|MySQL Conference and Expo April 14-17, 2008, Santa Clara, CA| A
Primer for Accessible Web Pagesby Matt Margolin and Apple
Developer Connection On December 21, 2000, the Access Board, a
committee created by the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC), published regulations regarding the accessibility of
Internet sites. These new regulations require that any web site
built or procured by the Federal government must be accessible
to the public in the same manner as buildings equipped with
curb-cut sidewalks, braille-enhanced elevator buttons, or ramped
building entrances. The Access Board's Electronic and
Information Technology Accessibility Standards put Web design
best practices into law for the first time. The new regulations
became a part of government procurement as of the summer of
2001. That means that web design contracts and federal agency
Internet content are subject to strict procurement guidelines
and that a company can lose out on a contract if they fail to
comply with these guidelines. The Access