The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) came into effect in 1990. However, it seems that in the year 2023, New College of Florida still lags behind federal standards for accommodating students with disabilities.

An investigation into the Sarasota-based university by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights (OCR) revealed several shortcomings in how the school deployed its website and social media accounts. While details remain vague, the OCR concluded that the school's digital platforms were not readily accessible to disabled visitors (including disabled students).

New College is merely the latest of several public universities in the state to buck the mandates of the ADA. If you or your student need help obtaining fair accommodations for a disability, call the Lento Law Firm today at 888.535.3686 or contact us online and we will reach out to you.

New College's Website and Social Media Have Been Disability-Unfriendly for Years

In a news release related to the OCR investigation, New College representatives admitted to “years of inattentiveness to maintaining online compliance standards and effective guidelines for digital communications.” This admission must lead you to wonder what other compliance shortcomings disabled students at New College and other universities throughout the country face daily.

While New College Pledges to Take Corrective Action, It Is Vague on Details

New College reached a settlement agreement with the OCR, stating that it plans to take immediate corrective action to update its website and social accounts. However, the details of the proposed action are not publicly available.

In the meantime, students have a right to ask:

• How and why the university's failures persisted for “years”
• How disabled individuals suffered because of the failings of New College leadership
• What other ADA violations the university has committed (if any), and how the university will address those shortcomings
• What guarantees university leaders can provide that future ADA violations will not occur

Accommodations are a right for disabled students across the United States. ADA violations prevent disabled students from participating fully in academics and university life. The Lento Law Firm's Student Defense Team works to ensure that universities like New College rectify ADA violations for students affected by the school's failures.

Unfortunately, New College Is Not the Only University Failing to Serve Disabled Students

Every day, universities across the United States breach the mandates contained in the Americans with Disabilities Act (and other legislation protecting disabled students). These breaches include:

• Failing to accommodate students with learning disabilities
• Failing to install physical features (like ramps) that ensure every student can access learning
• Failing to update digital media for hearing and visually impaired students

When schools fail to accommodate disabled students, those students are at a disadvantage. Students' grades and other performance metrics may suffer when their school fails to follow the ADA.

The Lento Law Firm helps students lobby for fair accommodations in Florida and across the United States. We also demand corrective action when ADA violations occur (as in the case of New College).

Call the Lento Law Firm today at 888.535.3686 or contact us online to discuss how an attorney from our team can serve you.