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.

Information regarding training that the Access Board provides on its accessibility guidelines and standards to various organizations and groups across the country.

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

Information on telecommunications accessibility provisions under the Telecommunications Act.

An overview of the ADA's requirements for ensuring equal opportunity for persons with disabilities in employment, state and local government services, public accommodations, commercial facilities and transportation.

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.

Learn how to prepare electronic files to more easily convert to accessible PDF, as well as the tools within Adobe Acrobat that help with accessibility. This Webcast is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's TARGET Center Discovery Series.

Learn about the capabilities and limitations of web presentation software, especially as they apply to Section 508 and web accessibility. Find out what steps you can take to make your online presentations more universally available. This presentation is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's TARGET Center Discovery Series.

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.

Learn the basics of Web accessibility and understand the different ways that users experience your Web site. This Webcast is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's TARGET Center Discovery Series.

Learn how Section 508 applies to email, including broadcast emails and smaller group discussions, and how to ensure that the email you send is accessible to all your intended recipients. For more information on the TARGET Discovery Series and TARGET Web Connect, visit the TARGET Center Web site.

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.

Overview of 11 federal laws and links to federal agencies to contact for more information.

Technical assistance on Section 508 from the Access Board.

Summary of the role and goals of NIST in bringing nationwide improvements in voting systems by January 2006, including accessibility for voters with disabilities.

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

Information on technology-related assistance and federal laws regarding accessibility.

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.

Developed by the Treasury Office of Procurement as internal guidance in response to questions and issues of Treasury Department employees concerning Section 508 and commercial item acquisition.

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