ITTATC - Which states have adopted Section 508 or similar legislation?

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Which states have adopted Section 508 or similar legislation?

The Information Technology Technical Assistance and Training Center (ITTATC) conducted an on-line search for state laws, policies, and standards related to electronic and information technology (E&IT) accessibility practices. The results of that search are documented in the Overview of State Accessibility Laws, Policies, Standards and Other Resources Available On-line. This information will be updated on a periodic basis.

As of April 2003, most activities currently underway to improve IT accessibility at a state level focus on improving website accessibility. Some states have adopted standards as defined in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG); a hybrid of Section 508 and WCAG; and/or they have developed their own state standards. While procedures to implement laws, policies and standards to make E&IT accessible at the federal level are already in place, the survey revealed that it is still an area of uncertainty at the state level. The identified differences in approaches among the states to full or partial adoption of Section 508 standards emphasize the need for increased state-federal coordination.

Overall, it is clear that the states are committed to improving access to E&IT, and they are moving forward on a voluntary basis. The lack of broad-based adoption of similar laws and policies, however, may point more to a recognition that states operate differently and that they each deal with a variety of unique issues (size, authority, resources, etc.). In the future, ITTATC will analyze the specifics of state accessibility efforts and provide additional support as the states work to improve access to electronic and information technology for their citizens.

A discussion of the survey methodology, findings and conclusions (as of April 2003) can be found at: Accessibility Laws, Policies, Standards and Other Resources Available On-line: Related to

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Information Technology Technical Assistance and Training Center
Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access
Georgia Institute of Technology
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