Enforcement of Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Programs or Activities Conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

14 C.F.R. Part ..., Subpart 1251.5
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01

14 C.F.R. § 1251.501 Purpose.

The purpose of this regulation is to effectuate section 119 of the Rehabilitation, Comprehensive Services, and Developmental Disabilities Amendments of 1978, which amended section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability in programs or activities conducted by Executive agencies or the United States Postal Service.

14 C.F.R. § 1251.502 Application.

This regulation (§§ 1251.501-1251.570) applies to all programs or activities conducted by the agency, except for programs or activities conducted outside the United States that do not involve individuals with disabilities in the United States.

14 C.F.R. § 1251.503 Definitions.

As used in this part, the term: (a) Assistant Attorney General means the Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, United States Department of Justice. (b) Auxiliary aids and services means services or devices that enable persons with sensory, manual, or speech disabilities to have an equal opportunity to participate in, and enjoy the benefits of, programs or activities conducted by the agency. Auxiliary aids and services include: (1) Qualified interpreters onsite or through Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) services; notetakers; real-time computer-aided transcription services; written materials; exchange of written notes; telephone handset amplifiers; assistive listening devices; assistive listening systems; telephones compatible with hearing aids; closed caption decoders; open and closed captioning, including real-time captioning; voice, text, and video-based telecommunications products and systems, including text telephones (TTYs), videophones, and captioned telephones, or equally effective telecommunications devices; videotext displays; accessible electronic and information technology; or other effective methods of making aurally delivered information available to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing; (2) Qualified readers; taped texts; audio recordings; Brailled materials and displays; screen reader software; magnification software; optical readers; secondary auditory programs (SAP); large print materials; accessible electronic and information technology; or other effective methods of making visually delivered materials available to individuals who are blind or have low vision; (3) Acquisition or modification of equipment or devices; and (4) Other similar services and actions. (c) Complete complaint means a written statement that contains the complainant's name and address and describes the agency's alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the agency of the nature and date of the alleged violation of section 504. It shall be signed by the complainant or by someone authorized to do so on his or her behalf. Complaints filed on behalf of classes or third parties shall describe or identify (by name, if possible) the alleged victims of discrimination. (d) Direct threat means a significant risk to the health or safety of others that cannot be eliminated by a change to policies, practices or procedures, or by the provision of auxiliary aids or services as provided in § 1251.110 of this part. (e) Disability means the definition given that term in the Department of Justice's regulation implementing title II of the ADA at 28 CFR part 35. (f) Drug means a controlled substance as defined in schedules I through V of section 202 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812). (g) Facility means all or any portion of buildings, structures, equipment, roads, walks, parking lots, rolling stock or other conveyances, or other real or personal property. (h) Historic preservation programs means programs conducted by the agency that have preservation of historic properties as a primary purpose. (i) Historic properties means those properties that are listed or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places or properties designated as historic under a statute of the appropriate state or local government body. (j) Illegal use of drugs means the use of one or more drugs, the possession or distribution of which is unlawful under the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 812). The term “illegal use of drugs” does not include the use of a drug taken under supervision by a licensed health care professional, or other uses authorized by the Controlled Substances Act or other provisions of Federal law. (k) Individual with a disability means any person who meets the definition of “disability” under 28 CFR part 35. (l) Qualified individual with a disability means any person who meets the definition of “qualified individual with a disability” under § 1251.102(i) of this part. (m) Section 504 means section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Pub. L. 93-112, 87 Stat. 394 (29 U.S.C. 794)), as amended.

14 C.F.R. § 1251.510 Self-evaluation.

(a) The agency shall, by September 6, 1989, evaluate its current policies and practices, and the effects thereof, that do not or may not meet the requirements of this regulation and, to the extent modification of any such policies and practices is required, the agency shall proceed to make the necessary modifications. (b) The agency shall provide an opportunity to interested persons, including individuals with disabilities or organizations representing individuals with disabilities, to participate in the self-evaluation process by submitting comments (both oral and written). (c) The agency shall, for at least three years following completion of the self-evaluation, maintain on file and make available for public inspection: (1) A description of areas examined and any problems identified; and (2) A description of any modifications made.

14 C.F.R. § 1251.511 Notice.

The agency shall make available to employees, applicants, participants, beneficiaries, and other interested persons such information regarding the provisions of this regulation and its applicability to the programs or activities conducted by the agency, and make such information available to them in such manner as the head of the agency finds necessary to apprise such persons of the protections against discrimination assured them by section 504 and this regulation.

