Accessibility

Resources related to disabilities.

American with Disabilities Act (ADA) | Blind and Print Disabilities | Deaf or Hard of Hearing | Universal Access | Virtual Accessibility

American with Disabilities Act (ADA)

  • ADA.Gov -- The page includes information on Law/Regulations, Design Standards, Technical Assistance Materials, and Enforcement
  • The ADA National Network--Through a network of ten regional centers, the ADA National Network offers training opportunities and guidance in matters related to the Americans with Disabilities Act.
  • HHS.Gov/Section 508 -- US Department of Health and Human Services, Section 508 for accessible websites. Includes checklists for the accessibility of various file types linked on the web.
  • Section508.gov -- GSA Government-wide IT Accessibility Program. Includes information on procurement and training.
  • Services for People with Disabilities: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights -- The ALA Council updated the policy B.2.1.21 in 2018. The original 2001 policy was written by the Americans with Disabilities Act Assembly, a representational group administered by the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA), now known as the Association of Specialized, Government and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASGCLA).
  • U.S. Access Board--A federal agency that writes the accessible design standards for physical spaces, transit vehicles, telecommunications equipment, medical diagnostic equipment, and information technology.
  • U.S. Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy -- The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) is the only non-regulatory federal agency that promotes policies and coordinates with employers and all levels of government to increase workplace success for people with disabilities.

Blind, Low Vision, and Print Disabilities

National Library Service

IFLA Resources

Resources and Products

  • Accesstext Network--A partnership between major book publishers, the Accesstext Network allow colleges and universities to access digital files of material for students with disabilities.
  • American Council of the Blind – Nationwide organization of blind Americans, programs and information including Audio Description Project, ACB Radio, and other resources.
  • American Printing House for the Blind – Non-profit creating accessible learning experiences through educational, workplace, and independent living products and services.
  • Bookshare -- Bookshare collects the digital files of books provided by publishers. These digital files are converted to synthetic voice/text to speech and electronic braille formats and provided as downloadable files to eligible subscribers.
  • Hadley School for the Blind – Learning opportunities that empower adults with vision loss or blindness to thrive at home, at work, or in their communities.
  • InfoEyes – A question-and-answer reference service provided by professional librarians at talking book and braille libraries for people with print disabilities.
  • International Dyslexia Association – Dyslexia resources for individuals, families, and professionals.
  • Internet Archive/Open Library – Accessible Books – Books available online in an accessible format.
  • Learning Ally--A non-profit providing instructional material in audio formats to students with disabilities that prevent them from reading standard print.
  • National Braille Press – Offers programs, materials, and technology supporting braille literacy.
  • National Federation of the Blind – Nationwide organization of blind Americans, programs and information including the Independence Market, NFB Newsline, and other resources.

Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Universal Access

  • Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure (GPII) is a project of Raising the Floor, a consortium of academic, industry, and non-governmental organizations and individuals. Its purpose is to ensure that everyone who faces accessibility barriers due to disability, literacy, digital literacy, or aging, regardless of economic resources, can access and use the Internet and all its information, communities, and services for education, employment, daily living, civic participation, health, and safety. The GPII will introduce automatic personalization of user interfaces and user context adaptation based on user preferences. Each information and communication technology (ICT) device will be able to instantly change to fit users as they encounter the device, rather than requiring users to figure out how to adapt, configure or install access features they need. For more information please go here: http://gpii.net/
  • Raising the Floor (RtF) is an international coalition of individuals and organizations working to ensure that the Internet, and everything available through it, is accessible to people experiencing accessibility barriers due to disability, literacy, or age.
  • Institute for Human Centered Design is committed to advancing the role of design in expanding opportunity and enhancing experience for people of all ages, abilities and cultures through excellence in design. Services include education on universal or human-centered design, consulting, design, and research.

Virtual Accessibility