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NCD Topical Overviews - Information Technology and Americans with Disabilities: An Overview of Innovation, Laws, Progress, and Challenges

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August 2, 2005

SCOPE AND PURPOSE:

This paper on information technology continues the optimism of NCD’s 2001 The Accessible Future report and articulates developments, partnerships and initiatives that have been put into place since then by government, the private sector, academia and non-profit organizations. The central point of the paper is that the U.S. experience has evolved through a dynamic process of invention and innovation, legislation, adaptation and advocacy. The main actors in this still evolving process have been and continue to be: industry or the private sector, government, and the disability advocacy community. It is not the intent to argue that the approaches adopted in the United States are the best or only way of ensuring access for people with disabilities, but instead to provide this information as a resource to those engaged in ultimately implementing the new convention. Although it is beyond the scope of this paper to provide an in-depth assessment of the impact of the legislation, programs, policies, and practices described here, documents providing such assessments are available and referenced in the footnotes for those interested in learning more.

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