Act 1227 of 1999 required the Arkansas Department of Information Systems to develop Non-visual Standards for Arkansas that ensures the needs of Arkansans who are blind or visually impaired are met through reasonable accommodation in the information technology products and services of the state. Information technology products and services include data, voice, and video technologies, as well as information dissemination methods such as the Internet.
In essence, this means that Arkansas Government or state funded entities must have websites that are equally accessible to blind or visually impaired visitors. For instance, websites must provided text equivalents for all non-text elements such as images, animation, audio and video. We will make every effort to comply with these new guidelines on the State of Arkansas website. If you have trouble accessing or navigating state government pages, please contact [email protected].
For more information about IT policies and standards in Arkansas, link to the State of Arkansas Strategic Information Technology Plan. For the specific information regarding web development and accessibility issues, link to W3C Web Content Guidelines or the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST).
Information which can be identified or associated with a particular person or persons that is available from government web sites through the Information Network of Arkansas is subject to these principles and policies:
- The Arkansas government has information about individuals, or which can be identified or associated with a particular individual, and this information is contained in the public records of the Arkansas state and local government. The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act addresses the type of government information which is available to the public. See Ark. Code Ann. § 25-19-105. Information generally available under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act and not made confidential elsewhere in the Arkansas Code or by federal law may be posted for electronic access through the Information Network of Arkansas.
- The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act recognizes many concerns people have with regard to public records that include information about them, including the right to correct inaccurate information. Consequently, persons concerned with regard to information about them should contact the custodian of the record, which typically is the state agency or other governmental entity that collects and maintains the information.
Information which can be identified or associated with a particular person or persons that is collected by government web sites through the Information Network of Arkansas is subject to these principles and policies:
- The information collected should only be that necessary to provide the information or services sought by the requester, just as a person might provide such information when visiting a governmental office in person. The information collected is subject to the same controls and uses as that collected by governmental offices visited in person, again subject to the access and confidentiality provisions of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, Ark Code Ann., §§ 25-19-101 through 25-19-107, or to other applicable sections of the Arkansas Code. You do not have to provide personal information to visit the network's Web sites or download this information.
- The IP (Internet Protocol) numbers of computers used to visit [network] sites are noted as part of our statistical analysis on use of our web sites and how to better design services and facilitate access to them. No marketing databases are created nor is any commercial use made of any such data. Government agencies may request personally identifiable information from you in order to provide requested services, but such information is handled as it would be on an in-person visit to a government office.
- Various commercial Web sites may be linked through the network. These private sector sites are not subject to the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act. Visitors to those sites may wish to check their privacy statements and be cautious about providing personally identifiable information.
