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From: Karmon Runquist
Date: Nov 9, 2006 2:20PM

In the course of a recent web accessibility committee meeting today,
one of our members asked about how 504/508/and other accessibility
standards apply when our institution is looking to purchase an e-mail
and/or calendaring system. I'm hoping you can provide advice or point
me in the correct direction. I'm going to include the text of my co-
member's email for better clarification. (Note: IBHE refers to the
Illinois Board of Higher Education and IWAS refers to the Illinois
Web Accessibility Standards).

-----
I know we have discussed including PDF formatting as part of our
areas of improvement in so much as the PDF documents are available
through the web. How does e-mail fit into what we are doing? Is it
governed by the same requirements as web pages? Or only if being
viewed on the web? So if it is being viewed by separate software on
our desktop are we not concerned about it in our charge as Web
Accessibility?

Several of you who know of the e-mail and calendaring committee
probably know where I am coming from. We have taken ADA into account
in that matter but I am wondering whether that fell under the IBHE
mandate or if it falls under some other area. I found it hard to
find the specific reference to why we would look for ADA requirements
in software being purchased. Between IWAS, section 504, section 508,
ADA and all the other legalese being battered about I am having
trouble pin-pointing the requirement. The work we are doing
indicates that what would be delivered over the web should be ADA
compliant but I would like the details on the non-web requirements.



Thanks,
Karmon
________________________________________
Karmon Runquist * ITS Manager
Web Support Services * Western Illinois University
1 University Circle * Sherman Hall 302
Macomb, IL 61455 * Phone: 309/298-1993