Two recent developments make the agenda and success of the Task Group critical for the information technology industry. This lawsuit represents a landmark effort to subject the Internet and online environments to rules and regulations regarding access by the disabled. The ramifications of this lawsuit will extend throughout the information technology industry. The draft standards have now been released by the Access Board. Read ITAA's comments in either PDF or HTML on Section 508 proposed standards, submitted May 30, 2000.
Several issues are worth noting.
At first blush, the Section 508 issue may appear to be limited to the federal procurement process. ITAA and its Task Group believe that changes in Federal procurement standards will ultimately affect the broader consumer software and technology market as well. The ultimate regulations promulgated under Section 508 will be adopted by many states in their procurement processes as well as most educational institutions receiving funds from the U.S. Department of Education. The net result is that development costs of ensuring that technology products, especially software, are compliant with Section 508 may well preclude development of separate products for government and the commercial market. Government standards, therefore, have the potential to shape overall software development.