Revised Web Accessibility regulations in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Saturday, 31 July 2010
Last week (on July 23rd 2010), the United States Department of Justice issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) regarding (amongst other things) new regulations of how the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) should be applied to the Internet. Please see the full ANPRM here : http://www.ada.gov/anprm2010.htm
Here is a passage from the 'Department of Justice' press release:
“We are working hard to ensure that the ADA keeps up with technological advances that were unimaginable 20 years ago,” said Attorney General Holder. “Just as these quantum leaps can help all of us, they can also set us back – if regulations are not updated or compliance codes become too confusing to implement. To avoid this, the Department will soon publish four advanced notices of proposed rulemaking regarding accessibility requirements for websites, movies, equipment and furniture, and 9-1-1 call-taking technologies.”
The press release continues to discuss Web Accessibility specifically :
"State and local governments, businesses, educators, and other organizations covered by the ADA are increasingly using the web to provide information, goods, and services to the public. In the web accessibility ANPRM, the department presents for public comment a series of questions seeking input regarding how the department can develop a workable framework for website access that provides individuals with disabilities access to the critical information, programs, and services provided on the web, while respecting the unique characteristics of the internet and its transformative impact on everyday life."
This could be a great step forward for Accessibility in America, and I'm certainly interested to see how Web Accessibility will be addressed in the updated ADA. I will keep you posted of any further developments.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Posted byCharlie M at 03:07 0 comments
Labels: accessibility, ADA, America, Web Accessibility