tes, mental retardation, emotional illness, and drug addiction and alcoholism.

(2) "Major life activities" means functions such as caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working.

(3) "Has a record of such impairment" means has a history of, or has been misclassified as having, a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.

(4) "Is regarded as having an impairment" means

(i) Has a physical or mental impairment that does not substantially limit major life activities but is treated by a recipient as constituting such a limitation;

(ii) Has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits major life activities only as a result of the attitudes of others toward such impairment; or

(iii) Has none of the impairments defined in paragraph (j)(1) of this section but is treated by a recipient as having such an impairment.

(k) "Qualified handicapped person"

means:

(1) With respect to employment, a handicapped person who, with reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of the job in question and

(2) With respect to postsecondary and vocational education services, a handicapped person who meets the academic and technical standards requisite to admission or participation in the recipient's education program or activity;

(3) With respect to services, a handicapped person who meets the essential eligibility requirements for the receipt of such services.

§ 1170.4 Effect of State or local law or other requirements and effect of employment opportunities.

(a) The obligation to comply with this part is not obviated or alleviated by the existence of any state or local law or other requirement that, on the basis of handicap, imposes prohibitions or limits upon the eligibility of qualified handicapped persons to re

ceive services or to practice any occupation or profession.

(b) The obligation to comply with this part is not obviated or alleviated because employment opportunities in any occupation or profession are or may be more limited for handicapped persons than for nonhandicapped per

sons.

§§ 1170.5-1170.10 [Reserved]

Subpart B-Discrimination Prohibited

§ 1170.11 General prohibition against dis

crimination.

No qualified handicapped person shall, on the basis of handicap, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity that receives or benefits from Federal financial assistance.

§ 1170.12 Discriminatory actions prohibited.

(a) A recipient, in providing any aid, benefit, or service, may not, directly or through contractual, licensing, or other arrangements, on the basis of handicap:

(1) Deny a qualified handicapped person the opportunity to participate in or benefit from the aid, benefit, or service;

(2) Afford a qualified handicapped person an opportunity to participate in or benefit from the aid, benefit, or service that is not equal to that afforded others;

(3) 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 that provided to others;

(4) Provide different or separate aid, benefits, or services to handicapped persons or to any class of handicapped persons than is provided to others unless such action is necessary to provide qualified handicapped persons with aid, benefits, or services that are as effective as those provided to others;

(5) Aid or perpetuate discrimination against a qualified handicapped person by providing significant assistance to an agency, organization, or person that discriminates on the basis of handicap in providing any aid, benefit, or service to beneficiaries of the recipient's program;

(6) Deny a qualified handicapped person the opportunity to participate as a member of planning or advisory boards; or

(7) Otherwise limit a qualified handicapped person in the enjoyment of any right, privilege, advantage, or opportunity enjoyed by others receiving the aid, benefit, or service.

(b) A recipient may not deny a qualified handicapped person 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.

(c) A recipient may not, directly or through contractual or other arrangements, utilize criteria or methods of administration.

(1) that have the effect of subjecting qualified handicapped persons to discrimination on the basis of handicap,

(2) that have the purpose or effect of defeating or substantially impairing accomplishment of the objectives of the recipient's program with respect to handicapped persons, or

(3) that perpetuate the discrimination of another recipient if both recipients are subject to common administrative control or are agencies of the same state.

(d) A recipient may not, in determining the site or location of a facility, make selections

(1) 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 or benefits from Federal financial assistance or

(2) 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.

(e) The exclusion of nonhandicapped persons from the benefits of a program limited by Federal statute or

(3) Specific programs supported by Federal funds may be offered in an inaccessible facility provided that the same program is also offered to the public at large in an accessible space.

(4) A qualified handicapped person is one who is able to meet all of a program's requirements in spite of his handicap. An educational institution is not required to disregard the disabilities of handicapped individuals or to lower or to make substantial modifications of standards to accommodate a handicapped person.

