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. Release of new section 508 awareness computerbased training. Accessibility statement us department of education. The section 508 standards were developed by the us access board, an independent federal agency that works on accessibility for people with disabilities. The checklist from section a forward is based on the wcag 2. The purpose of this document is to ensure cms compliance with federal requirements relative to any purchase of electronic and information technology eit. This page describes section 508 accessibility from the office of information and technology. Section 508 was originally added as an amendment to the rehabilitation act of 1973 in 1986. The electronic version of the section 508 standards. The section 508 standards apply to electronic and information technology procured by the federal government, including computer hardware and software, websites, and multimedia such as video, phone systems, and copiers. This section provides references and guidance toward accomplishing that goal. Nov 12, 20 chances are sooner or later youre going to be assigned a project requiring 508 compliant accessibility standards.
Pdfua clarifies and simplifies the pdfspecific technical requirements to meet wcag 2. Section 508 information federal communications commission. Providing section 508 program support and coordination between the agency and the business component clearance officer. Usaid implementation of section 508 of the rehabilitation act. Reporting on fpc is used to determine if the product meets the requirements for equivalent facilitation appendix a, 508 chapter 1, e101. Handbook as508a section 508 technical reference guide. Strategic plan for improving management of section 508 of the rehabilitation act january 24.
Accessibility web standards web site information ca dept. This work is part of a suite of comparison documents being done by the user agent accessibility guidelines uawg working group. Understanding section 508 and the access boards standards. Agencies must comply with these standards to ensure our technology is accessible and usable by individuals with disabilities. Document file name needs to be concise, generally limited to 2030 characters and should clarify the contents. The law strengthens section 508 of the rehabilitation act and requires access to electronic and information technology provided by the federal. Accessible electronic and information technology veterans affairs. The section 508 standards are part of the federal acquisition regulation far and address access for people with physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities. Section 508 background and standards apply for and manage the va benefits and services youve earned as a veteran, servicemember, or family memberlike health care, disability, education, and more.
For more information about section 508, please refer to one of the following sites. On august 7, 1998, the president signed into law the workforce. Section 508 technical reference guide handbook as508a september 2004 transmittal letter a. Eit accessibility standards implementing section 508 were published by the u. 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. While the checks are good and give more coverage than the adobe checker, there are a few that the aspa 508 team does not view as required fixes for either 508 or wcag 2. A beginners guide to section 508 and accessibility compliance. Once accepted on behalf of the nih as section 508 conformant, the user acceptance checklist should be kept with other procurement documentation or files.
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. The department of the interior doi 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 of 1973, as amended. Adobe acrobat reader does not includeany accessibility validation tools and therefore it is not used to test pdfs in this test process. Access boards new rules that updates accessibility requirements for information and communication technology ict in the federal sector covered by section 508 of. Cms section 508 quick reference guide ms excel 2010. Providing technical assistance on section 508 issues within the agency. Section 508 requires federal agencies to make their ict such as technology, online training and websites accessible for everyone. Document file name should not contain any spaces or special characters. 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. How to test and remediate pdfs for accessibility using adobe acrobat dc. Directive 2007003 creating accessible pdf files for specific guidance. Pdf files cannot be validated for compliance with section 508 by currently available automation. This handbook explains the requirements of section 508 of the rehabilitation act and sets forth. Using technology to enhance value is an integral part of the postal service s transformation plan.
To validate pdfs for section 508 compliance, testers must utilize the tools available in adobe acrobat professionalto conduct manual and automatic section 508 compliance testing. In 1998, the president signed into law the workforce. As originally written, the enforcement provisions of section 508 would have taken effect on august 7, 2000. 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. The resources in this section were developed by the accessible electronic documents community of practice aed cop. The term agency is defined in section e103 to include the united states postal service and other federal agencies and departments as specified in 44 u. Section 508 of the rehabilitation act of 1973, as amended 29 u. Fillable form specialists aim is experienced in creating form fillable pdf documents compliant with wcag 2. As we increase our reliance on electronic information systems to help us manage information and costs, improve service, and carry out our.
