Section 508 covers all electronic and information technology used in the creation, conversion, or duplication of data or information. We help you ensure that your web pages, pdf documents and software applications are easy for everyone to use and more effective as a result. Section 508 of the rehabilitation act of 1973, as amended 29 u. May 08, 20 the following vpat documents describe how the accessibility features of intel software development products help federal agencies address the requirements of section 508 standards. Ensure that all electronic and information technology is accessible to individuals with disabilities. Section 508 has relevant upfront requirements for all software applications. Experience with software development methodologies, to include agile, kanban, etc.
On august 7, 1998, the president signed into law the workforce investment act of 1998, which includes the rehabilitation. It has been conceptualized by w3c world wide web consortium which is an international group supported by its own members and public, in developing and altering web. Designate a section 508 clearance officer to implement, maintain, and oversee the section 508 program based on workload and size of agency and staff office. Training resources to help developers and content authors create accessible digital products and.
Section 508 is a part of the rehabilitation act of 1973 which requires that electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained, or used by the federal government be accessible to people with disabilities. Web accessibility consulting, training and section 508. When developing, procuring, maintaining, or using electronic and information technology, each federal department or. Vendors and development teams may not fully understand what conformance. Oct 25, 2001 section 508 covers all electronic and information technology used in the creation, conversion, or duplication of data or information. Accessibility guidelines for application software development. Tools and resources for developers and content authors to create accessible digital products and content that conforms to section 508. The rehabilitation act mandates that federal agencies develop, acquire, maintain, and use information and communications technology ict that people with disabilities can access. Section 508 amendment to the rehabilitation act of 1973. The federal government increasingly relies on technology to carry out its business and deliver information to. This tutorial illustrates the application of the section 508, 36 cfr 1194. 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. Agile development is a reference to the agile methodology, in which software is developed and deployed incrementally, commonly in short iterations of two weeks or less. Get your web accessibility certification section 508 optimization and accessible web development to brings your site up to compliance.
The provisions of this order are applicable to all gsa employees involved in the design, development, procurement, or use of information and communication technology ict, to include information technology and other equipment, systems. Web content accessibility guidelines are the guidelines with technical standards, to make web content handy in reaching out to disabled people. Uscis and the path to section 508 compliance in agile development. Section 508 electronic information accessibility requirements for software development. 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. Executive guide to federal it accessibility section508.
Section 508 is a law from rehabilitation act of 1973 that states u. Rampweb helps you meet all of the accessibility requirements section 508, americans with disability act ada and w3c web content accessibility guidelines wcag 2. Oct, 2016 this guide provides a list of the testing tools used in the dhs section 508 compliance test process for applications. We began adding a requirement to all software development contracts that each team creating or modifying software would have a dhscertified section 508.
Oct 08, 2019 section 508 requires that all website content be accessible to people with disabilities. But 508 covers all information technology and it is the only standard that does so. A portable document format pdf is a file format created by adobe to create standard consistency when a document is physically printed from a standard printer. The section 508 procedures handbook can be found on the 508 accessibility page on insite. Uscis and the path to section 508 compliance in agile. 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. Subsequently, this development methodology is intended to be a starting point for incorporating accessibility into software design based on the section 508 legislation and the guide to section 508 standards for electronic and information technology developed by the federal access board. Centreit specialty areas include database design, reporting, data warehousing efforts. Accessibility testing for websites and software section508. Authoring tools include not only word processors, but any tools used to develop web pages or applications, as well as the integrated development environments ide used by developers for software development.
Competitive innovations is a recognized leader in the field of section 508 testing and compliance having consulted on numerous federal and commercial projects. The program will support a variety of technologies for application development including. Section 508 office of the chief information officer. Federal government authoring and developer transition working group, with contributions from the federal cio council accessibility community of practice acop, the u. The law applies to all federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. Federal agencies to develop their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities.