(b) State humanities committees are obligated to develop methods of administering Federal funds so as to ensure that handicapped persons are not subjected to discrimination on the basis of handicap either by sub-grant

ees or by the manner in which the funds are distributed.

(c) In the event Endowment funds are utilized to construct, expand, alter, lease or rent a facility, the benefits of the programs and activities provided in or through that facility must be conducted in accordance with these regulations, e.g., a museum receiving a grant to renovate an existing facility must assure that all museum programs and activities conducted in that facility are accessible to handicapped per

sons.

(d) In carrying out the mandate of section 504 and these implementing regulations recipients should administer Endowment assisted programs and activities in the most integrated setting appropriate, e.g., tours made available to the hearing impaired should be open to the public at large and everyone should be permitted to enjoy the benefits of a tactile experience in a museum.

§§ 1170.14-1170.20 [Reserved]

Subpart C-Employment Practices

§ 1170.21 Discrimination prohibited.

(a) General. No qualified handicapped person shall, on the basis of handicap, be subjected to discrimination in employment under any program or activity that receives or benefits from Federal financial assistance.

(b) A recipient shall make all decisions concerning employment under any program or activity to which this part applies in a manner which ensures that discrimination on the basis of handicap does not occur and may not limit, segregate, or classify applicants or employees in any way that adversely affects their opportunities or status because of handicap.

tions providing training and apprenticeship programs.

(d) Specific activities. The provisions of this subpart apply to:

(1) Recruitment, advertising, and the processing of applications for employment;

(2) Hiring, upgrading, promotion, award of tenure, demotion, transfer, layoff, termination, right of return from layoff and rehiring;

(3) Rates of pay or any other form of compensation and changes in compensation;

(4) Job assignments, job classifications, organizational structures, position descriptions, lines of progression, and seniority lists;

(5) Leaves of absence, sick leave, or any other leave;

(6) Fringe benefits available by virtue of employment, whether or not administered by the recipient;

(7) Selection and financial support for training, including apprenticeship, professional meetings, conferences, and other related activities, and selection for leaves of absence to pursue training;

(8) Employer sponsored activities, including social or recreational programs; and

(9) Any other term, condition, or privilege of employment.

(e) A recipient's obligation to comply with this subpart is not affected by any inconsistent term of any collective bargaining agreement to which it is a party.

vices, the provision of readers or interpreters, and other similar actions.

(c) In determining pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section whether an accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of a recipient's program, factors to be considered include:

(1) The overall size of the recipient's program with respect to number of employees, number and type of facilities, and size of budget;

(2) The type of the recipient's operation, including the composition and structure of the recipient's workforce; and

(3) The nature and cost of the accommodation needed.

§ 1170.23 Employment criteria.

(a) A recipient may not make use of any employment test or other selection criterion that screens out or tends to screen out handicapped persons or any class of handicapped persons unless:

(1) The test score or other selection criterion, as used by the recipient, is shown to be job-related for the position in question; and

(2) Alternative job-related tests or criteria are unavailable.

(b) A recipient shall select and administer tests concerning employment so as best to ensure that, when administered to an applicant or employee who has a handicap that impairs sensory, manual, or speaking skills, the test results accurately reflect the applicant's or employee's job skills, aptitude, or other factors relevant to adequate performance of the job in question.

§ 1170.24 Preemployment inquiries.

(a) A recipient may not, except as provided below, conduct a preemployment medical examination, make preemployment inquiry as to whether the applicant is a handicapped person, or inquire as to the nature or severity of a handicap. A recipient may, however, make preemployment inquiry into an applicant's ability to perform jobrelated functions.

