Dec 18, 2012 examples of eit covered by section 508 main content software applications and operating systems e. The president identified transparency, participation, and collaboration. Accessibility requirements for mobile applications doc. Users with impaired vision can see those tooltips as they hover over the cells. Cms aspires to be a model employer of people with disabilities, as required by section 501 of the. While many of these standards relate to coding and the work of web designers or developers, several standards pertain directly to how content is added to a site. Must portable document format pdf files that are displayed on a federal. The original section 508 amendment was added to the rehabilitation act back in 1986. Must portable document format pdf files that are displayed on a federal website. Providing section 508 program support and coordination between the agency and the business component clearance officer. How to create 508 compliant adobe pdf documents dau home. 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. Section 508 exempts national security systems from its requirements. Color why should color not be used to convey information.
This dual approach recognizes the dynamic and continually evolving nature of the technology involved as well as the need for clear and specific standards to facilitate compliance. Frequent questions about section 508 what is section 508. Please see go to our websitefor details on how our deliverables meet section 508 requirements. Following passage of this landmark statute, the architectural and transportation barriers compliance board the access board was assigned the task of promulgating necessary regulations in order to implement these section 508 compliance requirements. But the court also stated, nothing in section 508 c1 relieves a church from having to meet the requirements of section 501c3. The law strengthens section 508 of the rehabilitation act and requires access to. September 2012 section 508 report to the president and congress. Section 508 applies to any information being distributed electronically. Note, much of this guidance predates the revised 508 standards. The checklist from section a forward is based on the wcag 2. Each section 508 standard is mapped to the dhs pdf testing process for testers who are more familiar with the alphabetical approach. Federal regulations section 508 united states agency for. Only the standards that are applicable to pdfs are listed.
The section 508 standards are part of the federal acquisition regulation far and address access for people with physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities. Commissioner of internal revenue, the united states tax court agreed that, under section 508c1 of the tax code churches do not have to apply for tax exempt status and are considered automatically exempt. The latest update to section 508, known as the refresh, went into effect march 21, 2017. Access boards new rules that updates accessibility requirements for information and communication technology ict in the federal sector covered by section 508 of. This page has information about the section 508 law, and the va section 508 office. To make the most accessible products, know what section 508 requirements apply to your media. With the exception of the contrast requirement, pdfua 1 includes most accessibility requirements relevant to the pdf format, including textual equivalence for static graphical elements. Compliance with section 508 of the rehabilitation act of. Section 508 establishes requirements for any electronic and information.
Additional information on section 508 can be found at the websites for the u. The access boards standards become enforceable on june 21, 2001 see. Narrative software uses the information from the accessibility table fields heading rows, columns, caption alignment and summary to produce a tooltip message for each table cell. Documents that pass all applicable requirements on this list are considered to be in compliance with section 508, as interpreted by hhs. According to the comments about this section of the. This handbook explains the requirements of section 508 of the rehabilitation act and sets forth, in broad outline, the postal services policies on how to comply with them. If youre not sure if you need to be 508 compliant, its best to ask an expert.
Section 508 compliance statement this document applies to the following products. Criminal record statement state law requires that persons associated with licensed facilities or home care aide registry applicants be fingerprinted and disclose any conviction. Department of the interior section 508 policies and helpful links. This handbook explains the requirements of section 508 of the rehabilitation act and sets forth, in broad outline, the. Section 508 outlines the technical standards for accessibility that apply to websites. Access board, the general services administration, and the u. If no is answered to any item, then the site is not 508 compliant. Do the requirements of section 508 apply to acquisitions other than those for eit. In addition to section 508 requirements, hhs has policies, standards, and requirements for electronic documents that include but are not limited to the following. A complete explanation of section 508 is available at. The revised 508 standards contain scoping and technical requirements for information and communication technology ict purchased, built, maintained or used by federal agencies.
December 12, 2017 you may wonder if nonfederal websites are required to comply with the revised 508 standards. 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. Chances are sooner or later youre going to be assigned a project requiring 508 compliant accessibility standards. These pdf forms are fully accessible but there is no computation, validation, or verification of the information you enter. Simply email us a pdf and pick a page youd like us to make section 508 compliant. But the court also stated, nothing in section 508c1 relieves a church from having to meet the requirements of section 501c3.
