Revised section 508 chapter 5 software including mobile september 2017. The section 508 refresh has moved the act from a rigid set of technical guidelines to one based on principles and technical standards by referencing the wcag 2. Each piece of interface software is verified electronically and also by. An mrtfb is a national asset which is sized, operated, and maintained primarily for dod test and evaluation. Simply put, companies will no longer be able to sell federal. They were issued under section 508 of the rehabilitation act which requires access for both members of the public and federal employees to such. Section 508 of the rehabilitation act requires that institutions receiving federal funds solicit, procure, maintain and use all information and communication technology ict so that equal or alternatecomparable access is given to federal employees and members of the public with and without disabilities. The standards cover the full range of electronic and information technologies in the. Federal government agencies develop, procure, or maintain, information and communication technology ict, that it is accessible to persons with disabilities. Section 508 technical standards the technical standards of subpart b of section 508 provide criteria for various types of technologies. If youre an author or developer of electronic documents, software applications, web content, operating systems, accessibility platforms, assistive technology, mobile environments, and.
Oct 16, 20 since section 508 applies to united states federal software, hardware, downloads, websites, documents, etc. What accessibility standards apply to mobile applications. May 26, 2017 any and all digital communications that a company under section 508 jurisdiction creates must be 508 compliant. Provide training to employees on the section 508 standards, and how to develop and buy accessible technology. Nov 12, 20 chances are sooner or later youre going to be assigned a project requiring 508 compliant accessibility standards. Section 508 accessibility compliance autodesk recognizes the importance of section 508 of the rehabilitation act. The original section 508 amendment was added to the rehabilitation act back in 1986. In other words, any legacy ict that is unaltered and existing. Section 508 has relevant upfront requirements for all software applications.
The office of the chief information officer ocio is responsible for hhs section 508 compliance. Apr 28, 2020 students will learn about the section 508 standards applicable to the web, how to install and use web accessibility test tools, and how to apply the trusted tester process for testing web sites and web applications for conformance to the revised section 508 standards, released in january 2017. Since section 508 applies to united states federal software, hardware, downloads, websites, documents, etc. Guide to the section 508 standards united states access board. About the section 508 standards united states access board. The interagency trusted tester program promotes a unified, consistent, shareable, and repeatable test and evaluation approach for section 508 standards. The resources provided in this section include standards, guidelines, design tips, tools and other information to help you design products that are accessible to all users. All oast training resources are being updated to support implementation of the revised section 508 standards.
Access board published the final rule of the updated. Jan 25, 2018 in the united states, the revised section 508 standards went into effect on january 18, 2018, a year after the u. Aug 18, 2016 federal laws, including section 508 of the rehabilitation act, mandate that people with disabilities have access to the same information that someone without a disability would have. The original bobby was a free online tool, written by josh krieger and provided by the centre for applied special technology cast used to validate websites for wai and section 508. Revised section 508 standards now in effect age and ability. Designate a section 508 coordinator to implement, maintain, and oversee the section 508 program. Federal government agencies develop, procure, or maintain, information and communication.
The standards define public facing as content made available by an agency to members of the general public. First, the software must not interfere with the accessibility features of the operating system it runs on, nor may it disable any of the operating systems activated accessibility features developed and documented in compliance with industry standards. Simply put, companies will no longer be able to sell federal agencies any software or hardware that fails to meet accessibility standards. They address program features that must be contained in software for the product to meet the standards. The us access board established the section 508 standards that. Guide to the section 508 standards united states access. Use the template below, or develop your own format, when preparing a.
However, there must be a section in the software that tells the program not to use its own setting, but to use. In the united states, the revised section 508 standards went into effect on january 18, 2018, a year after the u. This page contains the cms section 508 policy which was approved by the cms section 508 official. For the full text of section 508, please see the official government 508 web site. Learn about applicability and requirements for section 508 conformance and it. This document contains information on how cms is meeting the section 508. Provide technical guidance, tools and resources to assist. The wcag has further been broadly interpreted to cover content, webbased software and nonwebbased software with noted exceptions. Section 508 compliance approach for webbased applications. Section 508 standards will become part of the federal acquisition regulation and other federal laws that govern agency buying. 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. Section 508 of the rehabilitation act of 1973 29 usc 794d requires that when u.
Gsa section 508 and accessibility what is section 508. Section 508 compliance is designed into all developed software interfaces and is not refactored after code completion. The original section 508 dealt with electronic and information technologies, in recognition of the growth of this field. Section 508 requires that federal agencies electronic and information. Keep reading to learn more about section 508 and accessibility compliance. Section 508 of the rehabilitation act level access. Federal laws, including section 508 of the rehabilitation act, mandate that people with disabilities have access to the same information that someone without a disability would. Section 508 requires that federal agencies electronic and information technology is accessible to people with motor, vision, or other impairments.
