The answer to that question is not totally clear.  First of all,
colleges and universities in states which have adopted Section 508 as a
state standard by passing state laws or issuing state policies to that
effect certainly are already bound by Section 508.  However, the
Department of Education has taken the position that all states are
bound to follow Section 508 Access Standards by virtue of a prior
signed assurance to that effect required to receive funding under the
Assistive Technology Act.  One of the best examples of the USDE's
rationale for the application of section 508 to the states can be found
at:
http://www.resna.org/taproject/policy/initiatives/nidrrassur.html

Although I would expect to see some guidance issued by the Department
of
Education on this matter at some point in the future, I am not aware of
the
Department's timetable on issuing such guidance.  However, the
Department's
view on this matter has not changed.  In an email to the AT Act State
Projects from the U.S. Dept. of Education (dated May 18, 2001) Carol
Cohen
advised as follows:
***
"At this time, the Dept position on the applicability of 508 to the
States
per the AT Act has not changed. States that receive Title I grants and
they
all do, shall comply with Section 508 and the standards. any entities
you in
your State consider to be part of the State would be covered."
***

Hope this helps,
Steve Noble
Policy Analyst
Kentucky Assistive Technology Service Network
8412 Westport Road
Louisville, KY 40242
Voice: (502) 327-0022 x268
Fax: (502) 327-9974
[log in to unmask]
Board of Directors, Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (KY Unit)
Contributing Editor, Information Technology and Disabilities

--- Mike Yared <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> WEB-ACCESSIBILITY DEADLINE LOOMS FOR FEDS--SCHOOLS NEXT?
> An amendment to the Rehabilitation Act, which requires federal
> agencies to make their technology accessible to the disabled,
> will take effect June 21. Association for the Blind technology
> consultant Ross Doerr said the law is a likely precursor
> to similar regulations on the state level that will affect school
> districts. Under the mandate, new federal technology acquisitions
> and current Web sites must be fully accessible to the hearing or
> sight impaired. For example, images must be accompanied with text
> that can be translated by a text-reader, and multimedia content
> must be augmented with synchronized audio. Many federal agencies
> have bought software to help them automate this upgrade process.
> Doerr suggested that educators might want to contact their state
> education departments to get a head start on incorporating
> accessibility issues into their curricula
> (eSchool News Online, 5 June 2001)
>
> Reading this item, does that means that colleges/universities are not
> under
> Section 508 regardless of whether they are the recipients of federal
> financial assistance?
> Mike Yared
> _________________________________________________________________
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