Federal act spurs demand for accessibility

It's understandable that private-sector companies might not want to spend a lot of time and money on products to make computer use easier for a relatively small market, such as people with disabilities.

But in 1998 Congress added some incentives when it amended the Rehabilitation Act.

The amendments require federal agencies to make electronic data accessible to those with disabilities. Specifically, Section 508, as it's referred to, requires federal agencies to give disabled employees access to information available to those without disabilities.

In practice, that means information on agency Web sites must be provided in a variety of ways. If a site uses charts that convey information by color, for example, it must also provide the information in ways that can be understood by sightless users.

Compliance with Section 508 requirements can be time-consuming and difficult to ensure, which is why many private-sector Web sites aren't Section 508-compliant. But thanks to the size of the federal market, Section 508 has encouraged computer manufacturers and software vendors to develop tools to make electronic data more accessible.

— Patrick Marshall