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ERIC Number: EJ807456
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Aug-15
Pages: 4
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0363-0277
EISSN: N/A
Digital Discrimination
Blansett, Jim
Library Journal, v133 n13 p26-29 Aug 2008
In recent years, the Internet has become a digital commons of commerce and education. However, accessibility standards have often been overlooked online, and the digital equivalents to curb-cuts and other physical accommodations have only rarely been implemented to serve those with print disabilities. (A print disability can be a learning disability, a visual impairment, or a physical disability. Individuals diagnosed with a print disability cannot access print in the standard way). Most librarians are aware of disability legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). But while this piece of legislation, a civil rights law, has gone far to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities, the extent of web use today had not yet been considered when the ADA was enacted nearly 20 years ago. As such, the ADA does not specifically address the increasingly important sphere of information technology. The ADA requires that places of public accommodation and the services they provide be accessible, but there's no specific reference to the Internet as a place of public accommodation and service for individuals with disabilities. This is where Section 508 of the U.S. Code comes in. This article reports that a recent study of how well libraries adhere to the standards it sets shows that they are not yet fully in compliance.
Reed Business Information. 360 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010. Tel: 646-746-6819; Fax: 646-746-6734; e-mail: ljinfo@reedbusiness.com; Web site: http://www.libraryjournal.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Americans with Disabilities Act 1990
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A