Us department of homeland security and section 508 roadmap. They were issued under section 508 of the rehabilitation act which requires access for both members of the public and federal employees to such. The implementer of this technology has the responsibility to ensure the version deployed is 508compliant. Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, to make available new opportunities for people with disabilities, and to encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals. An initial assessment is a highlevel analysis of your companys software product, content creation tools, and architecture. Usaid implementation of section 508 of the rehabilitation act. A 508 test plan should be part of the acceptance criteria by procurement and should be included as part of the deliverables for contractor services for softwareweb development. The document itself was created using renderxs software and it alone. Usaid implementation of section 508 of the rehabilitation.
The attached document lists cms clearance officers by component. Section 508 showcase software is considered the leading software for formatting xml content to section 508 compliant pdf documents. Examine best practices for mobile applications and web environments. This will force vendors performing contractor services to incorporate section 508 in the requirements and will make them code ground up for 508 from the beginning. The section 508 standard uses the exact language of wcag checkpoint 1. The advisory group also shares information and best practices on section 508 implementation and eit accessibility from their respective groups and organizations. Follow the revised 508 standards to ensure your information and communication technology ict is accessible and usable by individuals with disabilities. Under section 508 29 usc 794d, agencies must give disabled employees and members of the public access to information that is comparable to the access available to others. When a separate software program, java applet or plugin is required to. Us department of homeland security and section 508. Usaid implementation of section 508 of the rehabilitation act of 1973 and federal acquisition circular fac 9727 electronic and information technology accessibility general backgroundrequirements of section 508 section 508 of the rehabilitation act of 1973, as amended the act requires that. The following provides a brief summary of findings for each of the ten subsections of section ii general processes for section 508 implementation. The departmental section 508 program office is the authority on the implementation of section 508 and ensures systematic accountability for the accomplishment of the section 508 requirements within the department of agriculture.
They were issued under section 508 of the rehabilitation act which requires access for both members. Why current federal tech access policy is in ashes editors note. The united states access board has just announced that it has released a proposed rule for public comment. Section 508 amendment to the rehabilitation act of 1973. The following standards are excerpted from section 508 of the rehabilitation act, 1194. Youll probably get quite a few opinions about this topic. A 508 test plan should be part of the acceptance criteria by procurement and should be included as part of the deliverables for contractor services for software web development. Revised section 508 chapter 5 software including mobile september 2017. This applies to web applications, web pages and all attached files on the intranet, as well as, the internet. Section 508 requires that all website content be accessible to people with disabilities. This is especially true when you combine the need for section 508 compliance with the ability of renderx software to dynamically compose and structure the information. Which software, tools, methods, standards, and workflow should you use.
Dec 21, 2000 section 508 also requires that individuals with disabilities, who are members of the public seeking information or services from a federal agency, have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to that provided to the public who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency. About the section 508 standards united states access board. Computer software, hardware, and documentation are all covered by section 508. Operating systems and application software programs. Dhs section 508 compliance test process for applications.
Ten steps to help you develop an accessibilitysection 508 roadmap. The law applies to all federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. Conforming to section 508 united states access board. We include section 508 standards and requirements in our procurement processes, development, implementation and maintenance processes, and provide technical guidance, tool, and resources to assist with section 508 compliance throughout the agency. Of significant importance is that tips software has been validated by the irs irap team. The purpose of this regulation is to provide guidance to the united states department of agriculture usda agencies and staff offices regarding the implementation of section 508 of the rehabilitation act of 1973 29 u. They address program features that must be contained in software for the product to meet the standards.
Epa is responsible for ensuring that all information and communications technology is accessible to disabled users. On may 10, 2000, the chief information officers of all federal agencies were instructed to establish an electronic information technology eit accessibility coordinator and team to ensure successful implementation of section 508 within their agencies. When a separate software program, java applet or plugin is required to deliver. Federal government revised 508 standards transition workgroup and gsa, shows how to integrate the standards into an existing 508 program. Quick reference guide to section 508 requirements and standards. The rule would update accessibility requirements for information and communication technology ict in the federal sector covered by section 508 of the rehabilitation act. Section508 management strategy by ideascale popular. This tutorial illustrates the application of the section 508, 36 cfr 1194. The steering committee was established to further facilitate the effective implementation of section 508. The key to sustainable improvements in awareness, implementation, and conformance with section 508 lies in continued outreach and education. The office of the chief information officer ocio is responsible for hhs section 508 compliance. The boards section 508 standards apply to electronic and information technology procured by the federal government, including computer hardware and software, websites, phone systems, and copiers. Deadline persons responsible identify resources and prepare for plan implementation.
