Rehabilitation Act of 1973

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, enacted September 26, 1973), is a federal law. The principal sponsor of the bill was Rep. John Brademas [IN-3].

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 replaces preexisting laws (collectively referred to as the Vocational Rehabilitation Act) to extend and revise the authorization of grants to States for vocational rehabilitation services, with special emphasis on services to those with the most severe disabilities, to expand special Federal responsibilities and research and training programs for individuals with disabilities, to establish special responsibilities in the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare for coordination of all programs for individuals with disabilities within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and for other purposes.

Significant amendments were made to the Rehabilitation Act in 1974. The most important was expanding the definition of "handicapped individual." The original 1973 Act defined a "handicapped individual" as any individual who (A) has a physical or mental disability which for such individual constitutes or results in a substantial handicap to employment and (B) can reasonably be expected to benefit in terms of employability from vocational rehabilitation services provided pursuant to titles I and III of this Act.

Congress adopted that definition in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, substituting "disability" for "handicapped." Title four of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 amended the Rehabilitation Act to work with the WIA to accomplish the goal of helping people return to the workforce. Title four created a national council on disability, appointed by the president, to link rehabilitation programs to state and local workforce development systems.

However, the Workforce Investment Act was repealed and replaced by the 2014 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.