Web Accessibility Laws
Legal Regulations
"Requiring use of an emerging technology in a classroom environment when the technology is inaccessible to an entire population of individuals with disabilities - individuals with visual disabilities - is discrimination prohibited by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) unless those individuals are provided accommodations or modifications that permit them to receive all the educational benefits provided by the technology in an equally effective and equally integrated manner."
Source: Joint "Dear Colleague" Letter: Electronic Book Readers - June 29, 2010 U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Education.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
This law states that "no otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States . . . shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance . . . ."
Source: United States Department of Labor - Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Office for Civil Rights - Protecting Students with Disabilities
Guidance from the Office for Civil Rights
Additionally, the Office for Civil Rights emphasizes that students with disabilities should receive "all the educational benefits... in an equally effective and equally integrated manner."
Source: Fact Sheet from the Office for Civil Rights - Student Rights Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
