Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (with guidelines for accessible electronic and information technology defined in Section 508) and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protect individuals from discrimination based on a disability under any educational program or activity that receives funding or in any state government activity.
These laws apply to The Texas A&M University System because our programs and activities receive federal funding.
Section 508 and Refresh
The original Section 508 rule referenced WCAG 1.0, recommended back in 1999. A lot has changed, including how we view the internet, email and more from phones and wearable devices. This meant we had to rethink our programming and designing solutions to meet the needs of all users, no matter the ability, with regard to all technology, current and future. WCAG 2.0 attempted to bridge that gap in 2008 and was adopted by several countries around the world. After a long rules process, the Section 508 now references WCAG 2.0, bringing a standard of conformity across the globe.
References
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Technical Guidance for Web-based Technologies
- Information and Technical Assistance on the ADA
- Web-based Intranet and Internet Information and Applications (1194.22)
Guidance for Social Media
Resolution Agreements & Lawsuits
- Wang, Vivian. (2017, October 11). The New York Times. College Websites Must Accommodate Disabled Students, Lawsuits Say.
- Schmidt, Peter. (2017, July 6). The Chronicle of Higher Education. One Activist Has Hundreds of Colleges Under the Gun to Fix Their Websites.
- (June 13, 2017). ADA Title III. First Federal Court Rules that Having an Inaccessible Website Violates Title III of the ADA.
- (June 12, 2017). ADA Title III. Verdict and Order following Non-Jury Trial in Juan Carlos Gil v. Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc.