Resource Information
Welcome to the resource page of the Southwest ADA Center. A variety of organizations in the public and private sectors provide information on the Americans with Disabilities Act and other disability related laws and on making information technology accessible. The links are provided for informational purposes only. The Southwest ADA Center makes no warranty, expressed or implied, that the information obtained from these sources is accurate or correct.
National ADA and Disability Rights Related Resources
- Access Board
The Access Board is an independent Federal agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities. - American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
AAPD works in coalition with other disability organizations for the full implementation and enforcement of disability nondiscrimination laws, particularly the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. - ADA Document Portal
The Portal hosts about 3,400 documents related to the ADA. Users can browse the document by category or do a search. - ADA National Network
The ADA National Network consists of ten Regional ADA National Network Centers located throughout the United States that provides personalized, local assistance to ensure that the ADA is implemented wherever possible - Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)
A national law and policy center dedicated to protecting and advancing the civil rights of people with disabilities through legislation, litigation, advocacy, technical assistance and education and training of attorneys, advocates, persons with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities. - Disability Statistics
The DisabilityStatistics.org Web site condenses several data sources into a single, user-friendly, accessible, Internet resource. It also provides essential background information on key issues related to disability statistics. - Fair Housing Accessibility First
Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST is an initiative sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) designed to promote compliance with the Fair Housing Act design and construction requirements. - FCC Disability Issues
The FCC enforces telecommunications provision of the ADA along with Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act. - Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
The EEOC is the enforcement agency for the employment provisions of the ADA. - HUD Fair Housing
The Fair Housing Act protects people from discrimination when they are renting or buying a home, getting a mortgage, seeking housing assistance, or engaging in other housing-related activities. - Job Accommodation Network
This is the site for the Job Accommodation Network which provides resources on possible accommodation for persons with disabilities. This page also has extensive links to disability related items. - National Center on Accessibility
A collaborative program of Indiana University and the National Park Service, the National Center on Accessibility is the nation’s premiere resource promoting access for people with disabilities in recreation - National Disability Rights Network (NDRN)
This site provides links to the Protection & Advocacy Centers in each state. Protection & Advocacy Centers are Federally mandated to provide protection of the rights of persons with disabilities through legally based advocacy. - Section508.gov
Section 508 requires that Federal agencies' electronic and information technology is accessible to people with disabilities. Using this web site, Federal employees and the public can access resources for understanding and implementing the requirements of Section 508. - The ARC
Advocacy for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and their families. - USA.GOV Disability Services
A comprehensive Federal website of disability-related government resources. - U.S. Department of Education - Disability Discrimination
This is the official web site for the US Department of Education enforcing the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. - U.S. Department of Justice's ADA Page
The US DOJ enforces Title II and Title III of the ADA. - U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Transit Authority
The DOT enforces the transportation accessibility provisions of the ADA.