14 C.F.R. § 1251.530 General prohibitions against discrimination.

(a) No qualified individual with disabilities shall, on the basis of disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity conducted by the agency. (b)(1) The agency, 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 individual with disabilities the opportunity to participate in or benefit from the aid, benefit, or service; (ii) Afford a qualified individual with disabilities an opportunity to participate in or benefit from the aid, benefit, or service that is not equal to that afforded others; (iii) Provide a qualified individual with disabilities 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 that provided to others; (iv) Provide different or separate aid, benefits, or services to individuals with disabilities or to any class of individuals with disabilities than is provided to others unless such action is necessary to provide qualified individuals with disabilities with aid, benefits, or services that are as effective as those provided to others; (v) Deny a qualified individual with disabilities the opportunity to participate as a member of planning or advisory boards; (vi) Otherwise limit a qualified individual with disabilities in the enjoyment of any right, privilege, advantage, or opportunity enjoyed by others receiving the aid, benefit, or service. (2) The agency may not deny a qualified individual with disabilities the opportunity to participate in programs or activities that are not separate or different, despite the existence of permissibly separate or different programs or activities. (3) The agency may not, directly or through contractual or other arrangements, utilize criteria or methods of administration the purpose or effect of which would— (i) Subject qualified individuals with disabilities to discrimination on the basis of disability; or (ii) Defeat or substantially impair accomplishment of the objectives of a program or activity with respect to individuals with disabilities. (4) The agency may not, in determining the site or location of a facility, make selections the purpose or effect of which would— (i) Exclude individuals with disabilities from, deny them the benefits of, or otherwise subject them to discrimination under any program or activity conducted by the agency; or (ii) Defeat or substantially impair the accomplishment of the objectives of a program or activity with respect to individuals with disabilities. (5) The agency, in the selection of procurement contractors, may not use criteria that subject qualified individuals with disabilities to discrimination on the basis of disability. (6) The agency may not administer a licensing or certification program in a manner that subjects qualified individuals with disabilities to discrimination on the basis of disability, nor may the agency establish requirements for the programs or activities of licensees or certified entities that subject qualified individuals with disabilities to discrimination on the basis of disability. However, the programs or activities of entities that are licensed or certified by the agency are not, themselves, covered by this regulation. (c) The exclusion of individuals without disabilities from the benefits of a program limited by Federal statute or Executive order to individuals with disabilities or the exclusion of a specific class of individuals with disabilities from a program limited by Federal statute or Executive order to a different class of individuals with disabilities is not prohibited by this regulation. (d) The agency shall administer programs and activities in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of qualified individuals with disabilities.

14 C.F.R. § 1251.540 Employment.

(a) General. No qualified individual shall, on the basis of disability, be subjected to discrimination in employment under any program or activity to which this part applies. (b) Employment discrimination standards. The standards used to determine whether paragraph (a) of this section has been violated shall be the standards applied under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12,111 et seq.) and, as such sections relate to employment, the provisions of sections 501 through 504 and 510 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12201-12204 and 12210), as amended by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (Pub. L. 110-325), as such standards are implemented in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's regulation at 29 CFR part 1630, as amended.

14 C.F.R. § 1251.549 Program accessibility: Discrimination prohibited.

Except as otherwise provided in § 1251.550, no qualified individual with disabilities shall, because the agency's facilities are inaccessible to or unusable by individuals with disabilities, be denied the benefits of, be excluded from participation in, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity conducted by the agency.

