Americans with Disabilities Act Section 508

People who are visually impaired, blind or who have other disabilities that require the use of assistive technology to use computers have the right to independent access on the Internet just as much as they do to shopping centers and other public places.

In 1998, President Bill Clinton signed into law Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (also known as the Americans with Disabilities Act or ADA). Section 508 requires requires federal agencies to provide electronic information in an accessible manner. Eventually, any company conducting business in the public sector will be required to follow suit. This means that any business that owns a website needs to ensure that it is accessible to all Internet surfers including those who use special assistive equipment.

More Background on Section 508 - Quoted from The Access Board

For decades, Congress has enacted legislation to make work opportunities equally available to all segments of the population. Over the last decade, our society has increasingly relied on information systems and the Internet. The promise of the World Wide Web is easy and instant access to a vast world of information, services, and communications.

Ironically, while people with disabilities may seem to be the greatest beneficiaries of this new ubiquitous technology, they are often shut out of government services and employment because the technology was not designed to be accessible. For instance, just as a set of stairs may be a barrier to a person who uses a wheelchair, a computer program or web site that does not include basic programming needed by a screen reader (a computer program that reads out text on a computer screen using voice) will be useless to a person who is blind. Worse yet, designing EIT to accommodate a wide-range of disabilities is usually easy-to-do and “invisible” to non-disabled users demanding the most interactive and compelling interfaces.

In 1998, Congress took a major step in responding to this problem by amending Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Both Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794(d)) and the accompanying standards (36 CFR Part 1194) are key steps towards making EIT accessible by making the Federal government a leader in EIT accessibility for people with disabilities. Since its amendment, industry has responded quickly and we are already seeing much of this new technology permeating the marketplace at all levels and affecting the electronic and information technology that we all use.

As amended, Section 508 requires comparable access to the data and information provided by Federal agency electronic and information technology (EIT).

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