Accessibility
Policy
In response to the need to ensure equal access to electronic and information technologies,
the state of Alabama has developed a set of standards for Web page design. Just
as environmental obstacles have inhibited individuals with disabilities, the Web
poses an entirely new set of obstacles. In recognition of those individuals with
visual, physical or developmental disabilities MyAlabama.gov has adopted a policy
to make government information accessible to all.
It has been estimated that 54 million people or 20.6 percent of all Americans have
some level of disability. According to the Disability Statistics Center:
- People with disabilities will work in greater numbers, in part because of the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA).
- Between 1991 and 1994, the number of disabled Americans employed increased by more
than 1.1 million, according to the Census Bureau. Employment rates for young adults
with severe disabilities are triple that of their older counterparts.
- Education rates for people with disabilities are increasing: 75 percent of them
finished high school in 1994, up from 60% in 1986; their college enrollment leapt
from 29 percent to 44 percent.
- Technological advances are eliminating many of the physical and informational barriers
that have long existed for people with disabilities.
- Public awareness of disability issues is growing and changing.
- America's population is aging, and disability increases with age. The number of
Americans aged 65 and older is projected to increase 135% between 1995 and 2050,
according to the Census Bureau.
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Design Standards
These standards are influenced by those recommended by the W3C and Access Board.
The Access Board is responsible for developing the standards outlined by the amended
Rehabilitation Act of 1998. Universal design calls for appropriate use auxiliary
aids and services where necessary to ensure communication.
MyAlabama.gov has adopted the Design of HTML Pages to increase accessibility to users
with disabilities as the primary guideline to meet the objectives of the Universal
Access for State Design policy. These published guidelines are maintained by professionals
trained in the area of assistive and information technology.
MyAlabama.gov embraces these standards and will be evaluating our site on a regular
basis, increasing the opportunity for all individuals to access information over
the Internet. The Universal Access Design Standards are being integrated into MyAlabama.gov
and will continue to evolve as new technologies and opportunities emerge.
Every graphic image will have an "alt" tag and a short description that is intuitive
to the user. If a graphic image is used as a navigation element, it will contain
text description and direction that is intuitive to the user. Decorative graphics,
such as bullets, will be set with an "alt" tag of <empty> as to not impede
screen readers.
For every graphic element that uses an image map, alternative text of the hyperlink
will be provided.
The Official Web Site of the State of Alabama will have descriptive, intuitive text
links and avoid the use of vague references such as "click," "here," "link," or
"this."
An alternative form of access will be made available for online forms, such as an
email address or phone number.
The use of frames will be avoided since they cannot be read intelligently by screen
readers, create navigation problems and are not supported by all browsers.MyAlabama.gov
cannot be held responsible for sites outside the network that utilize frames.
Multiple browser testing will be conducted on the current versions of Firefox, Netscape
Navigator, Internet Explorer, Safari and Lynx.
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Additional Resources
The Law
The Section 508 Web Site is an excellent source for general information, standards,
evaluation, events, and resources surrounding Section 508, which will impact electronic
and information technology on the Web.
http://www.section508.gov/
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended for the Workforce Investment Act
of 1998. The content of this document directly relates to the Federal government
and any public or private industry contracting with the Federal government.
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/508/508law.html
Enforcing ADA compliance - The Department of Justice handles complaints and enforcement.
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/enforce.htm
Title II, Section 508 speaks directly to state, local governments and all other
public entities. This highlights page provides a concise overview, abbreviated information
on specific chapters that must comply with ADA standards and information about the
complaint and enforcement process.
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/t2hlt95.htm
HTML and Accessibility Standards: Checklists
The Web Accessibility Checklist - From the W3C, this checklist covers all three
priority levels of compliance and is much more in depth.
http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/full-checklist.html
The Web Page Accessibility Checklist from the Department of Justice
http://www.section508.gov/
The Software Accessibility Checklist from the Department of Justice
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/508/archive/oldsoftware.html
The following "Quick Tips" introduce some key concepts of accessible Web design.
http://www.w3.org/WAI/References/QuickTips/
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Linking Policy
This Web portal may contain hypertext links to external Web sites and pages containing
information created and maintained by public and private organizations other than
MyAlabama.gov. These hypertext links may be created by MyAlabama.gov if it determines
that establishing the external link will be consistent with assisting or furthering
the purpose of this Web portal, which is to significantly and diligently promote
public service to citizens and businesses by:
- Expanding business and citizen access to government services and government information;
- Offering an easy and convenient process for citizens and businesses to conduct transactions
with State government online;
- Accelerating the development and delivery of an increased volume of high quality
online government services;
- Improving the level of customer service from State government;
- Extending electronic government services to citizens of cities and county government.
In addition, hypertext links may be created by MyAlabama.gov for informational purposes
where the linked external Web site will provide useful and valuable information
to visitors of this Web portal, or where the linked external Web site is required
or authorized by law.
MyAlabama.gov, in its sole discretion, will determine whether the external Web site
meets the purpose of this Web portal or for the specified informational purposes.
