Title 45—Public Welfare--Volume 1
PART 1803—NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF HANDICAP
§ 1803.1   Purpose.
This part effectuates section 119 of the Rehabilitation, Comprehensive Services, and Developmental Disabilities Amendments of 1978, which amended section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of handicap in programs or activities conducted by executive agencies.
§ 1803.2   Application.
This part applies to all programs or activities conducted by the Foundation, except for programs or activities conducted outside the United States that do not involve individual(s) with handicaps in the United States.
§ 1803.3   Definitions.
For purposes of this part, the term—
Assistant Attorney General means the Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, United States Department of Justice.
Auxiliary aids means services or devices that enable persons with impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills to have an equal opportunity to participate in and enjoy the benefits of programs or activities conducted by the Foundation.
Complete complaint means a written statement containing: (1) Date and nature of the alleged violation of section 504; (2) the complainant's name and address; and (3) the signature of the complainant or of someone authorized to act on his or her behalf.
Executive Secretary means the Executive Secretary of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation.
Facility means all or any portion of buildings, structures, equipment, roads, walks, parking lots, rolling stock or other conveyances, or other real or personal property.
Foundation means the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation.
General Counsel means the General Counsel of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation.
Individual with handicaps means any person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, has a record of such an impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment. As used in this definition, the phrase:
(1) Physical or mental impairment includes—
(i) Any physiological disorder or condition, cosmetic disfigurement, or anatomical loss affecting one or more of the following body systems: Neurological; musculoskeletal; special sense organs; respiratory, including speech organs; cardiovascular; reproductive; digestive; genitourinary; hemic and lymphatic; skin; and endocrine; or
(ii) Any mental or psychological disorder, such as mental retardation, organic brain syndrome, emotional or mental illness, and specific learning disabilities. The term “physical or mental impairment” includes, but is not limited to, such diseases and conditions as orthopedic, visual, speech, and hearing impairments, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, mental retardation, emotional illness, and drug addiction and alcoholism.
(2) Major life activities includes functions such as caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working.
(3) Has a record of such an impairment means has a history of, or has been classified as having, a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.
(4) Is regarded as having an impairment means—
(i) Has a physical or mental impairment that does not substantially limit major life activities but is treated by the Foundation as constituting such a limitation;
(ii) Has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits major life activities only as a result of the attitudes of others toward such impairment; or
(iii) Has none of the impairments defined in subparagraph (1) of this definition, but is treated by the Foundation as having such an impairment.
Qualified individual with handicaps means an individual with handicaps who meets the essential eligibility requirements for participation in, or receipt of benefits from, any Foundation program or activity. For purposes of employment, “qualified individual with handicaps” means “qualified handicapped person” as defined in 29 CFR 1613.702(f), which is made applicable to this part by § 1803.10.
Section 504 means section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Pub. L. 93-112, 87 Stat. 394, 29 U.S.C. 794, as amended by the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1974, Pub. L. 93-516, 88 Stat. 1617; the Rehabilitation, Comprehensive Services, and Developmental Disabilities Amendments of 1978, Pub. L. 95-602, 92 Stat. 2955; and by the Rehabilitation Act amendments of 1986, Pub. L. 99-506, 100 Stat. 1810. As used in this part, section 504 applies only to programs or activities conducted by the Foundation and not to federally assisted programs.
§ 1803.4   Self-evaluation.
(a) The Foundation shall, within one year of the effective date of this part, evaluate, with the assistance of interested persons, including individuals with handicaps or organizations representing individuals with handicaps, its current policies and practices, and the effects thereof, that do not or may not meet the requirements of this part, and, to the extent modification of any such policies and practices is required, the Foundation shall proceed to make the necessary modification.
(b) The Foundation shall, for at least three years following completion of the evaluation required under paragraph (a) of this section, maintain on file and make available for public inspection—
(1) A description of areas examined and any problems identified; and
(2) A description of any modifications made.
