Planning and Designing for Students with Disabilities

Over 25 years ago, Congress created an educationbill of rights for children with disabilities. In doingso, it could not have anticipated the improved medical procedures that have significantly increased the number of children who survive serious medical condi-tions but are left with moderate to profound disabilities. Increasingly, these children are entering public elemen-tary and secondary schools and must be served in the general education classroom. To meet the challenge of educating these students, school designers must go beyond providing barrier-free buildings by embracing a broader concept of accessibility—that of providing students with disabilities the maximum possible access to general education. Laws and Regulations Several decades of federal laws and regulations in the United States have clearly established a mandate for a “free and appropriate education for all students with dis-abilities in the least restrictive environment. ” Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Public Law 93-112