Changes to Disabilities Act Seen as Offering Students Protections

A bill expanding the Americans with Disabilities Act that is headed to the White House could have implications for some students with disabilities.

Congressional lawmakers said the bill was necessary because of court decisions that had narrowed the protections for people with disabilities under the 18-year-old law. If signed into law by President Bush, the measure would also mean changes for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which predates the better-known Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

The IDEA, first passed in 1975, requires schools to give students with disabilities individualized education programs designed to...