Policies Relating to Web Accessibility

Legislation: Disability Discrimination Act 1992

Responsible Ministry: Attorney General; Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission; Federal Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts

Relevant Documents:

• Accessibility: Online Access for People with Disabilities
• Government Online, Online Standards, Accessibility Requirements
• Guidelines for Commonwealth Information Published in Electronic Formats including " Equal Access: Disability Discrimination Act Advisory Notes"
• Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission's investigation:
  • Access to electronic commerce and new services and information technologies for older Australians and people with a disability including
  • World Wide Web page accessibility audit
  • Final Report: Accessibility of electronic commerce and new service information technologies for older Australians and people with a disability and accompanying media release for the HREOC report

Additional information:

• Disability Standards and Guidelines related to the DDA [formerly at http://www.hreoc.gov.au/disability_rights/standards/index.html]
• "Accessible E-Commerce in Australia: A discussion paper about the effects of electronic commerce developments on people with disabilities" by Tim Noonan, for Blind Citizens Australia
• Decision of HREOC in SOCOG case

Legislation: Canadian Human Rights Act of 1977

Responsible Ministry: Attorney General; Canadian Human Rights Commission; Treasury Board of Canada, Secretariat

Relevant documents:

• Canadian Human Rights Act of 1977 Office Consolidation [formerly at http://www.chrc-ccdp.ca/LEGISLATION/chra-lcdp.asp?l=e]
• Common Look and Feel for the Internet
• Government of Canada Internet Guide, in particular, the section on Universal Accessibility
• Policy on the Provision of Accommodation for Employees with Disabilities

Additional information:

• Upcoming developments: Government of Canada and Web Accessibility

Legislation: -

Responsible Ministry: Ministry of Research and Information Technology [Danish: Ministeriet for Videnskab Teknologi og Udvikling]

Relevant documents:

• [2002] Disability, No Problem [Danish: Handicap ingen hindring] (Action plan for use of information technologies and telecommunication by people with disabilities)
  
• [1997] Action for Change: IT Policy Plan
• [1996] Freedom to Choose: Action Plan for IT Use by People with Disabilities
• Internet Publications: Standards for Electronic Publishing [Danish: Netpublikationer - Statens standard for elektronisk publicering] [formerly at http://www.fsk.dk/fsk/publ/online-pub/]
• [1998] Report from a working group on accessibility and graphical user interfaces [Danish: Rapport fra Arbejdsgruppen om tilgængelighed og grafiske brugergrænseflader]

Additional information:

• [1998] The Accessibility of Governmental Homepages, by the Equal Opportunities Center for Disabled Persons [Danish: Offentlige hjemmesiders tilgængelighed]

Legislation: -

Responsible Ministry: European Commission, Information Society

Relevant documents:

• European Commission: index of accessibility documents
• European Union, Council of the European Union: Accessibility of Public Websites -- Accessibility for People with Disabilities: Council Resolution [2002]
• European Union, Economic and Social Committee: Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee [2002]
• European Union, Committee of Regions: Opinion of the Committee of Regions [2002]
  
• European Parliament: eEurope 2002, Accessibility of Public Websites and their Content [2002]
• European Commission: eEurope 2002, Accessibility of Public Websites and their Content [2001]
• eEurope 2000-2001, An Information Society for All, Participation for all in the knowledge-based economy [2001]
• Text of HEART Study Horizontal European Activities in Rehabilitation Technology (original URI unavailable: http://www.hi.se/fou/forelasning/gunnar.htm) [1993]

Additional information:

• EC: Speech from Commissioner Erkki Liikanen on "Making Websites Accessible to People with Disabilities"
• Draft petition for accessibility of the Internet in the European Union (original document no longer available; was at http://www.acessibilidade.net/eeurope/) [1999]
• Request for feedback on draft petition [1999] by Francisco Godinho of PASIG

Legislation: -

Responsible Ministry: Ministry of the Interior, [Finnish] Sisäasiainministeriö, Advisory Committee on Information Management in Public Administration, [Finnish] Julkisen hallinnon tietohallinnon neuvottelukunta (JUHTA)

