27.7—Discrimination prohibited.
(a) General.
No qualified handicapped person shall, solely by reason of his disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity that receives Federal financial assistance administered by the Department of Transportation.
(b) Discriminatory actions prohibited.
(1)
A recipient, in providing any aid, benefit, or service, may not, directly or through contractual, licensing, or other arrangements, on the basis of disability:
(i)
Deny a qualified handicapped person the opportunity to participate in or benefit from the aid, benefit, or service;
(ii)
Afford a qualified handicapped person an opportunity to participate in or benefit from the aid, benefit, or service that is not substantially equal to that afforded persons who are not handicapped;
(iii)
Provide a qualified handicapped person with an aid, benefit, or service that is not as effective in affording equal opportunity to obtain the same result, to gain the same benefit, or to reach the same level of achievement as persons who are not handicapped;
(iv)
Provide different or separate aid, benefits, or services to handicapped persons or to any class of handicapped persons unless such action is necessary to provide qualified handicapped persons with aid, benefits or services that are as effective as those provided to persons who are not handicapped;
(v)
Aid or perpetuate discrimination against a qualified handicapped person by providing financial or other assistance to an agency, organization, or person that discriminates on the basis of disability in providing any aid, benefit, or service to beneficiaries of the recipient's program or activity;
(vi)
Deny a qualified handicapped person the opportunity to participate in conferences, in planning or advising recipients, applicants or would-be applicants, or
(vii)
Otherwise limit a qualified handicapped person in the enjoyment of any right, privilege, advantage, or opportunity enjoyed by others receiving an aid, benefit, or service.
(2)
For purposes of this part, aids, benefits, and services, to be equally effective, are not required to produce the identical result or level of achievement for handicapped and nonhandicapped persons, but must afford handicapped persons equal opportunity to obtain the same result, to gain the same benefit, or to reach the same level of achievement, in the most integrated setting that is reasonably achievable.
(3)
Even if separate or different aid, benefits, or services are available to handicapped persons, a recipient may not deny a qualified handicapped person the opportunity to participate in the programs or activities that are not separate or different.
(4)
A recipient may not, directly or through contractual or other arrangements, utilize criteria or methods of administration:
(i)
That have the effect of subjecting qualified handicapped persons to discrimination on the basis of disability,
(ii)
That have the purpose or effect of defeating or substantially reducing the likelihood that handicapped persons can benefit by the objectives of the recipient's program or activity, or
(iii)
That yield or perpetuate discrimination against another recipient if both recipients are subject to common administrative control or are agencies of the same State.
(5)
In determining the site or location of a facility, an applicant or a recipient may not make selections:
(i)
That have the effect of excluding handicapped persons from, denying them the benefits of, or otherwise subjecting them to discrimination under any program or activity that receives Federal financial assistance, or
(ii)
That have the purpose or effect of defeating or substantially impairing the accomplishment of the objectives of the program or activity with respect to handicapped persons.
(6)
As used in this section, the aid benefit, or service provided under a program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance includes any aid, benefit, or service provided in or through a facility that has been constructed, expanded, altered, leased or rented, or otherwise acquired, in whole or in part, with Federal financial assistance.
(c) Communications.
Recipients shall take appropriate steps to ensure that communications with their applicants, employees, and beneficiaries are available to persons with impaired vision and hearing.
(d) Aid, benefits, or services limited by Federal law.
For aid, benefits, or services authorized by Federal statute or executive order that are designed especially for the handicapped, or for a particular class of handicapped persons, the exclusion of nonhandicapped or other classes of handicapped persons is not prohibited by this part.
[44 FR 3l468, May 31, 1979, as amended at 68 FR 51390, Aug. 26, 2003]