Introduction to section 508 and information and communication technology ict. Keep reading to learn more about section 508 and accessibility compliance. The following are links to documents that have been used in training others to create section 508 compliant documents such as ones you may need to satisfy reporting requirements. On august 7, 1998, president clinton signed into law the workforce investment. The americans with disabilities act, the architectural barriers act, and the rehabilitation act collectively make the ins and outs of everyday life more accessible for people with disabilities. This includes private contractors, the financial industry, healthcare, many legal organizations, and others. Within these regulations, section 508 of the rehabilitation act of 1973 establishes rules to ensure information and communication technology ict is accessible. Federal government revised 508 standards transition workgroup and gsa, shows how to integrate the standards into an existing 508 program. Home blog do section 508 accessibility standards apply to my website.
Irs section 508 compliant pdf forms internal revenue service. Pdfua clarifies and simplifies the pdfspecific technical requirements to meet wcag 2. As originally written, the enforcement provisions of section 508 would have taken effect on august 7, 2000. Eit accessibility standards implementing section 508 were published by the u. Section 508 was recently refreshed, and the revised 508 standards become effective for federal agencies on january 18, 2018. This applies to web applications, web pages and all attached files on the intranet, as well as, the internet. This manual assigns responsibilities for section 508 management and.
Please visit other pages on the navigation pane to the right titled resources to view more information about accessibility and. Word documents powerpoint presentations excel spreadsheets pdf files. Adobe portable document format pdf documents should be created using adobe acrobat version 6 or later software, or equivalent tools from adobe. Section 508 compliance checklist section 508 self check web accessibility self evaluation form this is a printable form and not an electronic form.
On august 7, 1998, president clinton signed into law the rehabilitation act amendments of 1998. Directive 2007003 creating accessible pdf files for specific guidance. Cms pdf file 508 checklist 1 cms pdf file 508 checklist document information. Using technology to enhance value is an integral part of the postal service s transformation plan. Four page guide to section 508 rules and regulations. Aided by technology, electronic communication has become both a supplement to the traditional paperbased exchange of ideas and a communication channel for access to the postal service itself. Section 508 information technology access 1 what is section 508.
Our nation, our warriorsespecially our wounded warriors, count on us to do the right thing and supporting section 508 is the right thing to do, said takai. Nov 12, 20 chances are sooner or later youre going to be assigned a project requiring 508 compliant accessibility standards. In light of the need to include people with disabilities in the work of the postal service, section 508 of the rehabilitation act requires that all. Below is a table summarizing section 508 requirements for federal government web sites.
Specifically, section 508 deals with electronic and services, including web page content, pdf documents and audio and video content and specifies requirements to ensure that all web content is accessible to people with disabilities. Documents distributed via email includes broadcast messages and any attachments. Section 508 technical reference guide handbook as508a september 2004 transmittal letter a. On august 7, 1998, the president signed into law the workforce investment act of 1998, which includes the rehabilitation act amendments of 1998. Section 508 of the rehabilitation act requires agencies to give disabled employees and members of the public access to information that is. Introduction this article is intended to supplement previous eoatri and eo cpe articles concerning irc 508 and to discuss several issues regarding the notice requirements of that section. Agencies must comply with these standards to ensure our technology is accessible and usable by individuals with disabilities. Release of new section 508 awareness computerbased training. It also impacts any company that does business with a federal agency. Using practical examples, this course explains how section 508 requirements apply to micropurchases of hardware, software, and other ict.
About the section 508 standards united states access board. This document must be completed by the requesting official purchase requestor and provided to the. Dec 12, 2012 commissioner of internal revenue, the united states tax court agreed that, under section 508 c1 of the tax code churches do not have to apply for tax exempt status and are considered automatically exempt. I508, request for waiver of certain rights, privileges. The purpose of this document is to ensure cms compliance with federal requirements relative to any purchase of electronic and information technology eit. However, people with disabilities also are at significant risk of being excluded if. Do section 508 accessibility standards apply to my website. Accessibility web standards web site information ca dept. This includes, but is not limited to, the following. The checklist below, a series of tables, is based on the content of the pdf. The checklist below, a series of tables, is based on the content of the web pagesite. This amendment strengthened section 508 and required that access to eit be provided by the.
The following checklist should be used department wide by hhs staff to verify that pdf documents meet the requirements established by hhs. However, pdfua 1 does not address scripting or the use of pdf files as a container for video. Register for archive section 508 refresh understanding the new requirements. The forms on this page are provided in adobe acrobat portable document format. Jan 18, 2018 content that was compliant with cdes prior web standards and has not been updated after january 18, 2018. The president identified transparency, participation, and. Since section 508 of the rehabilitation act of 1973 only applies to federal agencies, the short answer is no. All electronic communication and documentation created by cms employees and contractors must be 508 compliant. January 2002 new note to readers this document is a consolidation of acquisitionrelated questions that have been posed by agencies, contractors, and members of the disability. 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. You may need a pdf reader to view some of the files on this page. Section 508 acquisition faqs acquisition of electronic and information technology under section 508 of the rehabilitation act questions and answers update. Handbook as508a section 508 technical reference guide. Aug 23, 20 this section provides technical specifications and performancebased requirements, which focus on the functional capabilities of covered technologies.