Relevant documents:

• Instructions for the design of a Web site in public administration, [Finnish] Julkishallinnon WWW-sivuston suunnittelun ohjeet

Legislation: -

Jurisdiction: -

Relevant documents:

• Government circular of 7 October 1999 concerning internet sites by state public establishments and services. (Circulaire du 7 octobre 1999 relative aux sites internet des services et des établissements publics de l'Etat)
  

Additional information:

• Translation of extract from government circular: "People responsible for web site will particularly pay attention to provide access to information to all Internet users, notably people with disabilities, blind users, visually impaired or hearing impaired. They will find on the MTIC site (http://www.mtic.pm.gouv.fr/standards/accessibilite/) a document on this topic. They can also refer to the level 1 recommendations of the World Wide Web Consortium devoted to accessibility of Web Content which are available at the same address.

Legislation: [German: Barrierefreie Informationstechnik Verordnung (BITV)] [PDF file]

Responsible Ministry: -

Legislation: -

Responsible Ministry: -

Relevant documents: -

Additional information:

• [2001] Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) 2001 Hong Kong Digital 21 Strategy
• [2001] Building a Digitally Inclusive Society, Web Accessibility

Legislation: -

Responsible Ministry: -

Relevant documents:

• [2000] Maharashtra Right to Information Rules, 2000
• [2000] Karnataka Right to Information Act, 2000
  

Additional information: -

• Karnataka Right to Information Act, user guide [formerly at http://www.humanrightsinitiative.org/kria/kria_user_final.pdf]
• Maharashtra Right to Information Act, user guide [formerly at http://www.humanrightsinitiative.org/miro/mrio_userguide.pdf]

Legislation: -

Responsible Ministry: Department of the Taioseach and Government Information Services

Relevant documents:

• Recommended Guidelines for Public Sector Organizations

Additional information:

• Taioseach Launches New Guidelines for User Friendly Public Sector Web Sites

Legislation: -

Responsible Ministry: -

Relevant Documents:

• Directive of the Government of Italy regarding Web Accessibility (in Italian)

Additional information:

• Action Room 3486: Norms for the right of access to the services and the resources public data transmissions and of public utilities from part of the various skillful citizens, [Italian: Atto Camera 3486: Norme per il diritto di accesso ai servizi e alle risorse telematiche pubbliche e di pubblica utilita' da parte dei cittadini diversamente abili]

Legislation: -

Responsible Ministry: Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications

Relevant documents:

• Press release mentioning Web accessibility from Ministry of Post and Telecommunications
• Press release: Toward Diffusion of Websites with Excellent Accessibility Verification experiments for the diffusion of websites with excellent accessibility for the elderly and people with disabilities
  

Additional information:

• The Role of Universal Design: Closing the Gap of Digital Divide in Japan (file in PDF)
  

Legislation: -

Responsible Ministry: State Services Commission; Government Information System Managers' Forum (GOVIS)

Relevant documents:

• Government Web Guidelines (section 4.5 on Accessibility)
  

Legislation: Council of Ministers Resolution 97/99 on Accessibility of Government Web Sites

Responsible Ministry: -

Relevant Documents:

• Report and Resolution by the Parliament of Portugal regarding Web Accessibility
• Phase I Accessibility Requirements for Implementation of Resolution 97/99
  

Additional information:

• Links to policy documents at Portuguese Ministry of Science and Technology [in Portuguese]
  
• Discussion of amendments to Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations law. Discusses redundant input devices. [in Portuguese]
  
• Member State of the European Union.
  