(b) If a recipient is taking remedial action to correct the effects of past discrimination, if a recipient is taking voluntary action to overcome the ef

fects of conditions that resulted in limited participation in its federally assisted program or activity, or if a recipient is taking affirmative action under section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, the recipient may invite applicants for employment to indicate whether and to what extent they are handicapped, provided, that:

(1) The recipient states clearly on any written questionnaire used for this purpose or makes clear orally if no written questionnaire is used that the information requested is intended for use solely in connection with its remedial action obligations or its voluntary or affirmative action efforts; and

(2) The recipient states clearly that the information is being requested on a voluntary basis, that it will be kept confidential as provided in paragraph (d) of this section, that refusal to provide it will not subject the applicant or employee to any adverse treatment, and that it will be used only in accordance with this part.

(c) Nothing in this section shall prohibit a recipient from conditioning an offer of employment on the results of a medical examination conducted prior to the employee's entrance on duty, provided, that:

(1) All entering employees are subjected to such an examination regardless of handicap; and

(2) The results of such an examination are used only in accordance with the requirements of this part.

(d) Information obtained in accordance with this section as to the medical condition or history of the applicant shall be collected and maintained on separate forms that shall be accorded confidentiality as medical records, except that:

(1) Supervisors and managers may be informed regarding restrictions on the work or duties of handicapped persons and regarding necessary accommodations;

(2) First aid and safety personnel may be informed, where appropriate, if the condition might require emergency treatment; and

(3) Government officials investigating compliance with the Act shall be provided relevant information upon request.

§§ 1170.25-1170.30 [Reserved]

Subpart D-Program Accessibility

§ 1170.31 Discrimination prohibited.

No qualified handicapped person shall, because recipient's facilities are inaccessible to or unusable by handicapped persons, be denied the benefits of, be excluded from participation in, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity to which this part applies.

§ 1170.32 Existing facilities.

(a) Program accessibility. A recipient shall operate each program or activity to which this part applies so that the program or activity, when viewed in its entirety, is readily accessible to handicapped persons. This paragraph does not necessarily require a recipient to make each of its existing facilities or every part of a facility accessible to and usable by handicapped persons.

(b) Methods. A recipient may comply with the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section through such means as redesign of equipment, reassignment of classes or other services to accessible buildings, alteration of existing facilities and construction of new facilities in conformance with the requirements of 1170.33, or any other methods that result in making its program or activity accessible to handicapped persons. A recipient is not required to make structural changes in existing facilities where other methods are effective in achieving compliance with paragraph (a) of this section. In choosing among available methods for meeting the requirement of paragraph (a) of this section, a recipient shall give priority to those methods that offer program and activities to handicapped persons in the most integrated setting appropriate.

(c) Time period. A recipient shall comply with the requirement of paragraph (a) of this section within sixty days of the effective date of this part except that where structural changes in facilities are necessary, such changes shall be made within three years of the effective date of this part, but in any event as expeditiously as possible.

(d) Transition plan. In the event that structural changes to facilities are necessary to meet the requirement of paragraph (a) of this section, a recipient shall develop, within one year of the effective date of this part, a transition plan setting forth the steps necessary to complete such changes. The plan shall be developed with the assistance of interested persons, including handicapped persons or organizations representing handicapped persons. A copy of the transition plan shall be made available upon request for public inspection. The plan shall, at a minimum:

(1) Identify physical obstacles in the recipient's facilities that limit the accessibility of its program or activity to handicapped persons;

(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 full program accessibility and, if the time period of the transition plan is longer than one year, identify the steps that will be taken during each year of the transition period; and

(4) Indicate the person responsible for implementation of the plan.

(e) Notice. The recipient shall adopt and implement procedures to ensure that interested persons, including persons with impaired vision or hearing can obtain information as to the existence and location of services, activities, and facilities that are accessible to and usable by handicapped persons.

§ 1170.33 New construction.

(a) New facilities shall be designed and constructed to be readily accessible to and usable by handicapped persons. Alterations to existing facilities shall, to the maximum extent feasible, be designed and constructed to be readily accessible to and usable by handicapped persons.

(b) American National Standards Institute accessibility standards. Design, construction, or alteration of facilities in conformance with the "American National Standard Specifications for Making Buildings and Facilities Accessible to, and Usable by, the Physically Handicapped," published by the