On May 12, 1999, a Federal advisory committee unveiled recommendations on providing access to electronic and information technology for people with disabilities. The recommendations were presented to the U.S. Access Board, a Federal agency that will be issuing proposed standards for such technology in coming months under the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998. Section 508 of the act, which President Clinton signed into law last August, requires access to the Federal government’s electronic and information technology.

The Electronic and Information Technology Access Advisory Committee contained 27 members representing industry, various disability organizations, and other groups with an interest in the issues to be addressed. The committee, established by the Access Board last September, provided its recommendations in the form of a report. "The report promotes human-centered design," noted Dr. Lawrence Scadden of the National Science Foundation, who chaired the advisory committee. The report recommends performance-based standards due to the variety of access needs among users and the range and ever-changing nature of the technology involved. Access is addressed for people with physical, sensory, and cognitive disabilities. The recommendations establish criteria that would allow people with disabilities to locate, identify, and operate all of the input, control and mechanical functions, and to access available information. The report also addresses compatibility with adaptive equipment people with disabilities commonly use for access.

The law applies to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. Federal agencies must ensure that this technology is accessible to employees and members of the public with disabilities to the extent it does not pose an "undue burden." Section 508 speaks to various means for disseminating information, including computers, software, and electronic office equipment. It applies to, but is not solely focused on, Federal pages on the Internet or the World Wide Web. It does not apply to web pages of private industry.

The Access Board will use the advisory committee’s report to craft enforceable standards that will help Federal agencies comply with the law. These standards will become part of the Federal procurement regulations. The Board intends to publish proposed standards in the Federal Register for public comment by late summer. It will then revise the standards as necessary according to the comments received and re-publish them in final form. The law requires that final standards be issued by February, 2000. For further information, visit the Access Board’s web site http://www.access-board.gov or call 800 872-2253; TTY: 800 993-2822.