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Acceptable Use Policy

• Federal Accessibility "Guide Book:" This link gives you the official Federal manual on how to build accessible U.S. government web pages -- what is permitted, how to build your pages, and what is prohibited.
• "Reasonable" Access. World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) - Resources This unofficial initiative has two "levels" of compliance. "Level 1" of the Web Accessibility Initiative, known as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Initiative 1.0 (WCAG 1.0) became the basis for the U. S. 508 Accessibility rules.  However, there are slight differences.  If you are building a web site to comply with federal 508 standards or a state that has adopted the federal 508 standards, you should rely on the Federal Accessibility Guide Book.   The Level 1 and federal 508 standards provide "reasonable accessibility" to web sites consistent with federal law applicable to federal agencies. 
• "Maximum" Access.  The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) adopted a "second level" of accessibility features known as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Initiative 2.0 ((WCEG 2.0) also known as "Level 2." The U.S. government did not adopt the "Level 2" rules as part of the 508 accessibility standards. See Federal Access Board Web & Technology Access Decision, and discussion of 37 CFR Part 1194.22 of the rules. As of 2006 these Level 2 rules are still under construction and are not final.  See the Level 2 Version description at the W3C web site. 

  WCAG 2.0 is being developed to apply to different Web technologies, be easier to use and understand, and be more precisely testable, as documented in Requirements for WCAG 2.0. WAI anticipates WCAG 2.0 will be completed in 2006. Because of the nature of the W3C specification development process, WAI cannot be certain when the final version of WCAG 2.0 will be available. WCAG 1.0 will remain the latest approved version until WCAG 2.0 is complete

  Web Designers in the United States should be very cautious in applying the WCAG Level 2 provisions, as many are inconsistent with the 508 rules and difficult to interpret to apply. Also, the Level 2 provisions have been neither finalized or adopted by federal or state legislatures or regulatory authorities.

• Montgomery College Accessiblity Standards
• MC Disability Support Services 508 Accessibility Resource Page
• W3C Web Accessibility Initiative Home Page

Other Design Resources

• About.com - Research site provides helpful articles on topics written by specialists in various fields
  • About.com  - General web design topics
  • About.com -  Accessibility/Usability
• Research-Based Web Design & Usability Guidelines (PDF) - U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services, http://www.usability.gov/pdfs/guidelines.html.