14 C.F.R. § 1251.550 Program accessibility: Existing facilities.

(a) General. The agency shall operate each program or activity so that the program or activity, when viewed in its entirety, is readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities. This paragraph does not— (1) Necessarily require the agency to make each of its existing facilities accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities; (2) In the case of historic preservation programs, require the Agency to take any action that would threaten or destroy the historic significance of historic properties. (3) Require the agency to take any action that it can demonstrate would result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of a program or activity or in undue financial and administrative burdens. In those circumstances where agency personnel believe that the proposed action would fundamentally alter the program or activity or would result in undue financial and administrative burdens, the agency has the burden of proving that compliance with § 1251.550(a) would result in such alteration or burdens. The decision that compliance would result in such alteration or burdens must be made by the agency head or his or her designee after considering all agency resources available for use in the funding and operation of the conducted program or activity, and must be accompanied by a written statement of the reasons for reaching that conclusion. If an action would result in such an alteration or such burdens, the agency shall take any other action that would not result in such an alteration or such burdens but would nevertheless ensure that individuals with disabilities receive the benefits and services of the program or activity. (b) Methods—(1) General. The agency may comply with the requirements of this section through such means as redesign of equipment, reassignment of services to accessible buildings, assignment of aides to beneficiaries, home visits, delivery of services at alternate accessible sites, alteration of existing facilities and construction of new facilities, use of accessible rolling stock, or any other methods that result in making its programs or activities readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities. The agency is not required to make structural changes in existing facilities where other methods are effective in achieving compliance with this section. The agency, in making alterations to existing buildings, shall meet accessibility requirements to the extent compelled by the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4151-4157), and any regulations implementing it. In choosing among available methods for meeting the requirements of this section, the agency shall give priority to those methods that offer programs and activities to qualified individuals with disabilities in the most integrated setting appropriate. (2) Historic preservation programs. In meeting the requirements of § 1251.550(a) in historic preservation programs, the agency shall give priority to methods that provide physical access to individuals with disabilities. In cases where a physical alteration to an historic property is not required because of § 1251.550(a)(2) or (3), alternative methods of achieving program accessibility include— (i) Using audio-visual materials and devices to depict those portions of an historic property that cannot otherwise be made accessible; (ii) Assigning persons to guide individuals with disabilities into or through portions of historic properties that cannot otherwise be made accessible; or (iii) Adopting other innovative methods. (c) Time period for compliance. The agency shall comply with the obligations established under this section by November 7, 1988, except that where structural changes in facilities are undertaken, such changes shall be made by September 6, 1991, but in any event as expeditiously as possible. (d) Transition plan. In the event that structural changes to facilities will be undertaken to achieve program accessibility, the agency shall develop, by March 6, 1989, a transition plan setting forth the steps necessary to complete such changes. The agency shall provide an opportunity to interested persons, including individuals with disabilities or organizations representing individuals with disabilities, to participate in the development of the transition plan by submitting comments (both oral and written). A copy of the transition plan shall be made available for public inspection. The plan shall, at a minimum— (1) Identify physical obstacles in the agency's facilities that limit the accessibility of its programs or activities to individuals with disabilities; (2) Describe in detail the methods that will be used to make the facilities accessible; (3) Specify the schedule for taking the steps necessary to achieve compliance with this section and, if the time period of the transition plan is longer than one year, identify steps that will be taken during each year of the transition period; and (4) Indicate the official responsible for implementation of the plan.

14 C.F.R. § 1251.551 Program accessibility: New construction and alterations.

Each building or part of a building that is constructed or altered by, on behalf of, or for the use of the agency shall be designed, constructed, or altered so as to be readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities. The definitions, requirements, and standards of the Architectural Barriers Act (42 U.S.C. 4151-4157), as established in 41 CFR part 102-76, subpart C, apply to buildings covered by this section.

14 C.F.R. § 1251.560 Communications.

(a) The agency shall take appropriate steps to ensure effective communication with applicants, participants, personnel of other Federal entities, and members of the public. (1) The agency shall furnish appropriate auxiliary aids where necessary to afford an individual with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate in, and enjoy the benefits of, a program or activity conducted by the agency. (i) In determining what type of auxiliary aid is necessary, the agency shall give primary consideration to the requests of the individual with disabilities. (ii) The agency need not provide individually prescribed devices, readers for personal use or study, or other devices of a personal nature. (2) Where the agency communicates with applicants and beneficiaries by telephone, telecommunication devices for deaf persons (TDD's) or equally effective telecommunication systems shall be used to communicate with persons with impaired hearing. (b) The agency shall ensure that interested persons, including persons with impaired vision or hearing, can obtain information as to the existence and location of accessible services, activities, and facilities. (c) The agency shall provide signage at a primary entrance to each of its inaccessible facilities, directing users to a location at which they can obtain information about accessible facilities. The international symbol for accessibility shall be used at each primary entrance of an accessible facility. (d) This section does not require the agency to take any action that it can demonstrate would result in a fundamental alteration in the nature of a program or activity or in undue financial and administrative burdens. In those circumstances where agency personnel believe that the proposed action would fundamentally alter the program or activity or would result in undue financial and administrative burdens, the agency has the burden of proving that compliance with § 1251.560 would result in such alteration or burdens. The decision that compliance would result in such alteration or burdens must be made by the agency head or his or her designee after considering all agency resources available for use in the funding and operation of the conducted program or activity and must be accompanied by a written statement of the reasons for reaching that conclusion. If an action required to comply with this section would result in such an alteration or such burdens, the agency shall take any other action that would not result in such an alteration or such burdens but would nevertheless ensure that, to the maximum extent possible, individuals with disabilities receive the benefits and services of the program or activity.

