Legal Background
Accessibility's firm foundation
Eastern Florida State College developed its Accessible Technology Procedure, guided by applicable law, plus the Section 508 Standards and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines detailed below that provide the long-standing foundation for accessibility in the online environment.
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
The government-wide Section 508 Standards are based on Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, which requires that all electronic and information technology that is developed, procured, maintained or used by federal agencies be accessible to individuals with disabilities. These standards contain technical criteria which address performance-based requirements focusing on functional capabilities of various types of technology.
To better promote a more consistent understanding of the Section 508 standards, a Quick Reference Guide has been developed that clarifies each standard and how to out them into operation.
These standards were recently “refreshed” to sufficiently deal with innovations and changes in the technology industry. Among other implications, the Section 508 refresh requires the broad application of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 to all web content and non-web documents and software.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0
The World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 are the accessibility criteria adopted by the U.S. Dept. of Justice as the national standard for online accessibility. These guidelines recognize four core principles that provide the foundation for web accessibility: perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. Under each principle are guidelines and success criteria that outline basic goals for making content more accessible.
The official WCAG 2.0 documentation covers accessibility of all web content and is not technology specific so all criteria may not be applicable to all content being evaluated. As with any tool used to conform to policy and law, the language used is quite technical; therefore, the non-profit organization WebAIM has developed a simple WCAG 2.0 checklist that presents recommendations for implementing principles and techniques for those seeking WCAG 2.0 conformance.