Disability Law and Deaf Studies: Chapters 6–11 Exam Review

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering legal terminology, federal statutes, and key concepts from Chapters 6 through 11 on healthcare, employment, housing, law enforcement, video media, and telecommunications accessibility.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

A federal law prohibiting discrimination against otherwise qualified individuals with disabilities in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance, including hospitals, universities, and federally assisted housing.

Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act

The provision of the Rehabilitation Act that mandates nondiscrimination and affirmative action in federal government agency employment for qualified individuals with disabilities.

Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act

The provision of the Rehabilitation Act that requires federal contractors and subcontractors with covered government contracts to engage in affirmative action and prohibit disability discrimination in employment.

Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

The title of the ADA that prohibits covered private employers, state and local governments, employment agencies, and labor unions from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities.

Qualified Individual with a Disability

An individual with a disability who satisfies the requisite skill, experience, education, and other job-related requirements of the employment position and who can perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Essential Functions

The fundamental job duties of an employment position that an applicant or employee must be able to perform, as distinguished from marginal or non-essential functions.

Reasonable Accommodations (Employment)

Modifications or adjustments to the job application process, the work environment, or the manner under which a position is customarily performed that enable a qualified individual with a disability to perform essential functions and enjoy equal benefits.

Direct Threat

An employer defense established when an individual poses a significant risk of substantial harm to the health or safety of themselves or others that cannot be eliminated or reduced by reasonable accommodation.

Undue Hardship

An employer defense asserting that an accommodation would require significant difficulty or expense when evaluated against factors such as the employer's financial resources, size, and operational structure.

Affirmative Action vs Nondiscrimination

Nondiscrimination is a passive mandate to refrain from treating individuals unfairly due to disability, whereas affirmative action requires employers to take proactive steps to recruit, hire, and advance qualified individuals with disabilities.

Video Remote Interpreting (VRI)

A telecommunication service that uses video conferencing equipment, high-speed internet, and a remote sign language interpreter to facilitate communication between deaf individuals and hearing professionals, often used in health care and legal settings.

Fair Housing Act (1968) & Fair Housing Amendment Act (1988)

Federal legislation prohibiting housing discrimination; the 1988 amendments expanded protection to individuals with disabilities, mandating reasonable modifications and reasonable accommodations in dwelling units.

Reasonable Modifications in Housing

Physical or structural alterations to an existing premises (such as adding ramps, grab bars, or visual smoke alarms) typically made at the tenant's expense to permit full enjoyment of the dwelling.

Reasonable Accommodations in Housing

Changes or adjustments in housing rules, policies, practices, or services (such as waiving a 'no-pets' rule for a service animal) necessary to afford a person with a disability equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling.

Bronk v. Ineichen

A landmark fair housing court case addressing the legal standard and necessity of allowing a hearing dog for deaf tenants as a reasonable accommodation under the Fair Housing Amendments Act.

Court Interpreter Act of 1979

A federal law establishing the right to certified, qualified interpreters in judicial proceedings instituted by the United States in federal district courts.

Qualified Interpreter (Department of Justice Definition)

An interpreter who is able to interpret effectively, accurately, and impartially, both receptively and expressively, using any specialized vocabulary required for the situation.

Television Decoder Circuitry Act (1990)

A federal statute requiring all television sets with screens 13 inches or larger manufactured or imported into the United States to have built-in decoder circuitry for displaying closed captions.

Electronic Newsroom Captioning Technique (ENCT)

A captioning method that produces television captions directly from the station's newsroom teleprompter scripts, often distinct from real-time stenographic closed captioning.

Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA)

A federal law updating accessibility requirements to cover modern digital broadband technologies, requiring closed captioning on video programming delivered over the internet if previously shown on TV with captions, and expanding access to Advanced Communication Services (ACS).

Title IV of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

The section of the ADA that directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to ensure nationwide telecommunications relay services (TRS) are available 24/7 to individuals with hearing and speech disabilities.

Functional Equivalence

The legal standard requiring that telecommunications relay services and auxiliary aids provide deaf and hard of hearing users the same quality, availability, and capability that voice telephone networks provide to hearing users.

Communication Assistant (CA)

A specialized operator who acts as an intermediary in telecommunications relay services, reading typed text to a hearing party and typing spoken words back to a TTY or telecommunication user.

Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996

A provision requiring telecommunications equipment manufacturers and service providers to ensure their equipment and services are accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities, if readily achievable.

Readily Achievable

A statutory legal standard under disability accessibility law defined as easily accomplishable and able to be carried out without much difficulty or expense.