State Disability Resources in Region 6
- Arkansas Governor’s Commission on People with Disabilities
The Commission advises and assist the Governor in developing policies that are designed to address the needs of Arkansans with disabilities; works with state agencies and private providers to develop services that support and assist Arkansans with disabilities; and provides information and referral services to Arkansans with disabilities who are in need of assistance. - Louisiana Governor's Office of Disability Affairs
The Governor's Office of Disability Affairs promotes the rights and opportunities for persons with disabilities in the State of Louisiana. - Louisiana Commission on Human Rights
The Louisiana Commission on Human Rights enforces Louisiana laws that prohibit various forms of discrimination related to employment, public accommodations, and banking and lending practices. - Louisiana Disability Legal Resources
This website is a joint effort of The Arc of Louisiana and the Southwest ADA Center to connect legal professionals, human service professionals, advocates, Louisianans with disabilities and their families. - New Mexico Governor’s Commission on Disability
The committee's mission is to remove architectural and attitudinal barriers to the full and equal participation and integration of persons with disabilities into society through education, training, building code development, advocacy and legislation. - New Mexico Human Rights Bureau
The Human Rights Bureau is a neutral agency created to enforce the New Mexico Human Rights Act. The Bureau accepts and investigates claims of discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, ancestry, sex, age, physical and mental handicap, serious medical condition, spousal affiliation, sexual orientation, gender, and gender identity in the areas of employment, housing, credit or public accommodation. - Oklahoma ABLE Tech Assistive Technology Project of Oklahoma
Provides technical assistance and training on making information technology accessible in educational settings and promotes systems change to enhance the provision of, access to and funding for assistive technology. - Oklahoma Office of Civil Rights Enforcement
The Office of Civil Rights Enforcement is dedicated to enforcing Oklahoma’s anti-discrimination laws, providing educational resources and partnering with the public to positively and proactively advance the cause of civil rights for the equal benefit and enjoyment of all Oklahomans. - Oklahoma Office of Disability Concerns
The Office of Disability Concerns (ODC) is an independent state agency whose purpose is to help state government develop policies and services that meet the needs of Oklahomans with disabilities. - Texas Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities
This website provides resources and information on disabilities including committee members and law, publications, ADA, key laws, disability history, disability policy, parking, and statistics. - Texas Department of Licensing & Registration Architectural Barriers
The provisions of the Texas Architectural Barriers Act (TABA) are intended to encourage and promote the rehabilitation of persons with disabilities and eliminate, insofar as possible, unnecessary barriers encountered by persons with disabilities, whose ability to engage in gainful occupations or to achieve maximum personal independence is needlessly restricted. - Texas Workforce Commission: Civil Rights
The Commission's goal is to reduce discrimination (including on the basis of disability) in employment and housing through education and outreach programs and the enforce of the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act and Texas Fair Housing Act.
Accessible Information Technology Resources:
- Explore Access
Explore Access is a web resource of the University of Arkansas – Partners. U of A Partners serves as a regional affiliate of the Southwest ADA Center and focuses on increasing the capacity of Arkansas agencies to improve access for people with disabilities. Project staff are available to provide training and technical assistance on topics related to the ADA—physical access, programmatic access and digital access. - Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST)
CAST is an educational, not-for-profit organization that uses technology to expand opportunities for all people, especially those with disabilities. - Cynthia Says
This free service will allow you to test web pages and help expose and repair barriers to accessibility and encourage compliance with existing accessibility guidelines, such as Section 508 and the W3C's WCAG. - IBM Accessibility Center
IBM checklists and guidelines regarding Software accessibility, Web accessibility, Java accessibility,IBM Lotus Notes® accessibility, Hardware accessibility, and Peripherals accessibility. - Microsoft Accessibility
Tutorials and guidelines on how to use the accessibility features of Microsoft products such as Windows and Office. - National Center for Accessible Media
The CPB/WGBH National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) is a research and development facility dedicated to the issues of media and information technology for people with disabilities in their homes, schools, workplaces, and communities. They are the developers of MAGpie, used to create captions and audio descriptions for rich media. They also have guidelines on making CD-ROM-based educational software accessible. - Section 508: The Road to Accessibility
A federal government website devoted to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. - Trace Center
The Trace Center is currently working on ways to make standard information technologies and telecommunications systems more accessible and usable by people with disabilities. - W3C Web Accessibility Initiative Resources
The initiative pursues accessibility of the Web through five primary areas of work: technology, guidelines, tools, education and outreach, and research and development. Their Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is the most popular standard used for web accessibility. - WebAim
Web Accessibility In Mind (WebAIM) 's goal is to improve accessibility to online learning opportunities for all people; in particular to improve accessibility for individuals with disabilities who currently may have a difficult time getting access to postsecondary online learning opportunities. The website includes tutorials, training, guidelines and more. - Web Publishing Accessibility Wizard for Microsoft Office
The Accessibility Wizard simplifies the task of converting PowerPoint presentations, Word documents, and (in the future) Excel spreadsheets to accessible HTML through an easy-to-use user interface and automation of many of the details of conversion.