The inclusion of a hypertext link to an external Web site is not intended as an
endorsement of any product or service offered or referenced on the linked Web site,
the organizations sponsoring said Web site, or any views that might be expressed
or referenced in the Web site.
Hypertext links to external Web sites and pages may be removed or replaced at the
sole discretion of MyAlabama.gov, at any time without notice. In the event you discover
problems with or have concerns regarding the format, accuracy, timeliness, or completeness
of a linked external Web site, please contact the organization responsible for the
linked external Web site. MyAlabama.gov does not control and is not responsible for
any linked external Web sites, pages, or content.
We encourage you to link to MyAlabama.gov. Unfortunately, we cannot always create
reciprocal links back to your site, which may not meet our criteria for posting
links (Alabama state government agency/organization, federal, or other site which
is deemed as an important resource for related state government services or information).
If you would like to request a link be added to MyAlabama.gov, please submit your
request in writing to
webmaster@alabamainteractive.org.
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Security Policy
Internet Security Statement
Security is the most critical segment of the MyAlabama.gov network. MyAlabama.gov considers
the security of our partners' and citizens' information critical. We handle online
information with commitment to ensure a secure environment that can be trusted to
fulfill all confidentiality requirements. Documented steps are taken to safeguard
information according to established security standards and procedures and we continually
assess the newest technology for protecting information.
Sensitive information used in financial transactions, such as social security numbers,
banking information and personal data is confidential. MyAlabama.gov is committed
to ensuring our partners' and citizens' confidentiality through the use of state-of-the-art
information security and the adoption of appropriate privacy policies and procedures:
- The entire record request transaction occurs in a password protected, secured environment.
- All of the information is exchanged via Secure Socket Layer (SSL) 128-bit encryption.
- All information requests must pass through multiple hardware and software security
firewalls.
- Communication with the State database is encrypted over the network via Virtual
Private Network (VPN).
- MyAlabama.gov maintains an online privacy log that tracks every record request when
accessing billable or subscriber services.
- MyAlabama.gov audits users' access to records when accessing billable or subscriber
services.
- MyAlabama.gov adopted a
Privacy Policy
which outlines access to and the display of citizen information.
MyAlabama.gov will not sell or distribute user information.
Please refer to individual Alabama State Agency Web Sites for their Security Policies,
which may differ from the one displayed here.
Copyright Issues
When using MyAlabama.gov or other Alabama State Government web sites, you may encounter
documents or other information resources contributed or licensed by private individuals,
companies, or organizations that may be protected by U.S. and foreign copyright
laws. Transmission or reproduction of protected items beyond that allowed by fair
use as defined in the copyright laws requires the written permission of the copyright
owners.
Please contact the individual Alabama State Agencies for their specific policies
concerning additional notification of conditions associated with the use of information
contained on their web sites.
Disclaimers
Information presented on this Web Site is collected, maintained, and provided for
the convenience of the reader. While every effort is made to keep such information
accurate and up-to-date, the State of Alabama can not certify the authenticity of
information that originates from third parties. Under no circumstances shall the
State of Alabama be liable for any actions taken or omissions made from reliance
on any information contained herein from whatever source nor shall the State be
liable for any other consequences from any such reliance.
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Legal
Notices
Any trademarks that appear on this site are the property of their respective owners
who may or may not be affiliated with, connected to, or sponsored by MyAlabama.gov.
MyAlabama.gov respects the rights of all copyright holders, and therefore, MyAlabama.gov
has adopted and implemented a policy that provides for the termination in appropriate
circumstances of users and account holders who infringe the rights of copyright
holders. If you believe that your work has been copied in a way that constitutes
copyright infringement, please provide MyAlabama.gov's Copyright Agent the following
information required by the Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act
of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. 512:
- A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the
owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed;
- Identification of the copyright work claimed to have been infringed, or, if multiple
copyrighted works at a single online site are covered by a single notification,
a representative list of such works at that site;
- Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject
of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled,
and information reasonably sufficient to permit us to locate the material;
- Information reasonably sufficient to permit us to contact the complaining party;
- A statement that the complaining party has a good-faith belief that use of the material
in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent,
or the law; and
- A statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty
of perjury, that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the owner
of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
For copyright inquiries please contact:
Alabama Interactive
Email: copyrightagent@egov.com
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Child Online Privacy Protection Act
Children under the age of 13 are not eligible to use services that require submission
of personal information and should not submit any personal information to us. This
includes submitting personal information to the website as part of a user profile
or personalization profile. If you are a child under the age of 13, you can use
these services only if used together with your parents or guardians. Seek guidance
from your parents or guardians if you are under the age of 13.
If we decide to begin collecting personal information from children under the age
of 13, we will notify parents that it is being requested, disclose the reasons for
collecting it, and disclose our intended use of it. We will seek verifiable parental
consent before collecting any personally identifiable information. If we do collect
such information, parents may request information on the type of data being collected,
view their child's information, and, if they choose, prohibit us from making further
use of their child's information. We will not provide personal information about
children to third parties.
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