Laws and Standards

In every country laws exist to protect the rights of the disabled, avoid discrimination and enable them to enjoy equal rights. In some countries, there are separate laws for individual state/province as well. However, the stakeholders i.e. disabled people, employers, education institutes etc are not always aware of the laws prevailing in their region.

Due to lack of adequate knowledge about the laws, the disabled often fail to enjoy the benefits which they are otherwise eligible to. On the other hand, this might lead to unintentional violation of the law by the employers, education institutes etc. For example, a employer is not sure about things like under which law does their organization fall, to what extent do they need to follow the law and what measures do they require to take to avoid discrimination and provide equal rights to the disabled.

To support the implementation of the law, technical standards and guidelines have been laid down which ensure barrier free access to the disabled in their day-to-day life. Different standards that have been laid down include standards for building accessible premises, standards for designing accessible websites and software, standards for providing text books in accessible format etc.

In order to provide information about the law prevailing in different countries and learn about the different standards required to be implemented for creating a barrier free society, we’ve included an entire section containing information about Laws and Standards. In this section, you’ll be able to find information about the disability laws prevailing in different countries and the technical standards outlined to enhance accessibility for the disabled.

Disability Laws

This section includes information about disability laws prevailing in different countries:

• India: The Persons With Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, commonly known as The PWD Act
  
• United States:
  • The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 1990
  • Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act 1973
  • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
    
• United Kingdom:
  • The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995
  • Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (SENDA) 2001
    
• Australia: The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1992

Accessibility Standards

Different technical standards that have been laid down to ensure barrier free access for the disabled include:

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
• Section 508 Guidelines
• Digital Accessible Information SYstem/National Information Standards Organization (DAISY/NISO) standards for the Digital Talking Book (DTB)
• Americans with Disability Act Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities (ADAAG)