Web Accessibility and Standards

In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to members of the public with disabilities. Inaccessible technology interferes with an individual’s ability to obtain and use information quickly and easily. Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, to make available new opportunities for members of the public with disabilities, and to encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals. The law applies to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. Under Section 508 (29 U.S.C. 794d), agencies must give members of the public and employees with disabilities access to information that is comparable to the access available to others.

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