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8.12. Legal References for Accessible Design
Legal References for Accessible Design
We have a legal obligation to persons with disabilities under federal and state laws. Please review the following references and resources.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, State and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunications.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Section 504 is a federal law designed to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities in programs and activities that receive Federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education (ED). Section 504 provides: "No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States . . . shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance . . . ."
Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC)
In 2015, THEC submitted recommendations to our public higher education institutions to meet their legal obligations to persons with disabilities. These recommendations are provided at THEC Accessibility Task Force Recommendations (new window) website.
TN eCampus
The following statement has been adopted to emphasize TN eCampus' commitment to accessibility:
“Instructional Materials and Technology will be Accessible for Persons with Disabilities”
Functional and Technical Standards for Accessibility
The functional standard for accessibility provides guidance that enhances the functional nature of the POUR design initiative found in the WCAG 2.0 standard. To meet our obligations under ADA/504 our IMTs (documents, sites, media, and/or technology) should be functionally accessible and not just technically conformant. To meet our functional accessibility standard, which means that any person can use the resource effectively to perform the designed intent, the resource is easy to use and the content is clear and unambiguous for all users, including persons with disabilities.
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 A & AA (new window)
- EPub3 Accessibility Guidelines (new window)
- Section 508/Refreshed (new window) (accessible technology procurement)
More Resources:
- TBR Accessibility Initiative (new window)
- Tennessee State Bill 1692 (new window)
- ADA.gov (new window)
- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (new window)
- University of Washington Resolution Agreements and Lawsuits (new window)