On August 7, 1998, President Clinton signed into law the Rehabilitation Act
Amendments of 1998 which covers access to federally funded programs and
services. The law strengthens section
508 of the Rehabilitation Act and requires access to electronic and
information technology provided by the Federal government. The law applies
to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use
electronic and information technology. Federal agencies must ensure that
this technology is accessible to employees and members of the public with
disabilities to the extent it does not pose an "undue burden." Section 508
speaks to various means for disseminating information, including computers,
software, and electronic office equipment. It applies to, but is not solely
focused on, Federal pages on the Internet or the World Wide Web. It does not
apply to web pages of private industry.
The Access-Board is responsible for developing accessibility standards for
such technology for incorporation into regulations that govern Federal
procurement practices. The net result will be that
Federal agencies will have to purchase electronic and information technology
that is accessible except where it would cause an "undue burden." The law
also provides a complaint process under which complaints concerning access
to technology will be investigated by the responsible Federal agency. For
more information about Section 508, visit the following website:
http://www.access-board.gov/508.htm
For information on SGI Accessibility, see
the
SGI Accessibility Statement web page
.
SGI recommends that any SGI workstation system that is intended to have
Accessibility functionality should be setup and powered on by a technician
or system engineer knowledgeable of SGI hardware and software. SGI also
recommends the SGI workstation system software is installed with the
following software components: IRIX 6.5.15 or later, AccessX, and any other
needed applications.
SGI's current focus is on the usability of the
IRIX desktop in relation to navigability.
Navigation had previously been limited to
use of the mouse as
the navigation and pointing device.
Enhancements have been made to the way the user
navigates within applications, allowing the user
other means of navigation, such as the keyboard.
Future enhancements include extended navigation and
traversal between applications.
For information on updates that have been implemented
in the current release of IRIX for Section 508,
see the current release notes for desktop_eoe.