General Principles Underlying Section 504
The overarching principle of Federal disability nondiscrimination law is that people with disabilities must be treated as individuals, not on the basis of assumptions and stereotypes about their disabilities.
Under this principle, recipients are required to focus on the skills, strengths and abilities of a particular customer, applicant, or employee with a disability, and to provide the reasonable accommodations, and the auxiliary aids and services (communication aids) that the customer or employee needs in order to utilize those skills, strengths, and abilities. Recipients should not make assumptions about the limitations caused by the customer's, applicant's, or employee's disability.
