RE: NC passes law requiring disabled Access to State services provided by IT

Many thanks and congratulations to all who helped pass this law!

Sincerely,

Mike Burks
Public Information Officer
The International Center for Disability Resources on the Internet
  -----Original Message-----
  From: Mark D. Urban [mailto:docurban@nc.rr.com]
  Sent: Thursday, October 10, 2002 11:50 AM
  To: Annette Lauber; Arana Greenberg; Catherine Roy; Chuck Letourneau;
Connie Cochran; Cyndi Rowland (E-mail); Cynthia Waddell; David Baquis; David
Capozzi; Dawn Golden; Deborah Greenblatt; Debra Ruh; Discussion of section
508 issues.; Dick@Easi. Cc; EOWG; Emilie Schmidt; fbrack@nc.rr.com; Harvey
Bingham; Janina Sajka; Joe Roeder; Joe Tozzi; John Goldthwaite; Judy Brewer;
Katie Haritos-Shea; Kenneth Wilkins; Kynn Bartlett; Lois Nilsen; Lynne
Deese; 'Mark Ezzell'; Marney Beard; Mary Lou Mobley; Maureen Walsh; Michael
R. Burks; Nina Shariff; Peter Korn; 'Prof Norm Coombs'; Rene Cummings; Rex
Lint; Ricki Hiatt; Sharon Laskowski; Sheila Breitweiser (E-mail); Shaw
Julie; Tamara Anderson; V2c@Nist. Gov; WebAccess
  Subject: NC passes law requiring disabled Access to State services
provided by IT


  Snipped from the Council's Press release.  My thanks to all of the staff,
legislators, and members of the community who worked so hard on this.

  Note: message is below signature line.

   -Mark D. Urban, Chair
  North Carolina Governor's Advocacy Council for Persons with Disabilities
  docurban@nc.rr.com   919-395-8513

  Chair, Board of Directors,  ICDRI (http://www.icdri.org/ )

  "If you are not riding the wave of change -- you'll find yourself beneath
it"     --unknown--

  See my new book!
  Constructing Accessible Web Sites
  http://www.icdri.org/constructing_accessible_web_site.htm



  NEW LAW WILL ALLOW PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

  INTO THE 21ST CENTURY

  RALEIGH - Until last week, people in North Carolina who happened to have a
disability were in danger of being left behind by the 21st century,
high-tech, information-driven world. Many aspects of life are protected by
law -- ramps to public buildings, assistance dogs for those who are blind,
closed-captioned TV and elevators with Braille instructions. But there was
no state law requiring that people with disabilities have access to
electronic media. All that is about to change.

  The General Assembly passed Senate Bill 866, "Changes to Persons with
Disabilities Protection Law," which guarantees the right of persons with
disabilities in accessing electronic information, including Web sites,
computers in public libraries, etc. The bill requires compliance by
municipalities, counties, community colleges, universities and any agencies
in state government. Now they must make electronic media accessible.

  Senators Brad Miller, Bill Martin and Tony Rand introduced the bill, at
the request of the Governor’s Advocacy Council for Persons with Disabilities
(GACPD). The council is the protection and advocacy organization for North
Carolina; it has counterparts in every state, mandated by federal law. GACPD
has responsibility for protecting the rights of all persons in North
Carolina with disabilities.



  SECTION 3. G.S. 168A-7 reads as rewritten:

  "§ 168A-7. Discrimination in public service.

  (a) It is a discriminatory practice for a State

  department, institution, or agency, or any political subdivision

  of the State or any person that contracts with the above for the

  delivery of public services including but not limited to

  education, health, social services, recreation, and

  rehabilitation, to refuse to provide reasonable aids and

  adaptations necessary for a known qualified person with a

  disability to use or benefit from existing public services

  operated by such entity; provided that the aids and adaptations

  do not impose an undue hardship on the entity involved. This

  subsection includes equivalent services provided via information

  technology.



  For more information regarding the bill, please reference:
http://www.ncleg.net/html2001/bills/CurrentVersion/senate/sbil0866.full.html
.