Society is increasingly dependent on information technology and social media for work and communication, but people with disabilities are often not considered when these technologies designed and therefore are being left out due to inaccessible technologfy, further decreasing the capacity of this population to participate and contribute like their non-disabled peers.

WID laid the public policy groundwork for Section 255 of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, requiring telecommunications companies to make their products and services accessible to consumers with disabilities. WID also was an important advocate for the 1998 amendments to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, requiring federal government agencies to comply with the Section 508 accessibility standards when procuring, developing, maintaining or using electronic and information technologies.

WID’s Technology Policy Program provides training and technical assistance to the information technology and telecommunications industry to make their products and services accessible, develops public policy recommendations, and identifies best practices. The program is currently funded by the California Emerging Technology Fund to identify, evaluate and recommend solutions to access barriers in websites, programs, facilities and communications of all of CETF’s grantees as well as to assist them to reach more people with disabilities in their programs and services.

For more information, contact Thomas Foley, WID Deputy Director/Program Director, at tom@wid.org.