Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) is committed to overcoming physical and communication barriers in the delivery of our services. We welcome comments on how to improve and enhance our services for people with disabilities.

Website Accessibility Policy

Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) is committed to making its website and all electronic and information resources accessible to persons with disabilities by applying principles of accessibility and usability design. This policy applies to the TCA website and all electronic and information resources for which the agency is responsible.

Website Standards and Specifications

Sections §206 and §213 of the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) stipulate the standards and specifications to which state agencies must comply in making their websites and electronic and information resources accessible to persons with disabilities. TCA works to ensure that its website and electronic information resources comply with those standards and specifications.

TCA believes that the most comprehensive way to follow this regulation and make our website accessible to all visitors is to follow the current guidelines from the World Wide Web Consortium Web Accessibility Initiative (W3C’s) and employ regular testing and validation of the site. TCA also follows the guidelines in the 1998 Amendment to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d) that are required by Texas state law.

Exceptions

Section §213 of the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) provides for exceptions for compliance with standards and specifications for electronic and information resources developed, procured or changed after September 1, 2006. TCA may approve an exception if the agency determines that compliance would impose a “significant difficulty or expense.” Alternate methods of accessibility may be used by the agency as outlined in Section 2054 of the Texas government code.

Who to Contact for Assistance

Since 1996, TCA has had a staff member assigned to monitoring and improving the agency’s accessibility. This person is also serves as a free resource to Texas-based artists and organizations interested in making their cultural programs and facilities more accessible to people with disabilities.

Please contact the TCA Accessibility Coordinator with any accommodation requests, comments, or suggestions:

Dana Douglass Swann, Executive Assistant
dana.swann@arts.cdn-pi.com
512-936-6570 (voice)
512-475-2699 (fax)

For requests related to the website or electronic materials, please indicate the nature of your accessibility problem, the format in which you would like to receive the material, the specific web address of the requested material, along with your contact information.

For other information about State of Texas accessibility initiatives, visit the Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities.