Technology Requirements For The Disabled

New regulations require all technology to be accessible to people with disabilities. What effect will this have on state and local governments?

1 minute read

February 26, 2001, 6:00 AM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"When the Americans with Disabilities Act became law in 1990, a cry of alarm rose from the private and public sectors. The prophets of doom claimed the law would put people out of business and raise the costs of products and services. A decade later, those predictions have failed to materialize. But as 2001 rolls on, the naysayers are at it again. Amendments to Section 508 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act require the federal government to purchase only those IT products and services that are accessible to people with disabilities. As a result, there is renewed controversy about what effect the ADA will have on American governments and businesses." Editor's note: PLANetizen complies with the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) 4.01 HTML standard and is fully accessible to people with disabilities.

Thanks to Chris Steins

Thursday, February 15, 2001 in Government Technology

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

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