Mission, Purpose and Website Accessibility

Mission 

To provide comprehensive educational and technical support for State agencies so that those programs, services and activities operated by the State of Georgia are accessible and usable by everyone.

Purpose

It is the guiding principle of the State ADA Coordinator’s Office to maintain compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a Civil Rights Law, which requires equal access to programs, services, and activities to individuals who have disabilities and prohibits discrimination. In alignment with our Office’s mission, our goal is to provide comprehensive educational and technical support for State agencies so that those programs, services, and activities operated by the State of Georgia are accessible and usable by everyone. We achieve our mission by executing current ADA training programs, technical assistance engagements, and facilities improvement reviews.

The State Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator’s Office is a department within the Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission, and it is located on Capitol Hill in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Our primary customers are State of Georgia Agencies’ ADA Coordinators, Human Resources Professionals, Design and Construction Professionals, and State Facility Directors and Administrators. We also serve Collaborative Partners, County and City Government Entities, Individuals with Disabilities, and the General Public. Our team also serves the citizens of Georgia who allege inaccessibility when engaging State of Georgia agencies. We provide these services under the guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and its amendments (ADAAA), as well as Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Please see the Download this pdf file. State ADA Coordinator’s Office’s ADA Public Notice , which includes information about our ADA Accommodations Request process. Please see the Download this pdf file. State ADA Coordinator’s Office’s ADA Grievance Procedure to file an ADA complaint.

Website Accessibility

The State ADA Coordinator’s Office’s team strives to eliminate barriers to content for visitors with disabilities by implementing requirements that allow for a more inclusive, accessible online experience for all individuals.

Examples of our efforts to improve accessibility include:

  • Easy and logical navigation
  • Access to information, which is presented clearly and consistently for individuals using screen readers
  • Legible fonts and high-contrast colors for easier readability

The platform incorporates federally mandated Section 508 compliance standards and best practices recommended by the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) (Level AA) for web accessibility.

Some of these practices include:

  • Color contrast accessible for those with low vision and color blindness.
  • Text alternatives for non-text elements when necessary.
  • Web pages that can be presented without an associated style sheet and will not lose information or structure.
  • Identified row and column headers in data tables.
  • WAI-ARIA labels applied for individuals using screen readers Accessible online forms allowing assistive technology to access the information, field elements, and functionality required for completion and submission of the form.

Additionally, the United States Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, has promulgated a new Final Rule for Web Content and Mobile Application accessibility provided by State and Local Governments.  Guidance regarding this new final rule can be found here: Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps Provided by State and Local Government Entities: A Small Entity Compliance Guide. This guidance describes how state and local governments can make sure that their websites and mobile applications are accessible to people with disabilities as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The State ADA Coordinator’s Office’s team is continuously working to increase accessibility standards and meet all levels of accessibility conformance and guidelines.

If you wish to express any accessibility concerns beyond our technical assistance and support team, the State ADA Coordinator’s Office’s team can be reached at the following address and phone number:

     270 Washington Street, SW

     Third Floor

     Atlanta, Georgia 30334

     Office Telephone: 404.657.7313

     TTY: 404.657.9993

     Email: [email protected]