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. The dod 508 coordinator represents the department of defense on federalwide boards and committees. The following standards are excerpted from section 508 of the rehabilitation act, 1194. On january 18, 2017, the access board issued a final rule that updated accessibility requirements covered by section 508, and refreshed guidelines for. The standards themselves are in development and will be for some time in the future. This course will not cover the section 508 software accessibility standards. Accessibility focuses on how a disabled person accesses or benefits from a site, system or application. User agents browsers clearly are governed by subpart b of the technical standards of section 508 under 1194. Determine 508 standards and exceptions learn how to apply the 508 standards to your work. 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. Although this section pertains primarily to software, there are.
Welcome to the w3cs section 508 and uaag requirements. An overview for government executives a brief, highlevel overview of the revised 508 standards, including roles and responsibilities of key federal agency officials. Other scoping provisions apply to nonweb software e. The standards for ict developed, procured, maintained, or used by agencies subject to section 508 of the rehabilitation act as set forth in 508 chapters 1 and 2 36 cfr part 1194, appendix.
Chances are sooner or later youre going to be assigned a project requiring 508 compliant accessibility standards. Is the site free from content that flashes more than 3 times. These provisions are applicable for both software applications and operating systems. Oct 01, 2018 the revised section 508 standards were released in january of 2018. 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. Provide technical guidance, tools and resources to assist with section 508 compliance throughout the agency. General subpart a the standards define the types of technology covered and set forth provisions that establish a minimum level of accessibility. Section 508 amendment to the rehabilitation act of 1973. Youll probably get quite a few opinions about this topic.
Part 1194 apply to your work find guidance and training. The original bobby was a free online tool, written by josh krieger and provided by the centre for applied special technology cast used to validate websites for wai and section 508 compliance. Federal agencies to develop their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. Boards section 508 standards apply to electronic and information technology procured by the federal government, including computer hardware and software. 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. Webbased intranet and internet information and applications. Any ict, component of ict, or portion of ict falls under the safe harbor provision. The boards section 508 standards apply to electronic and information technology procured by the federal government, including computer hardware and software, websites, phone systems. Section 508 and wcag compliances to increase accessibility. The revised 508 standards, and the accompanying updates to section 255 of the communications act, have transformed turnofthecentury accessibility. Section 508 requires federal agencies to make their ict such as technology, online training and websites accessible for everyone. Section 508 is a law from rehabilitation act of 1973 that states u. Jitc is member of the dods major range and test facility base mrtfb.
This checklist is not official section 508 documentation. In other words, any legacy ict that is unaltered and existing before or on january 18, 2018, does not need adhere to new standards until its updated or changed. The revised 508 standards include specific requirements for authoring tools see section 504. Section e205 of the revised 508 standards specifies which electronic content, including web, software, multimedia and electronic documents, must conform to the technical requirements. This applies to web applications, web pages and all attached files on the intranet. Accessibility is an important part of the designing your site and should be.
Section 508 was originally added as an amendment to the rehabilitation act of 1973 in 1986. In 1998, congress amended the rehabilitation act of 1973 29 u. A beginners guide to section 508 and accessibility compliance. Oct 08, 2019 section 508 requires that all website content be accessible to people with disabilities. 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. Section 508 requires federal agencies to make their ict. The rule updated and reorganized the section 508 standards and section 255. Which software, tools, methods, standards, and workflow should you use. The passfail criteria in this document represent an interpretation of section 508 web standards. This document contains information on how cms is meeting the section 508 standards and policies and how cms is organized to meet this mandate. Section 508 technical standards georgia tech center for. Revised section 508 chapter 5 software including mobile. Section 508 of the rehabilitation act requires that institutions receiving federal funds solicit, procure, maintain and use all information and communication technology ict so that equal. First, the software must not interfere with the accessibility features of the operating system it runs on, nor may it. For more information, contact a cms 508 clearance officer see downloads below. The us access board established the section 508 standards that implement the law and provides the requirements for accessibility. Pdfs require 508 remediation as they are not accessible by screen readers. Follow the updated testing guidelines, endorsed by the federal cio council, to validate support for the standards for web, software, and electronic document.
This includes website content, emails, computer software, gaming systems, apps, and pdf versions of traditionally printed assets. General and keyboard navigation checks should be performed on all pages no matter what is present in the actual content. The standards, which have been in place for over 15 years, promote ict that can be accessed by the. Access board published the final rule of the updated information and communication technology ict standards and guidelines. In 1997, the federal electronic and information technology accessibility and compliance act was proposed in the u. May 08, 2018 section 508 and wcag compliances in corporate elearning development follow learnercentered approach to ensure your course is accessible to all. Ensure that agencies and staff offices within usda i m ple m ent and adhere to all. This page has information about the section 508 law, and the va section 508 office. The standards cover the full range of electronic and information technologies in the federal sector, including those used for communication, duplication, computing, storage, presentation, control, transport and production. Follow the revised 508 standards to ensure your information and. Guide to the section 508 standards subpart a general.
There have been other efforts establishing guidelines for web accessibility. Section 508 standards section 508 compliant document. Any and all digital communications that a company under section 508 jurisdiction creates must be 508 compliant. The department of homeland security is committed to providing free online training resources to assist with creating, validating, and remediating accessible electronic. This includes website content, emails, computer software. Please visit other pages on the navigation pane to the right. Authoring tools include not only word processors, but any tools used to develop web pages or applications, as well as the integrated development environments.
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