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. A conviction is any plea of guilty or nolo contendere no contest or a verdict of guilty. 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. This guide recaps relevant web content accessibility guidelines wcag requirements and calls out specific considerations for content, design, and development. How does the refreshed section 508 rule affect your. Section 508 508 statute php, 508 statute pdf requires that federal agencies. Section 508 refresh understanding the new requirements. 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.
The more 508 compliant your eit systems are, the quicker employees can. 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. Technology is deemed to be accessible if it can be used as effectively by. Accessibility at penn state section 508 summary requirements. To fully integrate 508 requirements into the development. Oct 08, 2019 section 508 requires that all website content be accessible to people with disabilities. S citizen working for a foreign government mission or international organization and are a.
They contain technical criteria specific to various types of technologies and performancebased requirements which focus on functional capabilities of covered products. Ssas guide to applying section 508 standards introduction ii section 508 ssa requirements and testing guidelines introduction the purpose of this document is to give vendors a significant and meaningful example of the features which ssa tests for in evaluating products for section 508 compliance. Section 508 was originally added to the rehabilitation act in 1986. Pdf compliance checklist section 508 compliant document. Please be aware that the primary requirment for producing a compliant document is a logical document structure. Reviewing new purchase requests originating within the usda business component to ensure usda compliance with federal section 508 requirements.
Section 508 requires federal agencies to make their ict such as technology, online training and websites accessible for everyone. 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. Providing technical assistance on section 508 issues within the agency. The resources in this section were developed by federal agencies and shared here for your convenience.
The doc accessibility and section 508 website focuses on section 508 laws, accessibility standards and guidelines and contains resources for understanding and implementing the requirements of section 508 of the rehabilitation act. Pdf allows the publisher to ensure that a document looks the same online as it does in print form. 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. General and keyboard navigation checks should be performed on all pages no matter what is present in the actual content.
Follow the revised 508 standards to ensure your information and communication technology ict is accessible and usable by individuals with disabilities. For a full list of the section 508 standards of the rehabilitation act. On april 2, 1999, the attorney general issued a memorandum to the heads of all federal agencies advising them of the requirements of section 508 and providing instructions for conducting selfevaluations of their electronic and information technology. All functional organizations can use the information in this handbook to understand, achieve, and maintain section 508 compliance. In 1998, congress amended the rehabilitation act of 1973 to require federal agencies to make their electronic and. The us access board established the section 508 standards that implement the law and provides the requirements for accessibility. Page 1 of 6 waiver of certain rights, privileges, exemptions, and immunities department of homeland security u. Color should not be used to convey unique information because individuals who may be color blind may not be able to distinguish the color conveying the information. Conformance to requirements for softwareauthoring tools requirement in the revised 508 standards.
The office of the chief information officer ocio is responsible for hhs section 508 compliance. Section 508 was added in 1987 as an amendment to the rehabilitation act of 1973. This section provides references and guidance toward accomplishing that goal. Background irc 508 a provides generally that an organization organized after october. 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. In addition to section 508 requirements, hhs has policies, standards, and requirements for electronic documents that include but are not. 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. 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. Guidance should include, among other things, adobe acrobat files. Employees who suddenly become disabled, either because of a stroke, car accident, sports injury, or sudden loss of hearing or vision, etc, will be better equipped to perform their jobs if they can return to work in an environment with 508 compliant eit. 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. Compliance with section 508 of the rehabilitation act of 1973. The section 508 standards are the technical requirements and criteria used to measure ict accessibility conformance within this law.
As we increase our reliance on electronic information systems to help us manage information and costs, improve service, and carry out our. Citizenship and immigration services uscis form i508 omb no. Without running the text recognition function, scanned text is simply an image and therefore not accessible. All federal employees who are purchase card holders and are responsible for procuring ict must be aware of their responsibilities regarding section 508 and accessibility. Get a free demonstration using your document or form. Nov 20, 2017 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 the updated section 508 standards map to wcag 2.
Adobe acrobat reader does not includeany accessibility validation tools and therefore it is not used to test pdfs in this test process. A beginners guide to section 508 and accessibility compliance. Use this form to waive certain diplomatic rights privileges, exemptions, and immunities associated with your occupational status including any exemption from paying u. It also clarifies how developers should work together with designers and content creators to ensure that federal websites and digital products meet the revised 508 standards.
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