Justice Department Files Statements of Interest in Title III and Section 504 Lawsuits against Harvard and MIT
The Justice Department announced that it has filed Statements of Interest in two private cases pending in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, National Association of the Deaf, et al., v. Harvard University, et al., and National Association of the Deaf, et al., v. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In these cases, plaintiffs allege that Harvard and MIT violated the ADA and Section 504 by denying equal access to free online courses and lectures to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Specifically, plaintiffs allege that Harvard and MIT fail to provide appropriate auxiliary aids, benefits and services, including captioning. The U. S. Department of Education, which enforces Section 504 against post-secondary institutions such as Harvard and MIT, is a signatory to the Statements of Interest.
To find out more about the ADA or these matters, call the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 1-800-514-0301 or 1-800-514-0383 (TTY), or access its http://www.ADA.gov website.
National Association of the Deaf, et al., v. Harvard University, et al. (PDF) http://www.ada.gov/briefs/harvard_soi.pdf
National Association of the Deaf, et al., v. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (PDF) http://www.ada.gov/briefs/mit_soi.pdf