Accessibility at Cisco
Cisco is committed to designing and delivering accessible products and technologies to meet the needs of your organization. Cisco Accessibility Initiative is a company-wide effort that stresses the importance of creating accessible products.
Cisco launches the first desk phone with built-in text-to-speech
Cisco is the first company to offer the first enterprise-grade desk phone that includes built-in text-to-speech functionality. Developed with collaborative input from the American Council of the Blind (ACB), the software update for the Cisco’s IP Phone 8800 Series is a huge step toward making the digital workplace more accessible for the blind and visually impaired.
Cisco Accessibility Initiative
Cisco's vision is to improve the way all people work, live, play, and learn.
Cisco Accessibility Initiative identifies global accessibility and usability requirements and establishes strategies and processes to integrate accessibility throughout Cisco operations. Cisco's commitment is to make its products, services, websites, and documentation accessible and usable by people with disabilities, either by design or through compatible use with assistive technology.
For further guidance on Cisco Accessibility Solutions or questions regarding Cisco products, please contact Cisco Accessibility by filling out this form with your inquiry.
Cisco Accessibility policy
The following key objectives for company business processes and activities help ensure that Cisco products and services benefit the disabled community:
- Increase awareness of accessibility within Cisco
- Provide employees with the training needed to design, produce, market, and deliver accessible products, websites, and documentation
- Develop and apply policies and guidelines to evaluate accessibility, usability, and compatibility with applicable equipment, services, websites and documentation
- Evaluate accessibility and usability throughout the product design, development, and fabrication processes as early and consistently as possible
- Report ways these guidelines are implemented where competitively, technically, and economically feasible
- Involve people with disabilities in research projects, testing, and trials
- Support and contribute to industry standards and guidelines for accessibility
Accessibility laws and standards
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
Cisco complies with accessibility laws, and strives to supply end-user devices that conform and support the U.S. Access Board's standards as referenced in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Section 255 of the Telecommunications Act
Cisco employs common accessibility features in its user devices, documents, and services, and has tested and achieved compatibility with third-party assistive devices. Its networks are compatible with common analog devices from the network core to the individual user.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Cisco complies with the ADA by enabling accessibility and accommodation in public areas and its customers' workplaces, and by implementing reasonable accommodation in its own workplace.
21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA)
CVAA is divided into two broad titles or sections. Title I addresses communications access to make products and services using broadband fully accessible to people with disabilities. Title II of the accessibility act breaks new ground to make it easier for people with disabilities to view video programming on television and the Internet. Cisco is participating in the review of these new requirements and researching the applicability to Cisco products.
World Wide Web WCAG 2.0 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)
Cisco adopts the WCAG 2.0 Level A & AA requirements as best practices for development, testing and overall conformance for the Accessibility of Cisco Web-based products.
Standards
Cisco accessibility initiatives are based soundly on public standards, including those issued by the U.S. Access Board; and on guidelines, including those published by the international World Wide Web Consortium.
Cisco also contributes to accessibility standards and guidelines created by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), and the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA).