ADA Compliance

What is the ADA?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) derives its authority from the primary Federal civil rights law, and includes the guidelines requiring information to be made available to all members of the public, regardless of sensory disabilities. The ADA is overseen and enforced by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

In September 2010, the Department of Justice (DOJ) published the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design. These standards state that all electronic and information technology must be accessible to people with disabilities.

While the ADA covers a wide range of rights for people with disabilities, this document is referring only to those regulations concerning document accessibility. The information here does not constitute legal advice of any kind. If you are unsure about anything to do with the legal requirements of the ADA, contact a lawyer.

Section 508 of the Workforce Rehabilitation Act covers accessibility laws for Federal departments and agencies. For more information, see our article on Section 508 compliance.

Title II: State and local governments

The accessibility laws governing all activities of State and local governments are contained in Title II: State and Local Governments of the ADA. Title II covers all activities of State and local governments, regardless of the government size or receipt of Federal funding.

Title III: Public accommodations

The accessibility laws governing non-profit or private organizations are contained in Title III: Public Accommodations and Commercial Facilities, of the ADA.  The standards apply to all commercial and public entities that have “places of public accommodation” which includes the internet.

WCAG 2.0 Compliance

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) defines standards for the Web. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) were developed by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), a working group of the W3C.

The Department of Justice is currently developing regulations to provide specific guidance to the entities covered by the ADA. Until the DOJ defines the regulations, organizations should use the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG) guidelines. For accessible PDF files, affected entities should look to the PDF/UA format (which ensures compliance with the WCAG 2.0).

PDF Remediation for ADA compliance

This is often the most overwhelming part for someone who has been tasked to “make a document accessible”. Meeting requirements for ADA can be a complex task. Each document will present its own individual challenges. PDF remediation requires specialized training in design and working with PDF documents.  Careful, knowledgeable human inspection, testing and corrective actions are all part of the process. We are here to help. Contact us!