Update on Section 504 Compliance Rules

On Sept. 14, 2023 the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights published a proposed update to the HHS regulations implementing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits disability discrimination by recipients of federal funding. This is the first comprehensive update to the regulations since they were first put in place and when implemented, will have an impact on multifamily operations with regard to compliance with non-discrimination laws.

According to the published notice, “The proposed rule proposes to update pertinent provisions throughout the rule to promote consistency with title II of the ADA and the corresponding U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) ADA regulations. The proposed rule will add the following new sections to the section 504 regulations that track the ADA regulations: definition of ‘‘disability,’’ notice, maintenance of accessible features, retaliation and coercion, personal devices and services, service animals, mobility devices, and communications,” as well as other areas.

“Section 504 and the ADA are generally understood by courts to impose similar requirements. Moreover, the vast majority of recipients have been covered by either title II of the ADA (State and local government entities) or title III of the ADA (certain private entities) since 1991. Therefore, the rule proposes to adopt ADA language in appropriate circumstances. Doing so will allow for greater  public understanding and ease of compliance by regulated entities.“

Join us to learn how these proposed changes will impact compliance with Section 504, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Act.

Webinar Objectives

• Review of the three laws addressing the rights of customers with a disability.
• Review assets covered by Section 504.
• What specific changes are being proposed.
• How these changes could impact compliance policies and procedures.
• Compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA accessibility standards for websites and mobile applications.

Webinar Highlights

• Consistency of definitions used in ADA, FHA and Section 504
• Assistive animal policies and requirements
• Website accessibility definitions and requirements
• Accessibility features and requirements
• Communications requirements
• Exclusions of protection

Who Should Attend

All on-site and multi-site personnel including Regional/Area Managers, Community Managers, Training and HR Professionals.