ADA and Section 508 Resources

 Universal Access Resources

Americans With Disabilities Act Information 
The US Dept. of Justice's resource page for the ADA. Voluminous, and not limited to computer and Internet issues, but at least it should be fairly authoritative, if you're willing to wade through the material.

The Access Board 
Official U.S. government site dedicated to Technical Assistance to Ensure Successful Implementation of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act: Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards.

Section 508 
Official U.S. government website surrounding Section 508.

WAI Home Page 
The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Vast quantities of information and resources for making the Web accessible to all.

The Wave
Helps check if a web site is accessible to disabilities according to W3C and 508 guidelines

Accessible Web Authoring Resources and Education Center 
The AWARE center is a resource developed by the HTML Writer's Guild to assist all web writers to create more accessible web sites.

Adaptive and Assistive Technologies for Individuals with Disabilities 
SynapseAdaptive is a provider of integrated accessible solutions for individuals with disabilities. Synapse ADA Workstations provide access to blind, low vision, mobility impaired and learning disabled users in the workplace or academic setting.

The BLINUX Documentation and Development Project 
"The purpose [...] is to serve as a catalyst which will both spur and speed the development of software and documentation which will enable the blind user to run his or her own Linux workstation." Includes software, documentation, and various pointers.

BRL, Inc. - Home Page
Sales of assistive hardware, software, tutorials, and so on, plus various free information, including an e-mail newsletter.

CAST: Bobby 
"A program which graphically marks-up a web page with disability access and browser compatibility pointers." Free, self-serve web page accessibility validator.

CNN.com - Analysis: Web sites are locking out the disabled 
Office buildings have wheelchair ramps and TV has closed captioning, but many Web sites are inaccessible to people with disabilities. Things don't have to be that way. Dated August 7, 2000.

Color-Blind Design Evaluation 
This online tool shows you what your sites and colors look like to color-blind people. Also, find out about the different types of color-blindness.

Freedom Scientific - JAWS Screen Reader and MAGic Screen Magnification Software 
Freedom Scientific is the world leader in computer screen reader technology.

RNIB Campaign for Good Web Design 
Information and links, from the Royal National Institute for the Blind.

Science Access Project 
Department of Physics, Oregon State University. Mostly research, but you just might come across the "Next Big Thing" in assistive technology here.

Usability.gov 
National Cancer Institute: Improving the communication of cancer research

Vischeck 
See the world as color blind people see it. Also simulates the effects of distance and different monitor types.