The National Institute of Standards and Technology found that as organizations move to cloud-based systems and platforms, the accessibility for employees with disabilities can be compromised.
Accessibility tools for those with disabilities rely on local computers capable of running them. And with most software and information now migrating to remote locations accessed through the Internet, NIST warned, those tools might not function.
The agency's Cloud Accessibility Public Working Group’s draft report, “Cloud Computing and Accessibility Considerations,” explores the challenges, barriers and opportunities federal IT managers are facing as they attempt to comply with two sometimes-competing directives: the accessibility requirements mandated under section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and the federal “cloud first” policy.
The Rehabilitation Act requires employers to provide equal access to computers and other IT services and information systems for workers with disabilities, and the cloud-first policy calls for federal agencies to implement cloud computing to improve security, reliability and cost-effectiveness.
The barriers outlined in the report begin with version control. When a cloud provider automatically upgrades the cloud computing software, the new version might not be compatible with products already used to aid accessibility.
Some cloud computing solutions also use browsers for cloud applications, adding an extra layer that has to successfully function with the accessibility features. For example, users working with a spreadsheet in the cloud need the operating system, a screen reader, a cloud-based spreadsheet and the browser to work together.
Read More: https://gcn.com/articles/2016/03/07/cloud-vs-508-compliance.aspx
Accessibility tools for those with disabilities rely on local computers capable of running them. And with most software and information now migrating to remote locations accessed through the Internet, NIST warned, those tools might not function.
The agency's Cloud Accessibility Public Working Group’s draft report, “Cloud Computing and Accessibility Considerations,” explores the challenges, barriers and opportunities federal IT managers are facing as they attempt to comply with two sometimes-competing directives: the accessibility requirements mandated under section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and the federal “cloud first” policy.
The Rehabilitation Act requires employers to provide equal access to computers and other IT services and information systems for workers with disabilities, and the cloud-first policy calls for federal agencies to implement cloud computing to improve security, reliability and cost-effectiveness.
The barriers outlined in the report begin with version control. When a cloud provider automatically upgrades the cloud computing software, the new version might not be compatible with products already used to aid accessibility.
Some cloud computing solutions also use browsers for cloud applications, adding an extra layer that has to successfully function with the accessibility features. For example, users working with a spreadsheet in the cloud need the operating system, a screen reader, a cloud-based spreadsheet and the browser to work together.
Read More: https://gcn.com/articles/2016/03/07/cloud-vs-508-compliance.aspx
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