The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education have sent a letter to colleges and universities about the use of electronic book readers that are not accessible to students who are blind or have low vision. The letter points out a serious problem with some of these devices that do not have an accessible text-to-speech function. Requiring use of an emerging technology in a classroom environment when that technology is inaccessible to an entire population of individuals with disabilities--individuals with visual disabilities--may constitute discrimination prohibited by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504).
I understand that you are not an institution of higher learning but if DOJ is concerned about the use of these devices, be careful as to how you use them in your training programs. However int he rush to keep up with the ever expanding training medium, it is the urge to start to utilize the Kindles and Nook's of the world but you need to be aware of the possibility of a request for accommodations from disabled employees who are unable to use the new devices. It is cost effective for you to make the accommodations instead of risking a visit from OFFCP and the EEOC because you insisted on using the new devices.
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