WPI STUDY: MOST FED WEB SITES FAIL SECTION 508 STANDARDS - Most federal Web sites do not meet the government's own accessibility standards for disabled citizens, according to a new study by researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Researchers found 67% of 417 federal government Web sites studied did not provide full accessibility based on its own Section 508 criteria. The regs call for all electronic and information technology purchased by the federal government to be usable by people with disabilities. "... the federal accessibility numbers were much better than those for the private sector, but below the levels of institutions of higher education," said WPI assistant professor of management Eleanor Loiacono, one of
the co-authors of the study, titled, "Freedom of Access: A Study of Federal Website Accessibility." (Syllabus News Update, 17 June 03)