§ 1803.5   Notice.
The Foundation shall make available to employees, applicants, participants, beneficiaries, and other interested persons such information regarding the provisions of this part and its applicability to the programs or activities conducted by the Foundation as the Executive Secretary finds necessary to apprise such persons of the protections against discrimination assured them by section 504 and this regulation.
§ 1803.6   General prohibitions against discrimination.
(a) No qualified individual with handicaps shall, on the basis of handicap, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity subject to this part.
(b) The Foundation may not, either directly or through arrangements with others, on the basis of handicap—
(1) Discriminate against a qualified individual with handicaps in the award or renewal of scholarships, through selection criteria or otherwise;
(2) Deny a qualified individual with handicaps the opportunity to participate as a member of boards or panels used to screen scholarship applicants;
(3) Deny a qualified individual with handicaps the opportunity to participate as a member of planning or advisory boards; or
(4) Otherwise subject a qualified individual with handicaps to discrimination.
(c) The Foundation may not, either directly or through arrangements with others, utilize criteria or methods of administration the purpose or effect of which would—
(1) Subject qualified individuals with handicaps to discrimination on the basis of handicap; or
(2) Defeat or substantially impair accomplishment of the objectives of a program or activity with respect to individuals with handicaps.
(d) The Foundation shall administer programs and activities in the most feasibly integrated setting appropriate to the needs of qualified individuals with handicaps.
§ 1803.7   Program accessibility: Existing facilities.
(a) The Foundation shall operate each program or activity so that the program or activity, when viewed in its entirety, is readily accessible to and usable by individuals with handicaps. This paragraph does not necessarily require the Foundation to make each of its existing facilities accessible to and usable by individuals with handicaps, but no qualified individual with handicaps shall be denied the benefit of, be excluded from participation in, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any of the Foundation's programs and activities because any of the Foundation's facilities are inaccessible to or unusable by individuals with handicaps.
(b) When the Foundation uses facilities leased or otherwise provided by the General Services Administration (GSA), it shall request GSA to make any structural changes that the Foundation determines are required to provide necessary accessibility for individuals with handicaps, and shall inform that agency of any complaints regarding accessibility by individuals with handicaps.
(c) The Foundation periodically uses meeting rooms or similar facilities made available by non-federal entities. In any instances in which such temporarily used facilities are not readily accessible to qualified individuals with handicaps, the Foundation shall make alternative arrangements so that such qualified individuals with handicaps can participate fully in the Foundation's activity.
(d) This section does not require the Foundation to take any action that it can demonstrate would result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of a program or activity or in undue financial and administration burdens. In those circumstances where Foundation personnel believe that the proposed action would fundamentally alter a program or activity or would result in undue financial and administrative burdens, the Foundation has the burden of proving that compliance with paragraph (a) of this section would result in such alteration or burdens. The decision that compliance would result in such alteration or burdens must be made by the Executive Secretary after considering all agency resources available for use in the funding and operation of the conducted program or activity, and must be accompanied by a written statement of the reasons for reaching that conclusion. If an action required to comply with this section would result in such an alteration or such burdens, the Foundation shall take other action not resulting in such an alteration or such burdens, but would nevertheless ensure that, to the maximum extent possible, individuals with handicaps receive the benefits and services of the programs or activities.
§ 1803.8   Program accessibility: New construction and alterations.
Each building or part of a building that is constructed or altered by, on behalf of, or for the use of the Foundation shall be designed, constructed, or altered so as to be readily accessible to and usable by individuals with handicaps. The definitions, requirements, and standards of the Architectural Barriers Act (42 U.S.C. 4151-4157), as established in 41 CFR 101-19.600 to 101-19.607, apply to buildings covered by this section.
§ 1803.9   Employment.
