Why is Accessibility Important?
It has been estimated that 54 million people (20.6% of Americans) have some level of disability. This is a large segment of society waiting for opportunities to interact with all levels of government. Estimates indicate that over 95 percent of all Web sites are not accessible. With the increasing number of Web sites coming online daily, these numbers are staggering. As of January 2000, there were an estimated 10 million Web sites online; by the year 2002 the number of site increased to 100 million.
Accessibility Policy
INDOT is committed to inclusion and universal access in all of its services and programs. We pledge to develop and maintain our Web pages and services so that they are accessible to persons with all types of abilities. Each visitor using this Web site has the right to obtain information and services independently and conveniently.
In the spirit of this commitment, Indiana Code 4-13.1-3 was created to ensure all state information technology equipment, software, and systems used by the public or state employees complies with the accessibility standards of Section 508 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 508).
With the guidance of the state's Assistive Technology Standards Group (ATSG), we are making progress toward this commitment. We are continually monitoring pages on our site and making necessary modifications to remove accessibility obstacles.
Assistive Technology Help
- The mission of ATTAIN, Inc. is to ensure that all people of all types of abilities in Indiana have access to assistive technology.
- The mission of the Indiana Governor's Planning Council is to promote public policy, which leads to the independence, productivity and inclusion of people with varying abilities in all aspects of society.
- The Indiana Protection & Advocacy Services protects and promote the rights of individuals with disabilities, through empowerment and advocacy.
- The World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is committed to leading the Web to its full potential, promoting a high degree of usability for people with all types of abilities.
Browsealoud Text Reader
INDOT offers a free screen reading and translation tool that requires a simple, secure download (please see system requirements link below). Browsealoud by text HELP allows visually impaired users and foreign language speakers to use INDOT's site without difficulty by reading aloud the users’ page content, including HTML, PDF and Word files. Users can choose the language, pronunciations and voice that reads the Web site.