Therefore, the procurement process permits the full implementation of section. A program for a sixfunction calculator is developed, named sfcalculator. Section 508 evaluations ctp training, management, export. But 508 covers all information technology and it is the only standard that does so. Revised section 508 chapter 5 software including mobile. Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology. Accessibility standards accessible tech for accessible. This involves designing websites, software, hardware, video and multimedia and telecommunications to meet section 508 information and communications technology accessibility standards, as well as incorporating other techniques to ensure accessibility. Developing accessible software tutorial united states access board. Section 508 research, request and authorization forms. Given the decision of the access board to use the wcag wording, it follows that the examples of nontext elements in wcag 1. The practical application of this goal most frequently applies to information that is presented to the general public, consumers of softwarebased services, and end.
Developing accessible software tutorial united states. Dhs section 508 compliance test process for applications about this document who should use this document this document has been designed for and is intended for use by dhs trusted testers. The checklist below, a series of tables, is based on the content of the pdf. C may 12, 2014 herndon, va deque systems is presenting a panel of government and industry experts to discuss the challenges of building a successful 508 program as well as some. In 1998 the us congress amended the rehabilitation act to require federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. The ihs section 508 official is the leader of the section 508 team. Statement regarding section 508 of the rehabilitation act. The us access board established the section 508 standards that implement the law and.
The advisory group provides advice and recommendations to the ocio on a multitude of section 508 issues including avenues for implementing section 508 at nih. Get out and talk about what your agency is doing to implement the standards. Section 508 requires federal departments and agencies that develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology eit to ensure that federal employees and. Two factors differentiate us from all other vendors in the 508 arena. Because there are many programming languages from which a software producer may select, it is impossible to give specific coding techniques. When states wanted to require accessible information technology, they turned to the section 508 accessibility standards to define accessibility. Milestone steps to implement start date completion. Panel of experts to discuss challenges in section 508 implementation event to be held wednesday june 4, 2014, 8. Dynatouch was awarded a contract for the irs fsa facilitated self assistance kiosk project in late 2010 to supply a total kiosk solution, including kiosk hardware, software and content, along with comprehensive implementation, deployment and ongoing support services. Section 508 office of the chief information officer.
Slightly more than fifty percent of agency components established a formal, written policy to implement and comply with section 508. The standards themselves are in development and will be for some time in the future. In addition to section 508 requirements, hhs has policies, standards, and requirements for electronic documents that include but are not limited to the following. Unlike section 508, section 501 applies to all training programs to federal.
United states access board proposes rule changes to section 508. The revised section 508 standards and section 255 guidelines have significantly changed the way software is addressed in the existing section 508 standards and section 255 guidelines 19982000. The air force corporate approach to section 508 implementation follows the guidelines established by the office of the secretary of defense osd of centralized. A trusted tester is a person certified to provide accurate and repeatable section 508 compliance test results for software and web applications. Section 508 applies to all federal agencies in the u. Learn how to manage a federal it accessibility program, help your agency. Implementing section 508 in xsl fo using renderx xep. In keeping with its mission, usda is committed to making its. If youre an author or developer of electronic documents, software applications, web content, operating systems, accessibility platforms, assistive technology, mobile environments, and modern development frameworks, you need to understand how the revised 508 standards 36 c. Furthermore, even though the rehab act is a federal law, there are states and even local governments that have their own legislation requiring certain groups to comply with section 508.
The section 508 office of the department of defense chief information officer dod cio ensures comprehensive section 508 management, implementation, and governance infrastructure so that dod components will effect ict accessibility in compliance with section 508 policies, procedures, and performance measures. Statement regarding section 508 of the rehabilitation act electronic and information technology accessibility for persons with disabilities bentley systems, incorporated bentley products comply with the electronic and information technology accessibility standards standards identified for software products under the federal information. Dynatouch was awarded a contract for the irs fsa facilitated self assistance kiosk project in late 2010 to supply a total kiosk solution, including kiosk hardware, software and content, along with comprehensive implementation, deployment and ongoing support. Oct 08, 2019 section 508 requires that all website content be accessible to people with disabilities. Compliance determination showing section 508 coordinators approval. Implementing section 508 in xsl fo using renderx xep software this document serves as a technical white paper showcasing the enhanced capabilities of renderx xep software for creating section 508 compliant pdf documents. At va, a continued goal of our outreach efforts has been the demystification of section 508, with the aim of emphasizing real world accessibility.
The implementer of this technology has the responsibility to ensure the version deployed is 508 compliant. Panel of experts to discuss challenges in section 508. The checklist from section a forward is based on the wcag 2. These provisions are applicable for both software applications and operating systems. Validation of 508 compliance requirements of significant importance is that tips software has been validated by the irs irap team. The section 508 team consists of the ihs section 508 official, ihs section 508 coordinator, area section 508 coordinators, a member of the ihs division of acquisition policy dap, subject matter experts, and other ihs representatives as needed. Implementing section 508 webstandards county of sonoma.
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