Disclaimers & Accessibility
Information Disclaimer
The information provided on this web site is intended as a general information resource and is not legal or regulatory in nature.
Endorsement Disclaimer – Linking to other sites
The Minnesota Autism Resource website provides links to other federal, state and local agencies in addition to private organizations as a service to visitors. This website is not responsible for 508 compliance with these websites. References to commercial products, processes, services, manufacturers, businesses or organizations does not constitute an endorsement.
Accessibility
The Minnesota Autism Resource website is maintained by a number of State of Minnesota agencies and MN.IT staff. The department appreciates that visitors to this website are concerned about accessibility issues related to this site. The State of Minnesota makes every effort to have its websites meet the state of Minnesota technology accessibility standard (PDF). If you find accessibility issues on the site, please fill out the Contact Us form.
Links
The Minnesota Autism Resource website provides visitors with links to information and resources that evaluate and must meet the criteria seen below. Links are categorized in the following way:
... to Government Websites
This website links to publicly available websites that are government-owned or government sponsored. Acceptable federal government-owned or government-sponsored website domains include .gov, and .fed.us.
This website also links to quasi-government agencies and websites created by public sector/private sector partnerships and some government-sponsored websites. The Minnesota Autism Resource website is not responsible for the content on these websites.
... to Non-Government Websites
The Minnesota Autism Resource website links to websites that are not government-owned or government-sponsored if these websites provide relevant information related to autism. This website provides these non-government websites as a public service only.
This website neither endorses nor guarantees the external organizations, services, advice, or products included in these website links. Furthermore, this website neither controls nor guarantees the accuracy, relevance, timeliness or completeness of the information contained in non-government website links.
Link Evaluation Criteria
The Minnesota Autism Resource website evaluates all links using the following criteria:
· Is the website an official government-owned or supported website? If not, does the website provide government information and/or services in a way that is not available on an official government website?
· Does the link complement existing information on this website?
· Is the website accessible and applicable to a wide audience?
· Is the website's content relevant and useful to the audience?
· Does the website's information appear to be accurate and current?
· Is the website's approach to the privacy of personal information consistent with the government's privacy and security policies?
· Is the primary intent of the website to educate and inform, rather than persuade, convert, or sell? The site may include advertising but must be free from heavy marketing or promotion of products.
· Does the website provide information free of charge?
Disallowed Content
The Minnesota Autism Resource website will not link to any website that exhibits hate, bias, discrimination, specific religious views, or social agendas Furthermore, this website reserves the right to deny or remove any link that contains misleading information or unsubstantiated claims, or is determined to be in conflict with the State of Minnesota mission or policies.
Reciprocal Links
The Minnesota Autism Resource website is a public domain website.
There is no cost or special permission required to link to this website.
Accessibility & Plain Language
After your submission is received, it will be evaluated for posting. In order to have content posted on the Minnesota Autism Resource website, content must meet the following criteria:
- Be related to autism with a Minnesota emphasis
- Not a commercial endorsement
- Not an opportunity to showcase or sell a business, service, or product in any way
- Not political in nature
- Not negatively portray individuals, organizations or groups
- Not be discriminatory, racist, offensive, obscene, inflammatory, unlawful or contain objectionable statements, language or content
- Documents must be made accessible to Section 508 standards
- It is preferable that content be written in Plain Language
Plain Language
Plain Language is an approach to writing that allows people to more easily understand written communications. The Minnesota Autism Resource website follows the Plain Language guidelines provided by the Plain Language Action and Information Network (PLAIN) and the Minnesota Executive Order 14-07 (PDF), signed in 2014. This Executive Order requires the Office of the Governor and all Executive Branch agencies to communicate with Minnesotans using Plain Language.
Because some information and articles come from 3rd party contributors, not all content will be written in Plain Language. However, contributors will be encouraged to follow the Plain Language guidelines listed above.
To learn more about Plain Language and how to make communications to your audience clear, easy to understand and to better serve their needs, check these additional resources:
Center for Plain Language
Plain Language Network
Plain Language Act of 2010
DigitalGov’s Plain Language Writing Tips
DHS Plain Language Training video