Technology Laws & Regulations

Your gateway to information about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA gives civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities similar to those provided to individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age and religion. Learn more about the ADA and other disability rights laws.

Description of the standards federal agencies must follow when producing Web pages.

Information on telecommunications accessibility provisions under the Telecommunications Act.

Information from the U.S. Department of Justice regarding how Web sites can be made accessible for people with disabilities.

Fact sheet from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission with answers to common questions regarding the ADA.

The U.S. Department of Justice provides information about the ADA through a toll-free information line (1-800-514-0301). This service permits businesses, state and local governments and others to ask questions about general or specific ADA requirements and order ADA technical assistance materials.

Discusses the procedures for resolving ADA complaints through the U.S. Department of Justice Mediation Program.

Checklist developed for the National Assistive Technology Research Institute to guide the development of assistive technology policies.

Information provided for Web site managers as resource material to assist in meeting the U.S. Department of Commerce policy on Web site accessibility for persons with disabilities.

A frank discussion of Section 508 (Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998) compliance from the National Weather Service.

Conducts enforcement, certification, regulatory, coordination and technical assistance activities required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Watch a recording of the TARGET Discovery Series from February 25, 2009 and learn how to reframe your approach to Section 508 and Web accessibility by thinking in terms of universal design, rather than simply meeting a list of requirements. Experience Web sites from the perspective of all users; including those using assistive technologies.

Simple and effective guidance that addresses the specific issues surrounding Section 508 and e-learning initiatives within the federal government and for federal employees.

Final rule, published in the Federal Register, issued by the U.S. Access Board on the accessibility standards for electronic and information technology covered by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998.

Final Federal Acquisition Rule for implementing Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 relating to electronic and information technology accessibility for persons with disabilities.

A list of links from the FCC Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau related to disability issues, including closed captioning, 911-TTY compatibility, telecommunication relay services and various sections of the Rehabilitation Act.

Provides technical assistance to consumers, government and businesses on telecommunications access for people with sensory and other disabilities.

A collection of guidelines, information and procedures to ensure that the FCC is accessible to individuals with disabilities.

Information from the FCC Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau on Section 508 and the FCC's role and actions.

Provides a brief overview of 11 federal laws that protect the rights of people with disabilities and provides information about the federal agencies to contact for more information.

Technical assistance on Section 508 from the Access Board.

Report from the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division containing results of the first Executive Branch-wide evaluation of compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Provides policy and responsibilities for complying with federal and U.S. Department of Agriculture policies for the electronic equipment accommodation of employees with disabilities.

Describes a core set of tools that can assist Web authors in meeting the accessibility requirement of Section 508 Amendments of 1998.

Home page of the National Weather Service's Standards for Electronic and Information Technology program, which includes information on Web use by people with disabilities, trends and resources.

Find, review and submit comments on federal documents that are open for comment and published in the Federal Register, the Government's legal newspaper.

Provides a consolidation of acquisition-related questions that have been posed by agencies, contractors and members of the disability community regarding Section 508.

Information to help federal agencies evaluate whether their Internet pages are accessible to people with disabilities.

Information on meeting the U.S. Department of Commerce policy on Web site accessibility for persons with disabilities as it concerns downloadable software "plug-ins."

Provides technical assistance to the 56 state and territory assistive technology programs as authorized under the Assistive Technology Act of 1998.

This Best Practice process is designed to help chief information officers and U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) organizations ensure that DOC Web sites comply with the department's accessibility policy.

Information from the U.S. Department of Education about testing web pages to ensure they meet Section 508 standards.

Information from the Access Board on Section 508, which requires federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities.