News

Disability access requirements released for information technology

September 15, 2017

The Architectural and Transportation Barriers and Compliance Board, an independent federal agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities, has released a final rule for electronic and information technologies used by federal agencies, and guidelines for customer premises equipment and telecommunications equipment. The final rule is listed in the Federal Register.

The revised standards and guidelines support the access needs of the disabled.

Information and communication technology, referenced as “ICT,” includes information kiosks, transaction machines, computers, telecommunications equipment, multi-function office machines, software, websites and electronic documents.

The board has retained a provision requiring braille instructions to provide equal access to users with low vision. 

The final rule became effective March 20, 2017. Compliance with the standards is not required until January 18, 2018. 

The final rule provides more detail about how operating systems, software development toolkits and software applications should interact with assistive technology.