No qualified individual with handicaps shall, on the basis of handicap, be subjected to discrimination in employment under any program or activity conducted by the Foundation. The definitions, requirements and procedures of section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 791), as established by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 29 CFR part 1613, shall apply to employment in federally conducted programs or activities.
§ 1803.10   Communications.
(a) The Foundation shall take appropriate steps to assure that interested persons, including persons with impaired vision or hearing, can effectively communicate with the Foundation and obtain information as to the existence and availability of the Foundation's programs and activities.
(1) The Foundation shall furnish appropriate auxiliary aids where necessary to afford an individual with handicaps an equal opportunity to participate in the scholarship interview process or other programs or activities conducted by the Foundation.
(i) In determining what type of auxiliary aid is necessary, the Foundation shall give primary consideration to the requests of the individual with handicaps.
(ii) The Foundation need not provide individually prescribed devices or other devices of a personal nature.
(2) When the Foundation communicates with applicants and beneficiaries by telephone, the Foundation shall use, for persons with impaired hearing, a telecommunication device for deaf persons or equally effective telecommunication device.
(b) The Foundation shall take appropriate steps to provide individuals with handicaps with information regarding their section 504 rights under the Foundation's programs or activities.
(c) This section does not require the Foundation to take any action that it can demonstrate would result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of a program or activity or in undue financial and administrative burdens. In those circumstances where Foundation personnel believe that the proposed action would fundamentally alter a program or activity or would result in undue financial and administrative burdens, the Foundation has the burden of proving that compliance with paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section would result in such alteration or burdens. The decision that compliance would result in such alteration or burdens must be made by the Executive Secretary after considering all Foundation resources available for use in the funding and operation of a conducted program or activity, and must be accompanied by a written statement of the reasons for reaching that conclusion. If an action required to comply with this section would result in such an alteration or such burdens, the Foundation shall take other action not resulting in such an alteration or such burdens, but would nevertheless ensure that, to the maximum extent possible, individuals with handicaps receive the benefits and services of the programs or activities.
§ 1803.11   Compliance procedures.
(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, this section applies to all allegations of discrimination on the basis of handicap in programs or activities conducted by the Foundation.
(b) The Foundation shall process complaints alleging violations of § 504 with respect to employment according to the procedures established by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 29 CFR part 1613 pursuant to section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 791).
(c) Responsibility for implementation and operation of this section shall be vested in the Executive Secretary.
(d) The Foundation shall accept and investigate all complete complaints for which it has jurisdiction. All complete complaints must be filed within 180 days of the alleged act of discrimination. The Foundation may extend this time period for good cause.
(e) If the Foundation receives a complaint over which it does not have jurisdiction, it shall promptly notify the complainant and shall make reasonable efforts to refer the complaint to the appropriate government entity.
(f) The Foundation shall notify the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board upon receipt of any complaint alleging that a building or facility that is used by the Foundation that is subject to the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4151-4157), is not readily accessible to and usable by individuals with handicaps.
(g) The Foundation shall notify the complainant of the results of the investigation within 90 days of the receipt of a complete complaint over which it has jurisdiction. Notification must be in a letter, and must include—
(1) Findings of fact and conclusions of law;
(2) A description of a remedy for each violation discovered; and
(3) A notice of the right to appeal.
(h) Appeals of the findings of fact and conclusions of law or remedies must be filed by the complainant within 90 days of receipt from the agency of the letter required by paragraph (f) of this section. The Foundation may extend this time for good cause.
(i) Timely appeals shall be accepted and processed by the General Counsel.
(j) The Foundation shall notify the complainant of the results of the appeal within 90 days of the receipt of the request. If the Foundation determines that it needs additional information from the complainant, it shall have 90 days from the date it receives the additional information to make its determination on the appeal.
(k) The time limits cited in paragraphs (g) and (h) of this section may be extended with the permission of the Assistant Attorney General.
(l) The Foundation may delegate its authority for conducting complaint investigations to other federal agencies, but may not delegate to another agency the authority for making the final determination.