Electronic and information technology a requirements for federal departments and agencies 1 accessibility a development, procurement, maintenance, or use of electronic and information technology when developing, procuring, maintaining, or using electronic and information technology, each federal department or agency, including the united states postal service, shall ensure. Section 508 of the rehabilitation act of 1973, as amended 29 u. The following selfpaced courses provide an overview of key aspects of it accessibility. Strategic plan for improving management of section 508 of the rehabilitation act pdf. The rehabilitation act, enacted in 1973, is a federal.
About the section 508 standards united states access board. Section 508 establishes requirements for electronic and information technology developed, maintained, procured, or used by the federal government. When developing, procuring, maintaining, or using electronic and information technology, each federal department or. Please visit other pages on the navigation pane to the right titled resources to view more information about accessibility and obtaining conformance with section 508. This includes website content, emails, computer software, gaming systems. If you acquire a client thats looking for accessible pdf files or needs to redesign their website so it meets section 508 requirements, try not to be too intimidated or turnedoff. The guidelines in this handbook affect postal service employees, customers, suppliers, and business partners. Section 508 amendment to the rehabilitation act of 1973. Nov 12, 20 if you acquire a client thats looking for accessible pdf files or needs to redesign their website so it meets section 508 requirements, try not to be too intimidated or turnedoff. You may need a pdf reader to view some of the files on this page. Note, much of this guidance predates the revised 508 standards. Section 508 of the rehabilitation act of 1973 is a federal law that mandates all electronic and information technology eit developed, procured, maintained, and used by the federal government be accessible to people with disabilities. Designate a section 508 coordinator to implement, maintain, and oversee the section 508 program. To help our readers to better understand section 508, and to assist our readers in accessing the information on our websites, we have provided links to key government and nonprofit organizations.
Except as otherwise permitted or required by this subchapter, a covered entity may not use or. Nearly everyone plays a role in carrying out section 508. Pdfs are required by law to meet section 508 accessibility requirements. Review section 508 law and related it accessibility laws and policies. Determination under section 860e4 by a qualified investment entity. Section 508, an amendment to the united states workforce rehabilitation act of 1973, is a federal law mandating that all electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained, or used by the federal government be accessible to people with disabilities. Given the broad scope of this law and its pervasive. As of january 2018, the technical requirements of section 508 have changed to incorporate wcag 2. Cde will consider other exceptions if they are permissible under the laws and guidelines 5 to which cde must adhere.
Section 508 is part of the americans with disabilities act of 1990. During the process of updating the standards, pdfua was recommended as the. Handbook as508a, section 508 technical reference guide, presents these policies in greater technical detail. Section 508 requires federal agencies to make their ict such as technology, online training and websites accessible for everyone. If using an authoring tool, make sure the tool is capable of generating accessible pdf documents that conform to pdf ua some do not. Special rules with respect to section 501c3 organizations i.
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. Access board, the general services administration, and the u. Section 508 standards section 508 compliant document. In 2017, the us access board published a final rule updating accessibility requirements for information and communication technology covered by the. Pdfua is needed because while the pdf specification creates accessibility mechanisms it fails to set clear rules for actually creating or delivering reliably accessible pdf content. How to create accessible portable document format pdf documents that conform to the revised 508 standards. Section 508 of the rehabilitation act of 1973 is a federal law that mandates all electronic and information technology eit developed. Ensure that agencies and staff offices within usda i m ple m ent and adhere to all section 508 standards, regulations, policies, plans, processes, and proced u res for all rel e vant work acti v ities. Section 508 accessibility of electronic and information technology. Department of education is committed to making its electronic and information technologies accessible to. The section 508 standards are part of the federal acquisition regulation far and address access for people with physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities. The office of the chief information officer ocio is responsible for hhs section 508 compliance. The checklist below, a series of tables, is based on the content of the pdf. There is an extensive list of requirements for section 508 compliant pdf documents.
In addition to section 508 requirements, hhs has policies, standards, and requirements for electronic documents that include. The law applies to all federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. Section 508 508 statute php, 508 statute pdf requires that federal agencies electronic and information technology is accessible to people with disabilities. Access board issued the information and communication technology ict standards and guidelines, updating its existing electronic and information technology accessibility standards under section 508 of the rehabilitation act of 1973, 508 standards, and the telecommunications act accessibility guidelines under section 255 of the communications.
United states web accessibility initiative wai w3c. The checklist from section a forward is based on the wcag 2. Clarification of section 508 diversity management and. The law strengthens section 508 of the rehabilitation act and requires access to electronic and information technology provided by the federal government. Do your states laws require section 508 accessibility. Section 508 standards for electronic and information technology original section 508 standards, published in the u. Rehabilitation act was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, open new opportunities for people with disabilities, and encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals. Rehabilitation act was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, open new opportunities for people with disabilities, and encourage development of technologies that. Authorizations for uses and disclosures 1 authorization required. 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. The california government codes section 115 requires all state governmental entities and state funding recipients comply with section 508. This includes website content, emails, computer software, gaming systems, apps, and pdf versions of traditionally printed assets. The final rule includes revisions and updates to the section 508 based standards and section 255based guidelines and is effective march 20, 2017.
Authoring and evaluation features that make it easier to create accessible documents. Irs section 508 compliant pdf forms internal revenue service. The recent section 508 refresh brought harmonization with the wcag 2. Section 508 standards for electronic and information technology original section 508 standards, published in the. The transition from the original 508 standards to the revised 508 standards was an opportunity for agencies to revisit and update their section 508, 501, and 504 policies. Four page guide to section 508 rules and regulations.
