Washington — The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved a bill to clarify who qualifies for protection under the Americans With Disabilities Act, on campuses and elsewhere.

The bill (S. 3406), which was introduced last month, had accumulated 70 cosponsors. It passed today by a voice vote with no amendments.

The measure is similar to one the House passed in June, which expands the list of “major life activities” that a disability must substantially limit for someone to be eligible for protection under the law. But the Senate’s version differs slightly, spelling out, for example, that accommodations requested by disabled people — “including academic requirements in postsecondary education” — can be denied if they fundamentally alter the nature of the goods and services involved.

The House must now pass the Senate’s version of the bill before it goes to the president. That could happen as early as next week, according to a spokeswoman for Sen. Tom Harkin, a Democrat of Iowa, who introduced the bill along with Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, a Republican of Utah. —Sara Lipka