Accessibility Policy
It is the policy of the State of Vermont to ensure that people with hearing, visual and other disabilities have equal access to public information that is available on the Internet and the World Wide Web. It is the direct responsibility of the agency and its web page developers to become familiar with the guidelines for achieving universal accessibility and to apply these principles in designing and creating any official State of Vermont Portal. It has been estimated that 54 million people or 20.6% of all Americans have some level of disability. This is a large segment of society waiting for opportunities to interact with all levels of government.
Estimates indicate that 95-99 percent of all Web sites are inaccessible at some level. These statistics are staggering considering the number of sites that come online daily. As of January 2000, there were an estimated 10 million Web sites online, by the end of the year - 25 million and by the year 2002, one hundred million. To date there have been no formal complaints filed against a governmental agency under the ADA of 1990.
Through its Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is promoting a high degree of Web access for people with disabilities. In coordination with organizations around the world, WAI is pursuing Web accessibility through five primary areas of work: technology, guidelines, tools, education and outreach, and research and development. To help support the WAI, Vermont.gov is complying with W3C guidelines for Web accessibility and has tested for compliance with CAST and W3C.
Learn More About Accessibility on Vermont.gov
Disclaimer
Vermont.gov provides links to many Web sites that are not controlled, maintained, or regulated by Vermont.gov or any organization affiliated with Vermont.gov, and as such Vermont.gov is not responsible for the content of those Web sites. Use of information obtained from those Web sites is voluntary, and reliance on that information should only be undertaken after an independent review of its accuracy. Reference at those Web sites to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, or otherwise does not constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by Vermont.gov.
Privacy Policy
Thank you for visiting Official Vermont Portal and reviewing our privacy policy. The information we receive depends on what you do when you visit our site. The essence of our privacy policy is simple and clear: we will collect no personal information about you when you visit our Web site unless you voluntarily choose to provide that information to us, for example, by entering information in a voluntary online form, sending us an email, registering for a premium subscription, or by performing a premium service transaction using an assigned user ID and password.
Learn More About Privacy on Vermont.gov
Vermont.gov Security
The State of Vermont and Vermont.gov take your Internet security very seriously. Our technology and policies are designed to make your online transactions with the State of Vermont safe, private, and secure. Rigorous policies and procedures are utilized to safeguard your personal information, such as social security numbers, banking information, and personal data.
Learn More About Security on Vermont.gov
Linking Policy
This Web portal may contain hypertext links to external Web sites and pages containing information created and maintained by public and private organizations other than Vermont.gov. These hypertext links may be created by Vermont.gov if it determines that establishing the external link will be consistent with assisting or furthering the purpose of this Web portal, which is to significantly and diligently promote public service to citizens and businesses by:
- Expanding business and citizen access to government services and government information;
- Offering an easy and convenient process for these groups to conduct transactions with State government online;
- Accelerating the development and delivery of an increased volume of quality, online government services;
- Improving the level of customer service from State government;
- Extending electronic government services to citizens of cities and county government.
In addition, hypertext links may be created by Vermont.gov for informational purposes where the linked external Web site will provide useful and valuable information to visitors to this Web portal, or where the linked external Web site is required or authorized by law.
Vermont.gov, and its overseeing entities, will determine whether the external Web site meets the purpose of this Web portal or for the specified informational purposes. The inclusion of a hypertext link to an external Web site is not intended as an endorsement of any product or service offered or referenced on the linked Web site, the organizations sponsoring said Web site, or any views that might be expressed or referenced in the Web site.
Hypertext links to external Web sites and pages may be removed or replaced at the discretion of Vermont.gov and/or its overseeing entities, at any time without notice.
In the event you discover problems with or have concerns regarding the format, accuracy, timeliness or completeness of a linked external Web site, please contact the organization responsible for the linked external Web site - Vermont.gov does not control nor is it responsible for any linked external Web sites, pages, or content.
Photo Use Policy
Photos displayed on the Vermont.gov website are copyrighted by the photographer. Permission to use the photographs is granted for the following limited uses:
Photos may be printed from a web browser for personal, non-commercial uses.
Photos may not be sold or used in any way for profit or commercial purposes, including use in commercial or professional websites or printed materials. Photos may not be used to suggest endorsement by the State of Vermont for a product or service.
Legal Notices
If you believe that any material contained on the Vermont.gov site (the "Site") infringes your copyright or other intellectual property rights, you may notify Vermont Information Consortium of your copyright infringement claim in accordance with the following procedure. Vermont Information Consortium will process notices of alleged infringement which it receives, and may take action as authorized by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and/or other applicable intellectual property laws if it has the ability to do so. The DMCA requires that notifications of claimed copyright infringement should be sent to this Site's Designated Agent:
By mail:
Vermont Information Consortium DMCA Agent
c/o Stinson Leonard Street
Stinson IP Administrator, 1201 Walnut, Suite 2900, Kansas City, MO 64106
By phone:
816-842-8600
By fax:
816-691-3495
By email:
DMCA@stinsonleonard.com
To be effective, the notification must be in writing and contain the following information (DMCA, 17 U.S.C. 512(c)(3)):
- Physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed;
- Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed, or, if multiple copyrighted works at a single online site are covered by a single notification, a representative list of such works at that site;
- Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or claimed to be the subject of infringing activity and that is sought to be removed or access to which is sought to be disabled, and information reasonably sufficient to permit the location of the material;
- Information reasonably sufficient to permit the service provider to contact the complaining party, such as an address, telephone number, and, if available, an electronic mail address at which the complaining party may be contacted;
- A statement that the complaining party has a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and
- A statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notification is accurate and that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
E-mails sent to DMCA@stinsonleonard.com for purposes other than communication about copyright claims may not be acknowledged or responded to.