Accessibility

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs conducted by Federal agencies, in programs receiving Federal financial assistance, in Federal employment, and in the employment practices of Federal contractors.

Section 504 states that "no qualified individual with a disability in the United States shall be excluded from, denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under" any program or activity that either receives Federal financial assistance or is conducted by any Executive agency.  To see what the department is doing to assist individuals with disabilities, please visit the departments Services for Individuals with a Disability section.  The DCF Auxiliary Aids and Service Plan is also available online. To read more about website accessibility read below.

Section 508 now establishes requirements for electronic and information technology developed, maintained, procured, or used by the Federal government. Section 508 requires Federal electronic and information technology to be accessible to people with disabilities, including employees and members of the public.

In December 2000 the Federal Access Board issued final standards for electronic and information technology under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. These were adopted and published in the Federal Registrar in April 2001 with enforcement to begin June 21, 2001.

While these standards currently apply to federal government, it is the direct responsibility of Florida state government agencies and their web designers and developers to become familiar with these accessibility guidelines and to apply these principles in designing and creating any official State of Florida web site.

The Florida Department of Children & Families welcomes your comments and suggestions for improving the accessibility of information on our website. If you use assistive technology and the format of any material on our website interferes with your ability to access the information, we encourage you to notify us at @email for assistance.