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THINKING THROUGH THE ISSUE OF WEB ACCESSIBILITY

For web developers, Section 508 compliance, or "Making web sites accessible," is often an after thought. For users with disabilities, it's the first thing they notice when pulling up a web site.

Because the regulations in Section 508 apply to e-government sites, many web developers don't think it's necessary to use these guidelines to make their sites accessible. What they fail to realize, is that this is the 21st century, and web accessibility is not just possible, it's expected!

So, let's look at some of the many tools out there to help developers ensure their product's accessibility.

First, developers should become familiar with the requirements of Section 508.

IN 1998, the Rehabilitation Act was amended to include electronic accessibility for Federal agencies. Private organizations and agencies are not covered under this law, but good web site development makes web sites more accessible to everyone. As the baby boomers age, more people will be acquiring disabilities that require adaptations to the internet to enable people with those disabilities to continue using it effectively. Guidelines for Section 508 can be found at http://www.section508.gov/. Organizations and agencies that don't fall under the rubric of Section 508 can find a voluntary template for web accessibility at http://www.itic.org/archives/a rticles/20040506/faq_voluntary _product_accessibility_templat e_vpat.php. This template was created by the Information Technology Industry Council.

Web developers looking for a way to increase their knowledge and skills in creating accessible web sites can find an online course offered through Georgia Tech at http://www.catea.gatech.edu/ac cessibility/.

If developers don't have time to take a course, an excellent book on web site accessibility is: "Web Accessibility: Web Standards And Regulatory compliance," by Jim Thatcher, Michael R. Burks, Christian Heilmann, Shawn Lawton Henry, Andrew Kirkpatrick, Patrick H. Lauke, Bruce Lawson, Bob Regan, Richard Rutter, Mark Urban, and Cynthia Waddell. http://www.jimthatcher.com/boo k2.htm#cont

A crucial site to consult when creating accessible web sites, is the W3C web accessibility standards, http://www.w3.org/. W3C, "Develops guidelines widely regarded as the international standard for web accessibility." http://www.w3.org/WAI/ W3C also offers "Support materials to help understand and implement web accessibility." http://www.w3.org/WAI/

Once developers have the tools they

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