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Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
Service providers who receive direct federal funding are required to meet the mandates of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Similar to the Fair Housing Accessibility Amendments, this happens in two major ways. One is the physical accessibility mandates. This requires that 5% of the total dwelling units must be fully accessible for persons with physical disabilities and 2% of the units must be accessible for persons with hearing or vision loss. This would cover new construction after 8/11/88 (24 CFR 40). It would also cover major rehabilitation if the project has more than 15 units and exceeds 75% of the replacement cost of the building or it is an alteration to a common use area. If an entire dwelling unit (bedroom) is being altered, then it must be made accessible.
Sec. 504 also requires the provision of reasonable accommodations as requested by individuals with disabilities. Reasonable modifications would be covered under the Sec. 504 reasonable accommodation provision with the cost assumed by the housing provider. Sec. 504 uses the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standard (UFAS) 
as its accessibility compliance standard. UFAS standards are to be applied during the design, construction, and alteration of buildings and facilities that are Federal facilities or facilities that receive federal funds.
Sec.504 also mandates that services, including but not limited to communications, publications and service delivery, be accessible for persons with disabilities. For example; sign language interpreters should be provided as requested, available for support group members and provided at community meetings or outreach events. Agency materials should be provided in alternative formats such as large print, accessible digital versions or audio tape. Counseling sessions should be in accessible locations.
Federally funded service providers must have a Sec. 504 transition plan that outlines how they will achieve full compliance. If a shelter is not accessible, the Sec. 504 plan could state that at the end of the present leasing period, the service provider will locate to an accessible site or undertake renvoations. Reasonable accommodations must also be provided as requested by the individual client with disabilities to provide greater accessibility and use of the agency services.