Provide technical guidance, tools and resources to assist with section 508 compliance throughout the agency. Understanding of section 508 requirements and impacts of code development for release and ato. Section 508 requires that when federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology, federal employees with disabilities have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to. Update the section 508 coordinators designation letter annually. Access board, and the general services administration. Rampweb offers web accessibility consulting, training and design to make your site section 508, bobby, and w3c compliant. The following vpat documents describe how the accessibility features of intel software development products help federal agencies address the requirements of section 508 standards. Section 508 in 1998, the rehabilitation act was amended in section 508 to require federal agencies to make electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities, and to give these users and members of the general public equal access to electronic information, products, and services. Section 508 technical project manager in washington. We specialize in section 508 remediation, database or datawarehouse design development and maintenance with sql server, db2, sybase, oracle and 15 other databases. Dec 21, 2000 the purpose of this part is to implement section 508 of the rehabilitation act of 1973, as amended 29 u. Section 508 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.
May 08, 2018 section 508 and wcag compliances in corporate elearning development follow learnercentered approach to ensure your course is accessible to all. The law specifies that ict should be made accessible to people with disabilities, including employees and members of the public. The following standards are excerpted from section 508 of the rehabilitation act, 1194. How to make pdf section 508 compliant agile web development. Incorporate section 508 compliance activities into agencywide policies and procedures, particularly in the areas of acquisition, software development, content management, cloud, human resources and civil rights complaints. There are over 671 section 508 careers waiting for you to apply. If you are looking for web design and development, experts create websites with section 508 and wcag 2. Part 1194 apply to your work find guidance and training. When states wanted to require accessible information technology, they turned to the section 508 accessibility standards to define accessibility. Research was to be conducted on the different standards set forth in 1194. Computer software, hardware, and documentation are all covered by section 508. Section 508 electronic and information technology a requirements for federal departments and agencies. Testpros understands that compliance is based on the premise that software, hardware and document accessibility is part of each it requirement, and should be addressed up front as part of the system development life cycle.
Any ict, component of ict, or portion of ict falls under the safe harbor provision. Applies section 508 accessibility standards compliant software development methodologies. Interacts with the business analysis team to understand project estimated. This guide provides a list of the testing tools used in the dhs section 508 compliance test process for applications. Revised 508 standards revised january 2017, effective january 2018 revised 508 standards functional performance criteria these best practices were developed by the u. Home s2alliance govt contracting software development. Dhs section 508 compliance testing tools homeland security.
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. Revised section 508 chapter 5 software including mobile. S2alliance will work closely with your organization to identify requirements, design, implement, test, and deploy a custom software solution for your unique needs. Provide training to employees on the section 508 standards, and how to develop and buy accessible technology. When developing, procuring, maintaining, or using electronic and information technology, each federal. Section 508 requires that when federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology, federal employees with disabilities have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access and use by federal employees who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency. Section 508 vpats for intel software development products. This page provides information about dadisps compliance, including a complete voluntary product accessibility template vpat documenting compliance. Section 508 of the rehabilitation act requires that federal agencies meet standards during development, procurement, maintenance, and use of information and communication technology ict.
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. To view the departmental section 508 directive, please view dr 4030001 and the associated section 508 reference manual. A development, procurement, maintenance, or use of electronic and information technology. Developing accessible software tutorial united states access board. Our broad experience and capabilities in the world of systems integration and software development include. It explains the installation steps in detail, and important information to help you download the necessary components from the host websites. This applies to web applications, web pages and all attached files on the intranet, as well as, the internet. Section 508 and wcag compliances in corporate elearning development follow learnercentered approach to ensure your course is accessible to all. The lowstress way to find your next section 508 job opportunity is on simplyhired. Nearly everyone plays a role in carrying out section 508. 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. Tools and resources for developers and content authors to test digital products and content for conformance to section 508 accessibility.
Ken moser, who serves as the active section 508 coordinator for uscis, says the agency started by adding a compliancerelated testing requirement to software contracts. The revised 508 standards include specific requirements for authoring tools see section 504. Address accessibility throughout your agencys software development lifecycle, from acquisition, through development. A voluntary product accessibility template, or vpat, is a standardized form developed by the information technology industry council to show how a software. The united states congress amended the rehabilitation act in 1998 and 2000 to require federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology eit products, such as software, hardware, electronic content, and support documentation, accessible to people with disabilities. A voluntary product accessibility template, or vpat, is a standardized form developed by the information technology industry council to show how a software product meets key regulations of section 508 of the rehabilitation act. A project was assigned with the goal of obtaining information on the requirements for software development contained within section 1194.