Web Design & Development
[ Web Design & Development Topics ]
If you receive federal funding then you are required to be accessible to those with disabilities under US Section 508.
"In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. Inaccessible technology interferes with an individual's ability to obtain and use information quickly and easily. Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, to make available new opportunities for people with disabilities, and to encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals. The law applies to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. Under Section 508 (29 U.S.C. ‘ 794d), agencies must give disabled employees and members of the public access to information that is comparable to the access available to others. It is recommended that you review the laws and regulations listed below to further your understanding about Section 508 and how you can support implementation." [excerpt taken from http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Content&ID=3]
See http://www.section508.gov/ for more information.
Test your pages at http://bobby.watchfire.com/bobby/HTML/en/index.jsp if you are curious how compliant you are. Note that you can choose between US Section 508 and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0.