Design for Accessibility: Meeting the 'Section 508 Challenge'

摘要

Recent regulations require agencies of the United States Government to provide accessible Electronic and Information Technology (E&IT) products to their employees who are individuals with disabilities, as well as to ensure that individuals with disabilities who are members of the general public have access to agency products comparable to that of individuals without disabilities. Responding to this challenge will demand new designs and the concerted effort of many individuals and organizations, including the developers and vendors of end-user applications, operating systems, and accessibility tools. The X.Org Consortium, steward of the X Window protocol standard, has chartered an Accessibility Task Force to develop and implement a plan to ensure that X-Windows meets or exceeds all applicable accessibility standards. This paper describes some new designs being considered, and identifies some of the opportunities and risks of enabling accessibility to X-Windows applications.