Federal Laws and Regulations

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (with guidelines for accessible electronic and information technology defined in Section 508) and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protect individuals from discrimination based on a disability under any educational program or activity that receives funding or in any state government activity. 

These laws apply to The Texas A&M University System because our programs and activities receive federal funding.

Section 508 and Refresh

The original Section 508 rule referenced WCAG 1.0, recommended back in 1999. A lot has changed, including how we view the internet, email and more from phones and wearable devices. This meant we had to rethink our programming and designing solutions to meet the needs of all users, no matter the ability, with regard to all technology, current and future. WCAG 2.0 attempted to bridge that gap in 2008 and was adopted by several countries around the world. After a long rules process, the Section 508 now references WCAG 2.0, bringing a standard of conformity across the globe.

State Laws and Regulations

The Texas Commission on Human Rights Act (1983) (codified in Chapter 21 of the Texas Government Code (TGC)), 1 TAC 206, 1 TAC 213, and 10 TGC 2054.451, all apply to The Texas A&M University System (TAMUS) because our programs and activities receive state funding:

• Chapter 21 of the TGC prohibits employment discrimination
• 1 TAC 206 is the accessibility standards for web content
• 1 TAC 213 includes the accessibility standards for all electronic and information resources (EIR) for institutions of higher education
• 10 TGC 2054.451 ensures institutions of higher education provide all users, no matter their ability, access to and use of electronic and information resources

Digital Accessibility Officer (DAO) – also known as an EIR Accessibility Coordinator

1 TAC 213 requires each agency and institution of higher education to ensure compliance with Texas Digital Accessibility statutes and rules to provide accessibility. The Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) requires Texas state agencies and institutions of higher education to designate an Electronic and Information Resources (EIR) Accessibility Coordinator (EIRAC); Tarleton State University’s DAO/EIRAC is Ms. Jackie George, in conjunction with the TAMUS Digital Accessibility Office.

All TAMUS members have a DAO/EIRAC and TAMUS DAOs collaborate on ways to improve procedures the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) describes in their roles and responsibilities.