It is the policy of the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) that information and services on NDOT Web Sites are designed to be accessible to people with disabilities. In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act and strengthened provisions covering access to information in the Federal sector. As amended, section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires access to the Federal government's electronic and information technology.
The Department of Justice has clearly opined that Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires all state and local governments to develop and maintain accessible web sites just as they are required to build accessible facilities. It is the responsibility of the agency to become familiar with the guidelines for achieving universal accessibility and to apply these principles in designing and creating any agency Website. To achieve compliance, all web sites need to adhere to Paragraphs A thru P of Section (1194.22) - Web-based Intranet and Internet Information and Applications (www.access-board.gov/sec508/guide/).
The use of the Federal guidelines will ensure that web sites created by the Nevada Department of Transportation are developed to serve the largest possible audience. Compliance with these guidelines provides an added benefit to those users with text-based browsers, low-end processors, slow modem connections and/or no multi-media capabilities on their computer.
What is meant by Accessibility?
Many people when asked what an accessible Web site is would reply than an accessible Web
site is one that is usable by a blind person. In reality, an accessible Web
site enables people with a variety of disabilities to do so. Some common disabilitities
and issues they present and/or solutions are:
- BLIND - Software that reads content out load or solutions that translate the content to braille
- COLOR BLIND - Site must be developed to not rely on color
- LOW VISION - Users with low or weak vision will use browser software or magnifying software for disability
- DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING - Rely on captions or text transcripts of audio content
- MOTOR-CHALLENGED, UNABLE TO USE KEYBOARD AND/OR MOUSE - Those who do not use a mouse rely on keyboard shortcuts or pointing devices held in the mouth. Additionally speech interfaces provide a potential solution
- PHOTOSENSITIVE EPILEPSY - Those with this disability could have a seizure triggered if the computer screen has movement, flickering or animation.
However, there are increasingly issues for people WITHOUT disabilities. For instance, statistics point to an ever increasing number of seniors. As the population ages, most people experience a decrease in vision, hearing, physical abilities, and cognitive abilities. Or people are working in a noisy environment and cannot hear well or they are working in a dark environment and cannot see well.
Differentiating between Usability and Accessibility
Usability problems impact all users equally, regardless of ability. Accessibility problems
affect access to a web site by people with disabilities. Elements of usability are good for
accessibility and conversely, accessible sites generally are more usable sites. It is difficult to
distinguish between usability and accessibility issues. One important point to remember is that many design
aspects that are good for general usability are required for accessibility.
Standards for Accessibility
There are two standards for accessibility. First, information is accessible
when it meets U.S. federal regulations for Web content. As of June 25, 2001,
federally maintained Web sites and networks are required to comply with
Section 508 accessibility standards.
Information is also accessible when it achieves the highest level of usability. In addition to federal regulations, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has commited to lead the Web to its full potential including promoting a high degree of usability of people with disabilities. The primary goal of these guidelines is to promote accessibility. However, following them will also make Web content more available to all users, whatever user agent they are using (e.g., desktop browser, voice browser, mobile phone, automobile-based personal computer, etc.) or constraints they may be operating under (e.g., noisy surroundings, under- or over-illuminated rooms, in a hands-free environment, etc.).
NDOT's web standards for accessibility incorporate both Section 508 and W3C's Priority 1 and 2 guidelines.
The Rehabilitation Act Amendments (Section 508)
On August 7, 1998, President Clinton signed into law the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998
which covers access to federally funded programs and services. The law strengthens
section 508 of the Rehabilitation
Act and requires access to electronic and
information technology provided by the Federal government. 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. While it does not apply
to web pages of private industry, it does apply to contractors and others doing
business with the federal government.
W3C Priority 1 Guidelines
Section 6.1 of the State of Nevada
Web Style Guide states that
"At a minimum, all pages within an Executive Branch website must comply with the current version of Priority 1 Guidelines established by the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines."
The Nevada Department of Transportation REQUIRES that all web sites comply with the W3C Priority 1 guidelines as well as the federal government's Section 508 standards. NDOT's standards also STRONGLY encourage and, in some cases, require that sites also comply with the W3C Priority 2 guidelines.
W3C checkpoints are assigned a priority level based on the checkpoint's impact on accessibility.
- Priority 1: A Web content developer must satisfy this checkpoint. Otherwise, one or more groups will find it impossible to access information in the document. Satisfying this checkpoint is a basic requirement for some groups to be able to use Web documents.
- Priority 2: A Web content developer should satisfy this checkpoint. Otherwise, one or more groups will find it difficult to access information in the document. Satisfying this checkpoint will remove significant barriers to accessing Web documents.
- Priority 3: A Web content developer may address this checkpoint. Otherwise, one or more groups will find it somewhat difficult to access information in the document. Satisfying this checkpoint will improve access to Web documents.
