formats in examinations. Using the Web to teach requires different accommodations. Web-based materials need to be accessible to students with any kind of disability. When a post hoc accommodation is requested, it needs to be delivered in an accurate and timely manner. For instance, online video inserted in a course mid-semester should include a 
transcript and, if possible, captions, and these alternative formats should be available at the same time as the regular format.
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Visit these Web sites to learn more about Section 504:
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