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The Access Board is an independent federal agency that promotes equality for people with disabilities through leadership in accessible design and the development of accessibility guidelines and standards.
Scope
The Board is structured to function as a coordinating body among federal agencies and to directly represent the public, particularly people with disabilities.
Regulatory citations
- None
Key definitions
- None
Summary of requirements
Created in 1973 to ensure access to federally funded facilities, the Board develops and maintains design criteria for the built environment, transit vehicles, telecommunications equipment, medical diagnostic equipment, and information technology. It also provides technical assistance and training on these requirements and on accessible design and continues to enforce accessibility standards that cover federally funded facilities.
Twelve of the Board’s members are representatives from most of the federal departments. Thirteen others are members of the public appointed by the President, a majority of whom must have a disability.
Several different laws shape the work of the Board and its mission:
- The Architectural Barriers Act (ABA), a law requiring facilities designed, built, altered, or leased with federal funds to be accessible.
- The Rehabilitation Act, which created the Access Board, requires access to federal employment and to programs and activities funded by federal funds.
- The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a major civil rights law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability in the private and public sectors.
- The Telecommunications Act (Section 255), which requires telecommunications products and services to be accessible.
Under the ADA, the Board is responsible for accessibility standards covering newly built and altered facilities.
The Access Board also maintains and enforces accessibility standards under the Architectural Barriers Act.