US Rehabilitation Act

In the United States, The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was the first major federal legislation aimed at ensuring equality for people with disabilities; amended three times (in 1993, 1998, and 2015), today two of its sections directly pertain to web accessibility.

First, Section 504 is a civil rights law that protects qualified individuals from discrimination based on their disability. It applies to employers and organizations that receive financial assistance from federal departments and agencies including hospitals, nursing homes, mental health centers, ETC.

Second, Section 508 mandates access for people with disabilities to ICT developed, purchased, maintained, or used by federal agencies, including websites. At the operational level, the law directs the federal agency responsible for disability design guidelines development (U.S. Access Board) to set mandatory standards clearly identifying what constitutes “accessible” electronic and information technology services.

• U.S. Rehabilitation Act (as amended) Full Text, PDF document
• Section 504 of U.S. Rehabilitation Act (as amended)
• Section 508 of U.S. Rehabilitation Act (as amended)

Filed under:

• PDF Documents Accessibility
• Web Accessibility Resources