Department Of Justice To Strengthen Website Access For Disabled People
Source: Huff Post
Apr 10, 2024, 11:30 PM EDT
The Department of Justice took a major step this week towards ensuring website and mobile app access for disabled people under federal disability law. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland signed a final rule on Monday that will clarify obligations of state and local governments to make their websites and mobile apps accessible by creating technical standards for guidance on how to achieve this.
The website access rule falls under Title II of the Americans With Disabilities Act, which bars disability discrimination and requires state and local governments to provide disabled people equal opportunity and access to public services, programs or activities.
Website and app barriers such as poor color contrast, lack of alternative text, inaccessible online forms and no captions on videos can prevent disabled people from accessing information on voting, up-to-date health and safety resources, public transportation schedules and other services that are vital to their daily life.
This final rule marks the Justice Departments latest effort to ensure that no person is denied access to government services, programs, or activities because of a disability, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement on Monday. By issuing clear and consistent accessibility standards for state and local governments digital content, this rule advances the ADAs promise of equal participation in society for people with disabilities.
Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/justice-department-website-access-rule-finalized_n_66174057e4b00830e91647f6
Link to DOJ PRESS RELEASE - Justice Department to Publish Final Rule to Strengthen Web and Mobile App Access for People with Disabilities
Tetrachloride
(7,865 posts)Magoo48
(4,720 posts)otchmoson
(68 posts)This is a terrific step by the government. Sadly, corporate America fails this accommodation, to the detriment of consumers. Eg. Husband is a 65+ year diabetic. He now uses an insulin pump and a continuous glucose monitor to manage the disease. With age he is now hearing-aid dependent (with only marginal success), and long-time diabetes has eroded his vision substantially (he can no longer drive). The pump he uses has very poor visual contrast; text is in a truly-minute font, and alarms (for everything from battery-death to delivery interruption) are not loud enough to provide needed warning. Likewise, the glucose monitor has alarms to warn of impending low blood glucose events that are not loud enough for him to hear (unless all background noise is absent). But, when dealing with corporate America, one must wait for a cause of action before legal action can be initiated--and, it seems, the cause of action must be a near-death event at the very least. Of course, with the current mantra being "Profit before people" we can't expect Big Pharma and its cohorts to do the right thing.