U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is committed to strengthening and supporting full inclusion and equal opportunity for persons with disabilities in its services, programs, and activities in accordance with relevant Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and CBP policy, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and related laws.
CBP's comprehensive approach to border control and management, combining customs, immigration, border security, and agricultural protection into one coordinated and supportive activity requires CBP to interact with diverse communities of individuals, both domestic and foreign, which includes persons with disabilities.
Our employees strive to ensure that all persons with whom they interact are afforded equal access to services, programs, and activities, including individuals with disabilities. CBP takes pride in having developed multiple resources and strategies to provide disability access and embed nondiscrimination for individuals with disabilities in all CBP services, programs, and activities that impact the public.
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a federal statute that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, CBP, as an agency within the Federal Government, must ensure nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in all of its services, programs, and activities.
It is CBP's policy not to discriminate against members of the public because of disability, and to afford them an equal opportunity to participate in, or benefit from, CBP-conducted services, programs, and activities, including through equal access, physical access, program accessibility, and effective communication. For further information, or to access the full policy, please review the CBP Policy on Nondiscrimination for Individuals with Disabilities in CBP-Conducted Services, Programs, and Activities.
The CBP Disability Access Plan for Public-Facing Programs and Activities (Plan) outlines strategies to enhance access for individuals with disabilities and to strengthen compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The Plan was approved by the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires CBP to provide individuals with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate in its services, programs, and activities, and provide reasonable modifications on a case-by-case basis, unless the requested modification would fundamentally alter the nature of the service, program, or activity, cause an undue financial and administrative burden to CBP, or would otherwise be denied pursuant to permissible reasons under CBP policy. For further information, or if you have questions regarding Section 504 requirements, please review the Equal Opportunity Notice for Section 504.
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires agencies to provide individuals with disabilities equal access to electronic information and data comparable to those who do not have disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency. For further information, or if you have questions regarding Section 508 requirements, please review the Equal Opportunity Notice for Section 508.
The CBP Information Center may be contacted for information on a wide variety of topics including how to make a request for reasonable modifications in CBP inspection processes.