Government wants to update ADA for cyberspace

[November 16, 2010]  CHICAGO (AP) -- When the Americans with Disabilities Act was adopted, its regulations focused largely on wheelchair ramps, accessible elevators and other improvements to public space.

Twenty years later, the federal government wants to expand the ADA by updating it for cyberspace.

The Justice Department launches a series of public hearings this week to seek ideas for the project. The first hearing is Thursday in Chicago.

Major proposals include requiring emergency 911 centers to offer communication by text message, requiring websites to be programmed to speak to blind users and asking movie theaters to install technology to allow people to read captions on small screens mounted at their seats.

The updated regulations could mean sweeping changes across many industries and cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

[Associated Press; By CARLA K. JOHNSON]

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