The vision of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is to ensure that “Washington state’s children and youth grow up safe and healthy – thriving physically, emotionally and academically, nurtured by family and community.”
To achieve this goal, DCYF created a program to ensure that individuals with disabilities (guardians and children) have access to all DCYF programs, policies, and procedures. DCYF’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Program believes that all individuals, with and without disabilities, have the right to live lives free from attitudinal and structural discrimination.
Individuals with disabilities, whether they are parents, guardians, children, siblings, other family members, or members of a families support network, have rights under the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act when interacting with DCYF programs and services.
For general information related to DCYF, review the Child Welfare System section of our website to find information about a parent’s rights and responsibilities, working with the caseworker, a parent’s role in court, and much more. The remainder of this information focuses on persons with disabilities as required by the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
- The ADA was passed by George W Bush in 1990 preventing the discrimination of individuals with disabilities in Employment (Title I), State and Local Governments (Title II), Places of Public Accommodations and Commercial Facilities (Title III), Telecommunications (Title IV).
- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 protects individuals with disabilities from discrimination by federal entities or programs receiving federal financial assistance.
- View the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services guidance document, “Your Rights Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act” for more information.
- Since DCYF is a state governmental entity, this site will predominately speak to ADA rights and obligations under Title II.