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

portrait of professional woman

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

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

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

May 22, 2025 - CBC

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 28, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and yellow DART light rail train in Dallas, Texas with brick building in background.

DARTSpace Platform Streamlines Dallas TOD Application Process

The Dallas transit agency hopes a shorter permitting timeline will boost transit-oriented development around rail stations.

May 28, 2025 - Mass Transit

Screenshot of shade map of Buffalo, New York with legend.

Interactive Map Reveals America's “Shade Deserts”

Launched by UCLA and American Forests to combat heat-related deaths, the tool maps the shade infrastructure for over 360 U.S. cities.

June 3 - UCLA Newsroom

Close-up of person putting sticker on back of basket of electric tricycle with mock license plate reading "E-TRIKE."

Bicycles and Books — In Sacramento, Libraries Now Offer Both

Adult library card holders can check out e-bikes and e-trikes for up to one week.

June 3 - The Sacramento Bee

Large pile of unsorted garbage in landfill with birds flying above at sunrise or sunset.

Colorado Landfills Emit as Much Pollution as 1M Cars

Landfills are the third-largest source of methane pollution in Colorado, after agriculture and fossil fuel extraction.

June 3 - Colorado Newsline

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.