It's really about doing the right thing. It's about helping 65 million Americans with disabilities achieve transparent access to information. Aging baby boomers now in the workforce will need some of the technology solutions emerging from Section 508 efforts. The Louisiana Department of Revenue (LDR) works to ensure access for disabled citizens and employees to its information and technology.
Federal officials say adhering to Section 508 regulations and improving accessibility for people with disabilities make good business sense. Enabling everyone to do their jobs, using the tools that help them best do their jobs, is simply good business and helps individuals become fully integrated into the workplace.
Although not required by regulation or law, LDR seeks to bring its site into basic compliance with Section 508 Standard of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. 794d). Section 508 requires that when federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology, federal employees with disabilities have access and use of information and data that are comparable to the access and use by Federal employees who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency. These provisions of the standards provide the requirements that must be followed by federal agencies. Compliance requires adherence to the Section 508 Standard, Section (1194.22) Paragraphs A through P.
To assist with implementation of Section 508 requirements, the following resources are available:
Here's a list of links for those seeking information on Section 508 and its impact on agencies and industry suppliers. First stop for anyone interested in learning more is the Section 508 Web site:
There are some sites that focus on metrics and statistics as they relate to accessibility and persons with disabilities. Visit any of the following sites to gather more data on people with disabilities.
The The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) offers some good tools and information in addition to the Federal Section 508 Guidelines.