A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n
Historic New Rules Ensure Equal IT Access
From the Desk of Craig Luigart
Momentous new standards that promote equal access to information technology (IT) for people with disabilities were recently published in the Federal Register. The new rules for Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 mark a historic breakthrough and establish ?sidewalk curb cuts? for the information age.
On December 21, Department of Treasury CIO Jim Flyzik and I issued a joint memo to other CIOs announcing the new rules, which I've summarized here. The final rules include the following:
- Graphics on government Web pages must be labeled with text.
- Desktop software must be compatible with assistive technology devices.
- IT hardware (e.g. computers, copiers, printers) must meet certain height and reach requirements.
The rules, which have been in development since 1998 when the Rehabilitation Act was reauthorized, were published on Dec. 21, 2000, and will be mandatory beginning in mid-2001. Compliance with the standards will ensure, among other things, the following:
- Federal employees with disabilities will be able to use IT equipment to do their jobs.
- People with disabilities who are seeking information from federal sources will be able to access the material using IT on an equal footing with people with no disabilities.
508 Benefits the Nation and Graying Baby Boomers
Section 508 is good not only for the community of people with disabilities, but also for the nation. Establishing standards now, with the graying of the large number of baby boomers and the resulting increase in age-related disabilities, is important.
By age 75, three-quarters of the U.S. population will have some type of disability, according to the University of Wisconsin's Trace R&D Center. Through 508, accessibility for all will be required by law.
The regulations also will bring improvements that make IT easier to use for all employees, such as a mobile worker who can use speech recognition software or an individual who can browse the Web with a personal digital assistant (PDA) that requires text labels for images. Designing for accessibility is neither hard nor expensive when it is done in the development phase.
A Non-partisan Achievement
Accessibility to IT for people with disabilities has long been a non-partisan issue with strong support in all branches of government. Issuing the final Section 508 rules tops off a decade of both parties working together to improve rights and opportunities for people with disabilities.
The standards were developed by the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board), an independent federal agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities. The board consulted with the IT industry, as well as with disability advocates, worldwide standards groups, members of academia and federal officials.
I'm proud of the role that ED played in the initial crafting of 508. Much of the language used was from our own ED organizations, including OM, OSERS and OCIO, with the support of former Secretary Richard Riley.
Making IT accessible is not just the moral thing to do: It is the smart thing to do. We as a country sit on the cusp of the information age. The more people who can access and use this information, the better off we all will be. With the new accessibility rules, we now have the potential to give millions of Americans an even greater freedom and equality through cyberspace.
For more information on Section 508, go to http://www.section508.gov or http://www.access-board.gov.
