Districts may have a need to work more closely with their technology staff on making internet website curricular material accessible to disabled individuals. The School Code has been amended to establish website accessibility guidelines for any third party online curriculum made available to its students or the public by a school district through the Internet. School districts are required to ensure that Internet/website content comply with “Level AA of the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1” or any revised version of those guidelines.
Those Guidelines explain how to make Internet/website content more accessible to the disabled. The Guidelines include access for those with visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, language, learning, and neurological disabilities. The Guidelines note that while they are broad in scope, they do not address all types, degrees, and combinations of disability.
The Guidelines have been developed in cooperation with individuals and organizations around the world, with a goal of providing a shared standard for Web content accessibility that meets the needs of individuals, organizations, and governments internationally.
The Act becomes effective August 1, 2022.
The required Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, with revisions, can be found at:
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1
The full text of the new Section 10-20.75 added to the School Code is available at:
Illinois School Code Section 10-20.75
Authored by:
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- Scott F. Uhler
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- Mallory A. Milluzzi
