Accessibility Standard Awareness

The most important accessibility guidelines are developed by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of World Wide Consortium (W3C). Requirements of Section 508 are derived from the WAI.

Meeting the standards of an accessible web site requires an awareness of the special needs of users who have disabilities. Each person with a disability may come upon one or more barriers that can be eliminated or minimized by the web developer, the browser, or the assistive technology. Here are the main categories of disabilities:

• Visual
• Auditory
• Speech
• Physical
• Cognitive
• Learning
• Neurological

Place of Public Accommodation

There is the issue of the applicability of the ADA to the World Wide Web. Is a web site on the World Wide Web considered a "Place of Public Accommodation?"

Actually, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has stated that it considers a web site on the World Wide Web is such a place.

What is Section 508?

Section 508 is a part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. It requires all the electronic and information technology that are developed, procured, maintained, or used by the Federal Government shall be accessible to people with disabilities.

All government web sites must conform to these standards. Any contractor doing business with the local, state, and Federal government must conform to these standards. The scope of Section 508 is limited to the government sector. To date, Section 508 does not apply to the private sector.

What is the Web Accessibility Initiative?

The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) was formed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in order to bring accessibility to the World Wide Web and to determine the guidelines for accessible technology.

The WAI guidelines are grouped by priority; the thirteen priority 1 guidelines or checkpoints are very similar to those in the final Section 508 rule. In fact, eleven of the sixteen 508 Standards are drawn directly from the WAI Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), in some cases using language more consistent with enforceable regulatory language.

Five of the 508 standards do not appear in the WAI checkpoints and require a higher level of access or give more requirements that are specific. On the other hand, four priority 1 WAI checkpoints were not adopted by the Access Board.