Send your thoughts now on a new rule that would take away accessibility requirements for new federal buildings!
About the New Rule
The federal Department of Energy (DOE) has made a new final rule that will eliminate a long-time requirement of Section 504. The requirement says that new buildings that are constructed with federal funds must be accessible to people with disabilities. The Department now calls this rule “unnecessary” and “burdensome”.
Removing this rule would:
- eliminate enforceable accessibility standards for new federally funded buildings.
- allow renovations that leave out accommodations like ramps, elevators, accessible restrooms, and more.
- undermine the civil rights protections of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
The final rule will become effective on July 15, unless the department receives a lot of comments opposing the change by June 15.
Take Action Now!
Send your comments by the end of day on June 15, 2025. We recommend sending them as soon as possible to make sure you don’t miss this deadline. You can:
- submit your comments to “Rescinding New Construction Requirements Related to Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs or Activities.”
- submit your comments to “Rescinding Regulations Related to Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs or Activities (General Provisions)”.
- email your comments to the Department of Energy at DOEGeneralCounsel@hq.doe.gov.
Writing Your Comments:
- You do not need to write long comments.
- You can write what you think about taking away the Section 504 requirement that says new buildings built with federal funds need to be accessible to people with disabilities.
- You can share the reason for your opinion about this proposal.
This information was provided by the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities.