SDSU

Web Accessibility Summit,
September 21, 2001

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Who Does the ADA Cover?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II requires a public college to take appropriate steps to ensure that communications with persons with disabilities "are as effective as communications with others" [28 C.F.R. ss 35.160(a)]. Section 508, Rehabilitation Act of 1973 added guidelines to insure electronic and information technology would be accessible to people with disabilities. The 1998 and 2000 amendments to Section 508 included nearly all information technology and communication, and added civil penalties.

Currently a debate on whether section 508 applies to non-Federal government organizations is being fought in the courts. Legal precedence has been set for the ADA in general, but it is not certain at this time if the standards set forth by the more recent amendments apply to all public agencies and institutions. Several lawsuits have been filed since June 21st claiming that information provided via the web is covered by the ADA and pertains to all public institutions. The suits claim that section 508 does not exclude other public agencies and institutions from compliance with the original wording of the ADA, and that the standards set forth in the amendment are merely a clarification of previous requirements due to changes in technology. So far, cases have been settled out of court, so legal precedence has not been established.

For more information, please visit the following sites:

What are the Issues? Know Your Users

At the summit, we saw a video displaying and discussing various types of disabilities and special needs of the individuals. We also had the opportunity to see two assistive devices in use. Two individuals, one with a visual impairment (legally blind), the other a paraplegic, spoke on how their special needs have and have not been met. They discussed the implications of the ADA from the perspective of a student with disabilities. We had the opportunity to ask questions, and learn from their first hand experiences.

For more information on disabilities and how they need to be accommodated go to:

Design Techniques and Tools for Compliance

This discussion focused on two things: Resources listing the standards, and known problems with software were provided. We discussed the current status of various checkers and the need to use multiple checkers. We also talked about the three priority levels in the W3C's standards and how they apply to accessibility. We were given a quick run through of specific HTML code that is problematic. Guidelines were given on how to fix the code. Tools, such as DreamWeaver, FrontPage and GoLive cannot correct all the problems. Hand coding is required to correct some problems.

For more information on how to make a web page accessible:

What's Next?

To keep the discussions going on accessibility and other web page concerns, Cindi Chie has set up a list serve for those interested in SDSU Web Page issues. Send an email to majordomo@lists.sdsu.edu to subscribe. Put the following in the body of the message:

subscribe sdsuwebdev
end

The word "end" stops the processing before your signature. Only members can post to the list. Once you have subscribed, you can post messages to the list using the following email:

sdsuwebdev@lists.sdsu.edu

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PLEASE NOTE: The statements found on the IACC Home Page are for informational purposes only. While every effort is made to ensure that this information is up to date and accurate, official information can be found in the University publications.

Last modified on October 29, 2001
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