Rhode Island General Laws

R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-87-2 (2026)

Discrimination prohibited

✓ current as of July 2026

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(a) No otherwise qualified person with a disability shall, solely by reason of the person’s disability, be subject to discrimination by any person or entity doing business in the state; nor shall any otherwise qualified person with a disability be excluded from participation in or denied the benefits of any program, activity, or service of, or, by any person or entity regulated, by the state or having received financial assistance from the state or under any program or activity conducted by the state, its agents, or any entity doing business with the state.

(b) Provided, if any provision or provisions of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, prohibiting discrimination based on disability in federally funded programs or activities, codified at 29 U.S.C. § 794, and any implementing regulations relating to prohibiting this discrimination, are determined by the Rhode Island commission for human rights and the governor’s commission on disabilities, to have been repealed or to have been declared invalid or nullified by the final judgment of a federal court applicable to the state or by executive or administrative action, which shall be deemed to include an action of the federal executive or judicial branch that nullifies the effectiveness of 29 U.S.C. § 794 in prohibiting discrimination based on disability in federally funded programs or activities, then the following shall apply:

(1) Discrimination prohibited under this chapter shall continue to include those acts prohibited on the basis of disability by 29 U.S.C. § 794, and any implementing regulations, as those regulations were in effect as of the date immediately prior to date of the repeal, revocation, or nullification.

(2) The provisions of this section shall be interpreted broadly and to the fullest extent possible under state and federal law, in order to continue the protections afforded persons with disabilities under this chapter and throughout the general laws of the state.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 6 cases (2 in the last 5 years), 1998–2023 · leading case: Washington v. Honeywell Int'l, Inc., 323 F. Supp. 3d 309 (D.R.I. 2018).

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Washington v. Honeywell Int'l, Inc., 323 F. Supp. 3d 309 (D.R.I. 2018). · cites it 2× “" R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-87-2. Lastly, the RICRA provides that "[a]ll persons within the state, regardless of .”

Weber v. Cranston Pub. Sch. Comm., 245 F. Supp. 2d 401 (D.R.I. 2003). · cites it 2× “§ 1232g)(“FERPA”), and R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-87-2; 2) denial of a FAPE in violation of Section 504; and 3) discrimination in violation of Section 504.”

Fud's, Inc. v. State, 727 A.2d 692 (R.I. 1999). · cites it 2× “It also found that FUD’s had terminated Thayer and denied her a reasonable job accommodation on account of her disability, thereby violating § 28-5-7 and G.L.1956 § 42-87-2. Consequently, the commission ordered FUD’s, in *695 ter alia, to cease and desist from further unlawful…”

Tardie v. Rehab. Hosp. of Rhode Island, 6 F. Supp. 2d 125 (D.R.I. 1998). · cites it 2× “R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-87-2. “Disability” is defined in the same terms as it is defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act.”

Sevegny v. Robinson (D.R.I. 2023). · cites it 4× “Regarding Plaintiff’s state law claim, if the Court adopts this recommendation and dismisses Plaintiff’s federal question claims, the Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over Plaintiff’s state law discrimination claim pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-87-2, as well as any…”

Adkins v. Nat'l Grid USA Serv. Co., Inc. (D.R.I. 2022). · cites it 2× “The RIPDA then enumerates certain prohibited discriminatory acts applicable to public accommodations, which can be divided into two categories: (i) the exclusion of an individual from participation in a benefit or service; and (ii) discrimination on the basis of disability in…”

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