This page has information about the section 508 law, and the va section 508 office. Based on fiscal year 2018 data from the federal procurement data system fpds, it is estimated that there are approximately 22,809 contractors that manufacture, sell, or lease ict supplies or services required to comply with section 508 standards. Disqualified corporate interest expense disallowed under section 163j and related information. Unlike the ada, section 508 doesnt apply to every organization individual states have laws that can extend section 508 requirements. Section 508 electronic and information technology a requirements for federal departments and agencies. Gsa section 508 website general services administrations website on section 508. Federal compliance with the statute was required by june 21, 2001. Section 508 applies to all federal government agencies and their websites. I need to have all my electronic documents pdf, websites, etc. Department of education is committed to making its electronic and information technologies accessible to individuals with disabilities by meeting or exceeding the requirements of section 508 of the rehabilitation act 29 u.
Pdfs require 508 remediation as they are not accessible by screen readers. Access board issued the information and communication technology ict standards and guidelines, updating its existing electronic and information. Please visit other pages on the navigation pane to the right titled. However, several states have adopted section 508 regulations into their own laws little 508s, requiring state government entities to comply with federal accessibility standards. When talking about communications, the three most relevant related laws are. Dhs section 508 compliance test processes homeland security. Accessibility web standards web site information ca dept. It is important to understand section 508 in the context of other laws related to federal disability policy.
The legal basis for this rule is section 508 of the rehabilitation act of 1973 29 u. 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. C 794 d applies to all federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. The resources in this section were developed by federal agencies, and shared here for your convenience. May 26, 2017 any and all digital communications that a company under section 508 jurisdiction creates must be 508 compliant. Closed captioning and web accessibility requirements.
Section 508 requires that all website content be accessible to people with disabilities. Any and all digital communications that a company under section 508 jurisdiction creates must be 508 compliant. Under section 508, agencies must give disabled employees and members of the public access to information comparable to the access available to others. On january 18, 2017, the united states access board published the final rule information and communication technology ict standards and guidelines in the federal register. The us access board established the section 508 standards that implement the law and provides the requirements for accessibility. Policies on how your agency implements each section of the rehabilitation act should be closely aligned, to clarify responsibilities and determine how to respond to claims of. They contain technical criteria specific to various types of technologies and performancebased requirements which focus on functional capabilities of covered products. Electronic and information technology a requirements for federal departments and agencies 1 accessibility a development, procurement, maintenance, or use of electronic and information. For accessible pdf files, the recommended format is the pdfua format which complies. The courses listed below are intended to improve your understanding of it accessibility, and section 508 law, and help you produce digital tools and content that conform to the revised 508 standards. In addition to section 508, the rehabilitation act of 1973 has several other sections section 501 and. This section serves as an overview of the section 508 of the rehabilitation act 29 u.
The section 508 standards are the technical requirements and criteria used to measure ict accessibility conformance within this law. Accessibility web standards web site information ca. For accessible pdf files, the recommended format is the pdf ua format which complies with wcag 2. With the exception of the contrast requirement, pdfua1 includes most accessibility requirements relevant to the pdf. In 1998, congress amended the rehabilitation act of 1973 to require federal. In addition to section 508 requirements, hhs has policies, standards, and requirements for electronic documents that include but are not limited to the following.
Based on fiscal year 2018 data from the federal procurement data system fpds, it is estimated that there are. Further, other sections of the rehabilitation act require access to federal programs section 504 and accommodation of federal employees with disabilities section 501 and 504. Section 503 of the rehabilitation act of 1973 is a law that prohibits federal contractors and subcontractors from discriminating in employment against individuals with disabilities and requires. Section 508 also directs the attorney general to submit reports to the president and congress on the state of federal agencies compliance with the acts requirements. In preparation for its report, the department of justice conducts a survey of federal agencies to obtain information on the state of compliance with section 508. Additional information on section 508 can be found at the websites for the u. Additional information on section 508 can be found at the websites for. This applies to web applications, web pages and all attached files on the intranet, as well as, the internet.
This exception exists due to the safe harbor clause in federal section 508, which allows content that was compliant with the older version of section 508 to remain posted unless it is updated. June 2001 the law has required all content created using federal money to be 508 compliant. Section 508, an amendment to the united states workforce rehabilitation act of 1973, is a federal law mandating that all electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained, or used by. On january 18, 2017, the access board architectural and transportation barriers compliance board. In addition to section 508 requirements, hhs has policies, standards, and requirements for electronic documents that include but are not. Conformance to requirements for softwareauthoring tools requirement in the revised 508 standards. Section 508 508 statute php, 508 statute pdf requires that federal agencies electronic and information technology is accessible to people with disabilities, including employees and members of the public. Handbook as 508 a, section 508 technical reference guide, presents these policies in greater technical detail. Although it may sound arduous or downright scary to learn, the fact of the matter is it simply requires steady adherence to compliance rules, many of which are. The resources in this section were developed by federal agencies and shared here for your convenience. Determination under section 860e4 by a qualified investment.
Closed captioning and web accessibility requirements 3. A beginners guide to section 508 and accessibility compliance. The federal government issued an important update to section 508 which became law in january 2018. The checklist below is outofdate and should not be used. Section 508 is a federal law that requires individuals with disabilities have access to electronic documentation, data, and information technology comparable to those who do not have disabilities. Except as otherwise permitted or required by this subchapter, a covered entity may not use or disclose protected health information without an authorization that is valid under this section. Section 508 compliance accessible document solutions.
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