WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

RE: are accessibility audits mandetory in any nation?

for

From: Jon Gunderson
Date: Sep 4, 2006 1:10PM

Right,

Section 504 states that instructional and administrative materials must be available to students in a timely manner, ideally as the same as other students and that they need to be in a format that is accessible to the student.

There is not specific reference to the web, since the law was passed in 1972, but it can be used by students in OCR cases as the basis of a complaint about in accessible web resources.

Jon


---- Original message ----
>Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 10:03:13 -0500
>From: "Cheryl D Wise" < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
>Subject: RE: [WebAIM] are accessibility audits mandetory in any nation?
>To: "'WebAIM Discussion List'" < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
>
>Aren't universities under section 504?
>
>Cheryl D Wise
>MS MVP FrontPage
>http://by-expression.com
>Online instructor led training http://starttoweb.com
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: John E. Brandt
>
>In the United States, Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act only
>currently applies to US federal government websites and IT services. Despite
>the fact it has been "the law" for several years, there are still a number
>of government websites that do not completely conform to Section 508. I know
>of none being "sued."
>
>There is a difference of opinion as to whether other governmental or
>pseudo-governmental organizations need to also comply with Section 508. The
>law does not require non-governmental organizations such as businesses or
>individuals to comply.
>
>In a number of states, the state governments have adopted Section 508 or
>some form of web accessibility standards. Here in Maine, the web
>accessibility standards are a combination of Section 508, WCAG and some of
>our own unique requirements.
>
>The issue of pseudo-governmental compliance is also at issue. For example,
>should the state university system comply? Should all of the public schools
>comply? Should non-governmental organizations that get most of their money
>through grants from the state comply?
>
>Also in the U.S. we have the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) which is
>a more general law relating to accessibility. I believe that the recent
>lawsuit brought against Target department stores' for having a
>non-accessible website was based upon ADA compliance as well as some state
>disability discrimination laws.
>
>
>John E. Brandt
>Augusta, Maine USA
>www.jebswebs.com
>
>
>
>


Jon Gunderson, Ph.D.
Director of IT Accessibility Services
Campus Information Technologies and Educational Services (CITES)
and
Coordinator of Assistive Communication and Information Technology
Disability Resources and Education Services (DRES)

Voice: (217) 244-5870
Fax: (217) 333-0248
Cell: (217) 714-6313

E-mail: <EMAIL REMOVED>

WWW: http://cita.rehab.uiuc.edu/
WWW: https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/jongund/www/