You are visiting us from Virginia. You are located in HHS Region 3. Your Center is Central East ATTC.

New Year--New Web Accessibility Laws

January 8, 2018

Kendra Barker, M.Ed.
Instructional Designer – Specialist
Collaborative to Advance Health Services
University of Missouri - Kansas City | School of Nursing and Health Studies

It’s that time when we start planning for the New Year: budgets, conferences, marketing materials, and more. As we ring in 2018, it's also time to be thinking about 508 compliance—the laws that require an organizations websites and other electronic publications accessible to people with disabilities. Updates to these laws take effect January 18, 2018, making it vitally important for ATTC to make any changes needed.

See related blog post: Tips for Navigating 508 Compliance

There are new updates of Section 508 Standards and Section 255 Guidelines for Information and Communication Technology (ICT), often referred to as the Section 508 Refresher, or the Final Rule. Section 508 Standards and Section 255 Guidelines relate to the accessibility of information and resources managed through websites, blogs, web content, etc.

The United States Access Board website states that Section 508 Standards and Section 205 Guidelines apply “to ICT development, procured, maintained, or used by federal agencies,” meaning that any federally-funded agency must follow the new Section 508 Refresher when creating anything that will go on the Internet and out to the public. However, it does not apply to websites or web content created before this date.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

The main goal of the law is to ensure that newly developed webpages and content will pass the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.0, Levels A and AA. WCAG 2.0 was developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and sets international accessibility standards. The law not only includes web-based content, but all electronic content.

The best way to make sure you are addressing these changes to the accessibility laws is to plan your project from the beginning with WCAG 2.0 Levels A and AA in mind. It is much more difficult and time-consuming to make websites, web content, etc., compliant after they are created. This includes Word documents, PowerPoints, online courses, marketing material, videos, etc.

Here are some useful resources for you to check out:

About_W3C
How_to_Meet_WCAG2.0
Overview_of_the_Final_Rule
WebAim (includes training)
Web_Content_Accessibility_Guidelines_Overview

The new web accessibility laws affect the entire ATTC Network. The ATTC Network Coordinating Office will take the lead in keeping us compliant with the accessibility laws and keep the will ATTCs informed.
Published:
01/05/2018
Tags
Recent posts
This flipbook features a compilation of published blog posts from the ATTC/NIATx Service Improvement Blog that highlights content focused on the use of NIATx principles, tools, and processes to create impactful and lasting organizational change. It also includes information on implementing the NIATx change model in new and diverse settings. By compiling the content according to these […]
Prevention coalitions often face challenges engaging parents in prevention initiatives, even when those efforts address critical issues like youth substance use or mental health. Here's an example of how a fictional coalition decided to take on this challenge by using the NIATx Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) tool. The small, incremental changes they made helped to increase attendance […]
The flowchart is one of the essential tools in the NIATx model. A flowchart provides visual map of your process—it shows how things get done, step by step. You might be thinking, “Why do we need a flowchart if we already did a walk-through of the process?" If the process seems straightforward, your team might […]
Xylazine, medetomidine and nitazines are substances that are emerging as key contributors in the latest wave of the Opioid Overdose Epidemic. Xylazine is an adulterant that increases the duration of a user’s fentanyl high and delays withdrawal to some extent. Medetomidine is another adulterant that belongs to the same family of drugs as xylazine, but […]

The opinions expressed herein are the views of the authors and do not reflect the official position of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), SAMHSA, CSAT or the ATTC Network. No official support or endorsement of DHHS, SAMHSA, or CSAT for the opinions of authors presented in this e-publication is intended or should be inferred.

map-markermagnifiercrossmenuchevron-down