The project included the addition of special coding and descriptions to nearly 2,000 web pages. This coding allows people with visual and hearing disabilities to gain a better understanding of photos, charts and other images and sounds found on the website. Specialized reader software converts those elements into a useable format so more people can benefit from information on the conservation efforts of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Accessible websites are essential for people with disabilities so they can have equal access to the many resources available on the web, said Peggy Nelson, Regional Office Equal Employment Specialist. With recent lawsuits, such as the National Federation of the Blind vs. America Online, attention has shifted to ensure that existing websites are accessible to everyone.
Nelson added that people who use reader software to view materials on the Internet often endure frustration since the program tries to interpret coding as words. That frustration can lead them to seek out needed information elsewhere, or they are not able to obtain the information at all.
Regional Web Manager Larry Dean said, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, signed into law by President Clinton in 1998, requires Federal agencies to make efforts to ensure electronic information is accessible to all citizens. That same year we developed a regional accessibility policy, proceeded with editing our website and made certain that new webpages met the standards. This also meant establishing guidance on how to build accessible websites for new webpage designers in field offices around the Region.
Dean also developed a How To handbook that describes the steps needed to address accessibility when making the initial page design. That handbook is the first item our web designers receive when they contact me about building their own webpages, he said. Since weve begun distributing this handbook, our people have had few problems creating accessible homepages. And Im pleased that we are one of only five Federal agencies nationwide with an accessible site, and definitely the largest of them to complete this project. At the time of our completion and formally registering as Bobby compliant, there were only 288 sites in the world registered as accessible. Since our registration that number has climbed to nearly 700 sites in the world.
Its very satisfying knowing that we are making our information available to all and that our visitation numbers since the accessibility project began indicate that weve grown into a trusted source for natural resource conservation information, Regional Director Bill Hartwig said. We watched our hits jump from 800,000 per year at the projects start, to last years record four million. And were currently on pace to range between six and 10 million hits in 2000.
Hartwig added, Weve always been proud of the fact that our site includes a wealth of information about the Service and the species and habitat we work with. In addition, we offer the public an opportunity to provide feedback on areas that are still in the conservation planning stages. Their voices are heard via our website. Their online comments are added to those we receive through regular mail and by telephone concerning topics like land acquisition plans and species recovery plans that are available for public review.
Dean noted that plans for the site include further developing the two-way communication opportunities so more members of the public who visit the site can not only learn about the successes and ongoing projects, but provide their insight into those efforts.
Weve seen considerable interest in our work with endangered species in this region; natural resource damage assessment studies which outline the appropriate steps to restore the habitat, wildlife and fish injured by various forms of contamination; interest in the studies of declining moose populations in northern Minnesota; interest in our national wildlife refuges; and many other areas, he said. And now that weve completed this accessibility initiative and are continuing to develop the site, we know that we can reach another important audience.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Services manages the 93 million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System of more than 520 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://midwest.fws.gov
