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The Department of Energy Is Quietly Slashing Disability Rights
The agency "is prioritizing private convenience over the civil rights of disabled people,” said law professor Robyn Powell.David Ake/Getty
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In May, the Department of Energy quietly introduced a proposal to eliminate its longstanding requirement that new buildings receiving funds from the agency be accessible to disabled people—a rule in effect across the federal government since 1980, thanks to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
“Disability rights,” professor Jasmine Harris said, “are not uncontroversial as the Department of Energy claims.”
According to a document published in the Federal Register, the final rule will become effective July 15—unless it receives “significant adverse comments” before Tuesday, a month after the rule was proposed.
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