14 C.F.R. § 1251.570 Compliance procedures.

(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, this section applies to all allegations of discrimination on the basis of disability in programs and activities conducted by the agency. (b) The Agency shall process complaints alleging violations of section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act with respect to employment according to the procedures established by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 29 CFR part 1640 pursuant to section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 791). (c) The Associate Administrator for Diversity and Equal Opportunity shall be responsible for coordinating implementation of this section. Complaints may be sent to the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity, NASA Headquarters, 300 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20546. (d) The agency shall accept and investigate all complete complaints for which it has jurisdiction. All complete complaints must be filed within 180 days of the alleged act of discrimination. The agency may extend this time period for good cause. (e) If the agency receives a complaint over which it does not have jurisdiction, it shall promptly notify the complainant and shall make reasonable efforts to refer the complaint to the appropriate Government entity. (f) The agency shall notify the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board upon receipt of any complaint alleging that a building or facility that is subject to the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4151-4157), is not readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities. (g) Within 180 days of the receipt of a complete complaint for which it has jurisdiction, the agency shall notify the complainant of the results of the investigation in a letter containing— (1) Findings of fact and conclusions of law; (2) A description of a remedy for each violation found; and (3) A notice of the right to appeal. (h) Appeals of the findings of fact and conclusions of law or remedies must be filed by the complainant within 90 days of receipt from the agency of the letter required by § 1251.570(g). The agency may extend this time for good cause. (i) Timely appeals shall be accepted and processed by the head of the agency. (j) The head of the agency shall notify the complainant of the results of the appeal within 60 days of the receipt of the request. If the head of the agency determines that additional information is needed from the complainant, he or she shall have 60 days from the date of receipt of the additional information to make his or her determination on the appeal. (k) The time limits cited in paragraphs (g) and (j) of this section may be extended with the permission of the Assistant Attorney General. (l) The agency may delegate its authority for conducting complaint investigations to other Federal agencies, except that the authority for making the final determination may not be delegated to another agency.

14 C.F.R. § 1251.580 Direct threat.

(a) This part does not require the Agency to permit an individual to participate in or benefit from the services, programs, or activities of that recipient when that individual poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others. (b) In determining whether an individual poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others, the Agency must make an individualized assessment, based on reasonable judgment that relies on current medical knowledge or on the best available objective evidence, to ascertain: The nature, duration, and severity of the risk; the probability that the potential injury will actually occur; and whether reasonable accommodations in policies, practices, or procedures or the provision of auxiliary aids or services will mitigate the risk.

14 C.F.R. § 1251.581 Reasonable accommodation.

The Agency shall make reasonable accommodations in policies, practices, or procedures when such accommodations are necessary to avoid discrimination on the basis of disability, unless the Agency can demonstrate that making the accommodations would fundamentally alter the nature of the service, program, or activity or result in an undue financial and administrative burden.

14 C.F.R. § 1251.582 Illegal use of drugs

(a) General. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, this part does not prohibit discrimination against an individual based on that individual's current illegal use of drugs. (2) The Agency shall not discriminate on the basis of illegal use of drugs against an individual who is not engaging in current illegal use of drugs and who— (i) Has successfully completed a supervised drug rehabilitation program or has otherwise been rehabilitated successfully; (ii) Is participating in a supervised rehabilitation program; or (iii) Is erroneously regarded as engaging in such use. (b) Health and drug rehabilitation services. (1) The Agency shall not deny health services, or services provided in connection with drug rehabilitation, to an individual on the basis of that individual's current illegal use of drugs, if the individual is otherwise entitled to such services. (2) A drug rehabilitation or treatment program may deny participation to individuals who engage in illegal use of drugs while they are in the program. (c) Drug testing. (1) This part does not prohibit the Agency from adopting or administering reasonable policies or procedures, including but not limited to drug testing, designed to ensure that an individual who formerly engaged in the illegal use of drugs is not now engaging in current illegal use of drugs. (2) Nothing in this paragraph (c) shall be construed to encourage, prohibit, restrict, or authorize the conducting of testing for the illegal use of drugs.

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