According
to the Access Board's Electronic and Information Technology
Accessibility Standards, written in accordance with Section
508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998:
"Electronic and
information technology [includes] information technology
and any equipment or interconnected system or subsystem
of equipment that is used in the creation, conversion,
or duplication of data or information. The term electronic
and information technology includes, but is not limited
to, telecommunications products (such as telephones),
information kiosks and transaction machines, World Wide
Web sites, multimedia, and office equipment such as copiers
and fax machines."
Accessible
means that design features have been considered to maximize
use by people with a wide range of abilities and disabilities.
With information technology, it means that each user is
able to interact with the technology in ways that work best
for him or her. Accessible technology is either directly
accessible without assistive technology or it is compatible
with standard assistive technology (e.g., voice output,
alternative mouse or keyboard input).
Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a civil rights
law that prohibits
discrimination on the basis of disability by recipients
of federal funding. It states
that ¡°no qualified individual with a disability in the United
States shall be excluded from, denied the benefits of, or
be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity¡±
that receives Federal financial assistance, which includes
all public schools and some private institutions as well.
The
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) prohibits
discrimination on the basis of disability in employment,
State and local governments, public accommodations, commercial
facilities, transportation, and telecommunications. It also
applies to the United States Congress. It requires covered
entities to furnish appropriate auxiliary aids and services
where necessary to ensure effective communication with individuals
with disabilities, unless doing so would bring about a fundamental
alteration to the program or service or cause an undue burden.
Section
255 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 requires telecommunications
products and services to be accessible to people with disabilities
to the extent access is "readily achievable,"
meaning easily accomplishable, without much difficulty or
expense. If manufacturers cannot make their products accessible
then they must design them to be compatible with adaptive
equipment used by people with disabilities, where readily
achievable. Section 255, which covers products such as telephones,
pagers, fax machines, and modems, is enforced by The Federal
Communications Commission (FCC).
In 1998,
Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to require
that the electronic and information technology developed,
procured, maintained, or used by the Federal government
is accessible to people with disabilities, including employees
and members of the public. Section 508 was enacted to set
standards for eliminating barriers in information technology,
to make new opportunities available for people with disabilities,
and to encourage development of technologies that will help
achieve these goals.
Public
Law 28-2003 calls for the Indiana Information Technology
Oversight Commission (ITOC) to appoint a group of knowledgeable
individuals to develop and adopt standards for electronic
and information technology accessibility that comply with
Section 508 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as
amended. These accessibility standards apply to the executive,
legislative, judicial, and administrative branches of Indiana
state and local government.