Legislation: [2002] LAW 34/2002, of 11 of July, services of the information society and electronic commerce [Spanish: LEY 34/2002, de 11 de julio, de servicios de la sociedad de la información y de comercio electrónico (LSSICE)]

Responsible Ministry: Ministry of Science and Technology [Spanish: Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología], regional governments [Spanish: Comunidades Autónomas]

Relevant documents: -

Additional information:

• INFO XXI: Information Society for All [Spanish: INFO XXI: La Sociedad de la Información para todos]

Legislation: Disability Discrimination Act of 1995

Jurisdiction: Department of Education and Employment, Ministry of Equal Opportunities; Disability Rights Commission; Office of the e-Envoy

Relevant Documents:

• Guidelines for Government Websites

Additional information:

• DISinHE's (Disability Information Systems in Higher Education) Disability Legislation page
• DISinHE's questions/answers on Disability Discrimination Act
• DISinHE's Implications for Higher Education Institutions
• DISinHE's Disability Legislation and Implications for Higher Education
  
• JISC Senior Management Briefing Paper 15, Disability, Technology and Legislation: New Pressures and New Opportunities for Further and Higher Education Institutions and Staff
• Cabinet Office Press Release on Net Gain for Britain's Public Services

Legislation: Telecommunications Act of 1996

Responsible Ministry: Federal Communications Commission; Access Board

Relevant Documents:

• Access Board's Final Rule on Section 255: Telecommunications Act Accessibility Guidelines
• Report of the TAAC (Telecommunications Access Advisory Committee)

Additional information:

• Access Board's Section 255 FAQ
• FCC's Section 255 Information
  

Legislation: Rehabilitation Act, Section 504 (1973)

Responsible Ministry: Department of Justice; Department of Education

Relevant Documents:

• US Department of Education's  Requirements for Accessible Software Design

Additional information:

• Section 504 establishes principle of programmatic access to federally-funded programs. Does not directly address the internet, Web, or information technology, but lays foundation for accessibility to the services ("programs") of federally-funded programs.

Legislation: Rehabilitation Act, Section 508 (1986, amended 1992, amended 1998)

Jurisdiction: Department of Justice; Access Board; General Services Administration

Relevant Documents:

• General Services Adminstration's Section 508 site on FirstGov
  
• Section 508 Final Rule
  • Section 508 Proposed Rule: Overview to NPRM and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking text
• EITAAC Final Report (Report delivered to the Access Board by the Electronic and Information Technology Access Advisory Committee).
• Section 508 Federal Acquisition Regulations
  
• Section 508 Questions and Answers by the Access Board
• Department of Justice Section 508 Home Page (includes self-evaluation information for US federal agencies, and US Attorney General's memorandum to all federal agencies on Section 508)
• US Department of Education's Requirements for Accessible Software Design

Additional information:

• FCC's discussion of Section 508
• Section 508 establishes requirement that federal government, and by extension through the Assistive Technology Act of 1998, state government also, procure information technology that is accessible.
• The US Access Board convened the EITAAC (Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Advisory Committee) to provide recommendations for federal standards for electronic and information technology.
• The Trace Research & Development Center maintained a working space for EITAAC, with publicly viewable archives for EITAAC discussion.
• WAI comments on Section 508 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
• Attorney General's speech on Section 508
• Accessibility Forum
  

Legislation: Americans with Disabilities Act (1990)

Responsible Ministry: US Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division

Relevant Documents:

• Hooks vs. OKBridge, No. 99-50891, Brief of the United States as Amicus Curiae in Support of Appellant. Addresses issues including "Whether a company that offers services solely on the internet is subject to the public accommodations provision of Title III of the ADA."
• Opinion issued by the US DOJ in September, 1996 discussing the applicability of ADA Titles II and III to accessibility of the Web. This DOJ opinion resulted from a query by Senator Tom Harkin on behalf of a constituent. [NOTE: This may not be a stable URL. If you have difficulty retrieving the appropriate file from the previous link, go to the DOJ Freedom of Information Act index and search for a September 1996 letter concerning Senator Harkin and the Web.]

Additional information:

• Applying the ADA to the Internet: A Web Accessibility Standard
• Hearing on applicability of ADA to the Internet and Web
  • Hearing transcript
  • Some summary thoughts about the hearing
  • General information about hearing
  • Witness testimonies
  • Brewer testimony
  • Vanderheiden addition to the record
• DOJ ADA Home Page
• Is Your Site ADA-Compliant -- or a Lawsuit-In-Waiting?
• The Growing Digital Divide in Access for People with Disabilities: Overcoming Barriers to Participation
• " University Settles Suit, Pledges to Improve Access at Campus," from the San Francisco Examiner