[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4cast #487: Section 508
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OPLIN 4cast #487: Section 508
April 27th, 2016
[image: Section 508] No, it's not the title of a sci-fi novel. Section 508
is a 1986 amendment to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, mandating that
information technologies used by the federal government should be
accessible to people with disabilities. Section 508 is currently in the
process of revision (a lot of new technology has happened since 1986), but
its provisions on website accessibility are still an important measure.
There are some free tools on the internet that will check your website for
Section 508 compliance, so it's not hard to find out if it measures up. You
have probably taken great pains to make sure that your physical library
site is accessible. Is your online library site also accessible? (Hint:
only about a third of Ohio public library websites are.)
- In government, accessibility is a team effort
<http://www.federaltimes.com/story/government/management/sect508/2016/04/18/government-accessibility-team-effort/83030258/>
(Federal Times | Michael Hardy) "Section 508 was added to the
Rehabilitation Act in 1986, and has been revised since then, most notably
in 1998, when an amendment changed its prescriptions from non-binding
guidelines to binding, enforceable standards. In short, the section
requires that electronic and information technology that federal agencies
create or purchase must be accessible to people with disabilities unless it
would pose an undue burden to do so. The agencies are responsible for
ensuring accessibility of their technologies."
- IMLS website accessibility
<https://www.imls.gov/about-us/contact-us/imls-website-accessibility>
(Institute of Museum and Library Services) "Inaccessible technology
interferes with an individual′s ability to obtain and use information
quickly and easily. Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in
information technology, to make available new opportunities for people with
disabilities, and to encourage development of technologies that will help
achieve these goals. The law applies to all Federal agencies when they
develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology.
Under Section 508 (29 USC 794d), agencies must give disabled employees and
members of the public access to information that is comparable to the
access available to others."
- Section 508, WCAG 2.0, Oh My!
<https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/law-policy-and-it/section-508-wcag-20-oh-my>
(Inside Higher Ed | Tracy Mitrano) "The Rehabilitation Act, which was
first promulgated in 1973, applies to students. It is the legislation that
has long required schools to make accommodation for students with
disabilities. For example, while a private institution in let's say 2005
did not have to implement full-scale web accessibility, as did the Federal
government and its agencies after section 508 came out, it did have to
accommodate individual students. In terms of web content, section 508
created a baseline of standards by which a private institution would
demonstrate compliance."
- Designing for disabilities: Section 508 and international
accessibility compliance for beginners
<http://www.sitepoint.com/designing-disabilities-section-508-international-accessibility-compliance-beginners/>
(Sitepoint | Tara Hornor) "Some non-Federal agencies, while not legally
required to be 508 compliant, may also request that a project meet these
outlines, especially if the agency provides public services or their target
market includes a high amount of people with disabilities. If you have
recently acquired a client that is in need of a design that meets Section
508 requirements, don't be too intimidated. It can sound difficult or scary
to learn, but it just requires careful adherence to a set of compliance
rules, many of which are already best practices."
*Articles from Ohio Web Library <http://ohioweblibrary.org>:*
- Web accessibility: Is your content ready for everyone?
<https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=101435177>
(*EContent*, March 2015, p.22-28 | Mindy Charski)
- Design standards take federal websites to new levels of usability.
<https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cph&AN=112339781>
(*Information Today*, Jan./Feb.2016, p.1-29 | Nancy K. Herther)
- Accessibility is more than curb cuts and ALT tags.
<https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cph&AN=112316569>
(*Computers in Libraries*, Jan./Feb.2016, p.22-24 | jessamyn west)
------------------------------
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