[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 41 (Wednesday, April 9, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E616]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   INTRODUCTION OF THE FEDERAL ELECTRONIC AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 
                  ACCESSIBILITY COMPLIANCE ACT OF 1997

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                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 9, 1997

  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Federal 
Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Compliance Act of 
1997. This legislation would strengthen current law that requires 
information technology purchased by Federal agencies to be accessible 
to their employees with disabilities. It also would continue the 
existing expectation that States receiving Federal funds for disability 
programs meet accessibility guidelines in their information technology 
acquisitions.
  There are approximately 145,000 Federal employees with disabilities, 
and they comprise 7.5 percent of the Federal work force. While they are 
employed in a variety of agencies, most of them work in the Department 
of Defense, the Department of Veterans' Affairs, and the Department of 
Agriculture. We can be proud that the Federal Government is offering 
solid employment opportunities to so many people with disabilities and 
taking advantage of the talents, insights, and knowledge that they have 
to share.
  Information technology has played a large role in opening jobs in the 
Federal Government and elsewhere to people with disabilities. For 
example, an estimated 43 percent of employed people who are blind or 
visually impaired use computers to write. However, information 
technology can also shut the door to employment for people with 
disabilities if isn't accessible to them. Web sites with heavy graphics 
content, for instance, may not be designed to be compatible with 
software commonly used by people who are blind or visually impaired to 
read information on computer screens.
  So it is imperative to Federal employees with disabilities for 
Federal agencies to purchase information technology that gives them a 
chance to do their jobs instead of cutting them off from full 
participation in the work force.
  Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act was designed to achieve this 
goal. It calls on Federal agencies to follow guidelines established by 
the General Services Administration and the Department of Education to 
ensure that their information technology is accessible to people with 
disabilities. Unfortunately, section 508 contains no enforcement 
mechanism, and many Federal agencies are not in compliance with the 
guidelines.
  The Federal Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility 
Compliance Act of 1997 would add teeth to section 508 by establishing a 
way to enforce agency compliance with the guidelines. It asks the 
Office of Management and Budget [OMB] to develop uniform procedures for 
Federal agencies to use each year to certify whether or not they are in 
compliance with section 508 guidelines. OMB also is given authority to 
review agency compliance statements and assist agencies in making their 
information technology systems accessible to their employees with 
disabilities.
  Additionally, the legislation addresses another problem related to 
section 508 guidelines. The Technology-Related Assistance for 
Individuals with Disabilities Act Amendments of 1994 contain a 
mechanism to encourage States to follow section 508 guidelines as a 
condition for receiving Federal funding for disability related 
projects. However, this law is expected to expire in a few years. My 
legislation takes the language from the Technology Act and inserts it 
into the Rehabilitation Act as one of the expectations for States to 
meet in exchange for vocational rehabilitation funding from the Federal 
Government.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation will help make the Federal Government a 
better workplace for people with disabilities. I urge my colleagues to 
join me in this effort by supporting the Federal Electronic and 
Information Technology Accessibility Compliance Act of 1997.

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