Access to Information Technology by People with Disabilities 

Illustrations of Implementation from the United States – Quick Reference 

National Council on Disability 

1331 F Street, NW, Suite 850 

Washington, DC 20004 

202-272-2004 Voice 

202-272-2074 TTY 

202-272-2022 Fax 

Lex Frieden, Chairperson 

Publication date: August 2, 2005 

This paper provides examples of the implementation of U.S. disability laws pertaining to 

accessible information technology. A more detailed description is provided in the 

attached policy paper. 

Legislation 

Under Section 508 of the 1998 amendments to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, federal 

agencies are required to “procure, develop, maintain and use” only accessible electronic 

and information technology for their own use or use by the public. Federal employees 

with disabilities must have access to and use of information and data that is comparable 

to that of federal employees without disabilities, unless there it creates an undue burden. 

In the alternative, members of the public must have access to and use of information and 

data that is comparable to that of members of the public without disabilities. The U.S. 

Access Board, an independent federal agency, was charged with developing technical and 

functional provisions such as software applications and operating systems; web-based 

information or applications; telecommunications products; video or multimedia products; 

self-contained, closed products, such as information kiosks and transaction machines; and 

desktop and portable computers. 

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 also has increased accessible 

information technology by applying non-discrimination principles to state and local 

governments, as well as private entities. Title I of the ADA requires employers to make 

reasonable accommodations, which may include an appropriate technological solution. 

Title II requires state and local governments to effectively communicate information and 

services provided. Some examples of communicating this information include providing 

auxiliary aids and services such as qualified interpreters, assistive listening devices, open 

and closed captioning, qualified readers, and brailled materials. Title III requires private 

entities and commercial facilities, which come under the definition of “public 
accommodations,” to make their goods, services, and facilities accessible to individuals 

with disabilities. This has been interpreted to cover transactions with e-commerce and 

transactions occurring on the internet. 

Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 requires manufacturers and vendors 

of telecommunications equipment and services to make their products accessible to 

individuals with disabilities if it is readily achievable. The statute covers many devices 

and telecommunications products, including wired and wireless telecommunication 

devices, such as telephones, pagers, and fax machines, and a phone company’s switching 

equipment. The statute also established the Telecommunications Access Advisory 

Committee, which provides a platform for ongoing interaction between government, 

industry, and the disability community. 

• Technical Assistance 

The Access Board provides technical assistance through their website. 

Furthermore, a website, which is sponsored by the General Services 

Administration (GSA), is dedicated solely to Section 508, where stakeholders can 

find an abundance of information regarding the implementation of the statute. 

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) also provides technical 

assistance regarding the Telecommunications Act on its website. 

• Compliance 

Upon the enactment of Section 508, each federal agency was required to evaluate 

the progress of accessible information technology and submit a report to the 

Attorney General. The statute also requires the Attorney General to submit 

progress reports to the President every two years. 

• Enforcement 

Federal employee complaints against federal agencies in violation of Section 508 

are to be submitted to the non-complying agency. The statute also provides for a 

private right of action. The FCC enforces the Telecommunications Act, but a 

private right of action is not available under the statute. 

Other Initiatives 

The Computer Electronics Accommodations Program (CAP), a federal program, provides 

assistive technology for persons with disabilities working in the federal government. The 

program works to increase the representation and retention of people with disabilities in 

the federal sector. Examples of accommodations provided by CAP include screen reader 

and voice input computer programs. 

The Accessibility Forum, which is sponsored by the General Services Administration, is 

an ongoing collaboration between 640 groups, including government, industry, and users, 

to communicate on issues and areas where further effort could enhance electronic and 

information technology accessibility. The forum also brings together stakeholders to 
support informed decisions about electronic and information technology products relative 

to Section 508. 

The AccessIT Center at the University of Washington serves to increase the access of 

individuals with disabilities to information technology in educational institutions by 

developing and disseminating materials, training, and technical assistance that facilitate 

adoption of policies and practices leading to the increased use of accessible information 

technology. Some examples of accessible information technology education are 

accessible web pages, which allow individuals to communicate with their peers, 

instructional software, and telecommunications and office equipment. 

The Information Technology Technical Assistance and Training Center (ITTATC) at the 

Georgia Institute of Technology provides accessible training and technical assistance 

related to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and Section 255 of the 

Telecommunications Act. ITTAC assistance involves personalized responses to in-depth 

questions, referrals to experts, discussion of accessibility issues surrounding important 

decisions and delivery of a wide range of technical assistance materials. 

The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is part of the World Wide Web Consortium 

(W3C) and works with organizations around the world pursuing accessibility of the web 

through five primary areas of work: technology, guidelines, tools, education and 

outreach, and research and development. WAI/W3C work is developed through a 

consensus-based process including the different stakeholders in web accessibility, 

including industry, disability organizations, government and accessibility research 

organizations. 

The Digital Accessible Information System (Daisy Consortium) was established in order 

to transition from analog to digital talking books. The goal of the Consortium is to have 

all published information available to people with print disabilities at the same time and 

at no greater cost, in an accessible, feature-rich, navigable format.