Inaccessible designs of postsecondary campus web pages can result in citizen complaints, lawsuits, or regulatory action. The following are examples of letters from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights with respect to the accessibility of web pages in institutions of higher education:
As technology plays an increasing role in K-12, postsecondary, and adult education, educational entities are faced with assuring the accessibility of more technological resources, including computing labs and computer-assisted classrooms. In the higher education environment, colleges historically have addressed technology accessibility by setting up small, centralized assistive technology (AT) labs, often within the context of a disability services office.
A growing number of postsecondary institutions have developed or are developing policies and guidelines related to the accessibility of information technology (IT) developed, procured, and/or used on campus. The University of Washington provides examples of IT accessibility policies (this will be a link to the page) in postsecondary education. The list, although not comprehensive, serves as a resource for institutions who are developing or considering developing their own policies and/or procedures.
Chat rooms can sometimes present a difficult web challenge for people with disabilities.
The 1998 amendments to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act required that electronic and information technology developed, maintained, procured, or used by the federal government be accessible. They also charged the federal Access Board with developing standards by which technology accessibility could be measured.
Information technology accessibility discussions in education tend to focus on the accessibility of content, whether it is delivered on the web or in computer software applications. The accessibility of computer hardware, however, is equally critical, since even if content is accessible, an inaccessible computer can pose a barrier that denies a student or employee access to that content.
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act was amended in 1998, and among its requirements was a charge that the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) must develop standards for accessibility of electronic and information technology. The Access Board did so and published the standards in the Federal Register in December 2001.
The accessibility of fax machines, photocopiers, and similar information technology devices is addressed within the Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards, developed by the federal Access Board as mandated by 1998 amendments to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Scripting languages are becoming increasingly popular on the web, because they can be used to make web pages more dynamic and interactive. There are two types of scripting languages: server-side and client-side. Server-side scripting performs all of its processing on the web server and delivers a final product (the web page) to the user's browser. Server-side scripting does not, in and of itself, present accessibility problems. Like all web content, however, server-side scripts must produce content that follows principles of accessible design.
At the Pathways to Success for Students with Invisible Disabilities Capacity Building Institute (CBI), held at Landmark College from April 8 – 9, 2013, a panel of Landmark faculty members discussed several different technologies that can be helpful to students with invisible disabilities, including learning disabilities, attention deficits, and autism spectrum disorders. Listed below are some panelist suggestions.