ADA Compliance & Accessibility
According to the President's Commission on Americans with Disabilities, one in five American citizens fall into the category of disabled, an estimated 54 million people. Web and software authors versed in ADA Compliance and the Section 508 Accessibility guidelines can develop products that reach this significant market segment.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. Section 508 of the US Rehabilitation Act, which became effective on June 21, 2001, requires that government information made available to the public be accessible to people with disabilities. For instance, websites can be developed so that the information is accessible by a screen reader which uses a text-to-speech synthesizer to translate what is displayed on a screen into audible text for a user who is blind.
Section 508 commissioned the Access Board and its Electronic and Information Technology Access Advisory Committee (EITAAC) to develop standards for 'accessible' electronic and information technology. The guidelines established explain the detailed technical and functional performance criteria that determine a technology product or system's accessibility.
For more information on accessibility here are some of the many resources available online:
"In the temple of science are many mansions... and various indeed are they that dwell therein and the motives that have led them there.'"
— Albert Einstein
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ADA Compliance & Accessibility