DISTRICT SECTION 504 DESIGNEE
Lydia Walden | Assistant Superintendent
13017 US Hwy 11 Como, TX 75431
(903) 488-8802
waldenl@cpcisd.net
SECTION 504 OF THE REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973
"No otherwise qualified individual with disabilities in the United States shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, as defined in section 706(8) of this title be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program, or activity receiving Federal financial assistance or under any program or activity conducted by any Executive agency or by the United States Postal Service." (29 U.S.C. Sec.794)
DETERMINATION OF ELIGIBILITY
To determine eligibility under Section 504 the committee must consider all the following questions:
Does the learner have a physical or mental impairment?
Does the physical or mental impairment affect one or more major life activities including major bodily functions?
Does the physical or mental impairment substantially limit a major life activity? It is important to specifically identify what the substantial limitations are and how they impact learner performance and progress.
Does the student require Section 504 services in order for his/her educational needs to be met as adequately as those of non-disabled peers?
§504 CHILD FIND NOTICE
Pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the District has a duty to identify, refer, evaluate and if eligible, provide a free, appropriate public education to disabled students. For additional information about the rights of parents of eligible children, or for answers to any questions you might have about identification, evaluation and placement into Section 504 programs, please contact the District’s Section 504 Director, Lydia Walden at (903) 488-3671.
ACCESSIBLE BOOKS FOR QUALIFYING STUDENTS WITH VISUAL, PHYSICAL, OR READING DIFFICULTIES
Accessible Books for Texas is a Benetech project funded by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) that provides on-the-ground training and support to Texas public K-12 educators, parents, and students on accessible instructional materials (AIM). Bookshare is Benetech's accessible online library which has over 500,000 titles available to individuals with print disabilities. Through an award from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), Bookshare offers free memberships to U.S. schools and qualifying U.S. students. Visit the Bookshare website for more information at: https://www.bookshare.org/cms
Learning Ally has 80,000 + human-narrated audio books available to individuals with print disabilities. The materials can be delivered through internet downloads and accessed using various mainstream and assistive technology devices. Through a contract with TEA, Learning Ally offers free memberships to Texas K-12 public and charter schools with qualifying students. Visit the Learning Ally website for more information: https://learningally.org
SB 2075 requires school districts to notify parents of the Talking Book Program. The Talking Book Program (TBP) provides free library services to qualifying Texans with visual, physical, or reading disabilities. TBP is part of the National Library Service to the Blind and Print Disabled, a program administered by the Library of Congress. The TBP collection consists of more than 100,000 titles, including hundreds of titles in Spanish, and some in French, German, Russian, and other languages. https://www.tsl.texas.gov/tbp/index.html