This handbook explains the requirements of section 508 of the rehabilitation act and sets forth, in. The revised 508 standards contain scoping and technical requirements for information and communication technology ict purchased, built, maintained or used by federal agencies. Nov 01, 2001 this document has been produced as a tool for developers to understand where the 508 requirements and uaag 1. 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. Aims turnkey solution utilizes the latest tools, accessibility best practices, and our proprietary methods to meet all section 508 wcag pdfua1 requirements. The original section 508 amendment was added to the rehabilitation act back in 1986. These revised 508 standards, which consist of 508 chapters 1 and 2 appendix a, along with chapters 3 through 7 appendix c, contain scoping and technical requirements for information and communication technology ict to ensure accessibility and usability by individuals with disabilities. Section 508 on august 7, 1998, president clinton signed into law the rehabilitation act amendments of 1998 which covers access to federally funded programs and services. Guidance should include, among other things, adobe acrobat files. Documents distributed via email includes broadcast messages and any attachments. Welcome to the w3cs section 508 and uaag requirements. The standards are published in the federal governments procurement regulations. Department of the interior section 508 policies and helpful links. Note, much of this guidance predates the revised 508 standards.
Federal government section 508 information site for faqs, rules, agency. All electronic communication and documentation created by cms employees and contractors must be 508 compliant. Content that was compliant with cdes prior web standards and has not been updated after january 18, 2018. Reviewing new purchase requests originating within the usda business component to ensure usda compliance with federal section 508 requirements. Conformance to requirements for softwareauthoring tools requirement in the revised 508 standards. Keep reading to learn more about section 508 and accessibility compliance. Whats new in section 508 it accessibility commonwiki. September 2012 section 508 report to the president and congress. Section 508 amendment to the rehabilitation act of 1973.
This page has information about the section 508 law, and the va section 508 office. Section 508 is a federal requirement and therefore you can expect to find plenty of official guidance through various us government portals and resources. Omb memo about procurement solicitations attachment 1 doi section 508 contact list attachment 2 memo on section 508 training and bureau doi learn contact list attachment 3 directive 2007003 creating accessible pdf files. Yet the task of navigating through all the jargon and picking out the most relevant points can be a complex and daunting challenge. Tip sheet on hhs section 508 requirements and best practices for ms excel 2010 documents.
How to create accessible portable document format pdf documents that conform to the revised 508 standards. This includes, but is not limited to, the following. These pdf forms are fully accessible but there is no computation, validation, or verification of the information you enter. Adobe portable document format pdf documents should be created using adobe acrobat version 6 or later software, or equivalent tools from adobe. Under the amendment, the effective date for the enforcement of section 508 was delayed to allow for additional time for compliance with the boards final standards. In addition to section 508 requirements, hhs has policies, standards, and requirements for electronic documents that include but are not limited to the following. On august 7, 1998, president clinton signed into law the workforce investment act of. President clinton signed the workforce investment act, including the rehabilitation act amendments with an expanded and strengthened section 508. Section 508 of the rehabilitation act specifically requires federal departments and agencies to evaluate the extent to which the electronic and information technology of the department or agency is accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities. All elements should be properly tagged, using the make accessible feature, in order to make the documents as compliant as possible with the section 508 requirements. The resources in this section were developed by federal agencies and shared here for your convenience. Accessibility requirements for mobile applications doc. Section 508 background and standards va section 508 office.
The forms on this page are provided in adobe acrobat portable document format. Section 508 establishes requirements for any electronic and information. Irs section 508 compliant pdf forms internal revenue service. Feb 19, 2019 as always, consult your ic section 508 coordinator for assistance. Structure the document correctly in your authoring software and be sure to make tags when creating the pdf, then check the resulting file for compliance or. Some of the documents on this page were created as pdfs. The us access board established the section 508 standards that implement the law and provides the requirements for accessibility. Office of federal procurement policy 508 compliance the white. Word documents powerpoint presentations excel spreadsheets pdf files. This document must be completed by the requesting official purchase requestor and provided to the. About the section 508 standards united states access board. Section 508 compliant document conversion services.
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