INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACCESSIBILITY RESOURCES Overview Under existing federal and state laws and policies, Agencies/state entities, as well as any contractors working for them, are responsible for ensuring that their Agency/state entity’s public websites are accessible to the general public and that their internal electronic and information technology systems are accessible by state employees, including persons with disabilities (State Administrative Manual ). The (now GC Section 7405) directs that: governmental entities, in developing, procuring, “state maintaining, or using electronic or information technology, either indirectly or through the use of state funds by other entities, shall comply with the accessibility requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (), and regulations implementing that act as set forth in Part 1194 of Title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulations.” As government continues to provide more services and information to citizens by expanding access to online services, each Agency/state entity has the responsibility to comply with federal and state laws forbidding discrimination against persons with disabilities. Meeting the goals of accessibility include making assistive tools available to employees who require them to perform their jobs, ensuring accessibility is built into an IT project during its earliest planning and requirements stages, and overall awareness of accessibility in developing or retrofitting electronic and information technology. All these steps lead to increased productivity, rework and costs are reduced, and critical information, such as public health and safety, employment, or tax law is available to all who need it. The California Department of Technology, within the Government Operations Agency, together with the Health and Human Services Agency and the Department of Rehabilitation, has created this resource guide to assist Agencies/state entities in meeting requirements for accessible web, information technology (IT) projects, and digital content creation. This guideline aligns with Web Content Accessibility Guideline Level AA Standards in addition to the requirements of Section 508 (). This page left intentionally blank.
INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACCESSIBILITY RESOURCES Overview Under existing federal and state laws and policies, Agencies/state entities, as well as any contractors working for them, are responsible for ensuring that their Agency/state entity’s public websites are accessible to the general public and that their internal electronic and information technology systems are accessible by state employees, including persons with disabilities (State Administrative Manual ). The (now GC Section 7405) directs that: “state governmental entities, in developing, procuring, maintaining, or using electronic or information technology, either indirectly or through the use of state funds by other entities, shall comply with the accessibility requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (), and regulations implementing that act as set forth in Part 1194 of Title 36 of the Code of Federal Regulations.” As government continues to provide more services and information to citizens by expanding access to online services, each Agency/state entity has the responsibility to comply with federal and state laws forbidding discrimination against persons with disabilities. Meeting the goals of accessibility include making assistive tools available to employees who require them to perform their jobs, ensuring accessibility is built into an IT project during its earliest planning and requirements stages, and overall awareness of accessibility in developing or retrofitting electronic and information technology. All these steps lead to increased productivity, rework and costs are reduced, and critical information, such as public health and safety, employment, or tax law is available to all who need it. The California Department of Technology, within the Government Operations Agency, together with the Health and Human Services Agency and the Department of Rehabilitation, has created this resource guide to assist Agencies/state entities in meeting requirements for accessible web, information technology (IT) projects, and digital content creation. This guideline aligns with Web Content Accessibility Guideline Level AA Standards in addition to the requirements of Section 508 (). This page left intentionally blank.
SIMM-25-October-2017.docx