Section 508 Amendment to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

Section 508 is the short name for US Public Law 105-220 (http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/508/508law.html), a series of amendments to Section 508 of The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (http://www.blind.net/bg320001.htm) which were enacted in August 1998. It is also known as The Workforce Investment Act of 1998.

Contents

1 History 2 The law 3 Summary of Section 508 technical standards 4 Frequently asked questions

History

Section 508 was originally added as an amendment to The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, in 1986. The original Section 508 was added to The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to prevent employment dicrimination by parties having contracts with the U. S. Federal Government and by programs and activities receiving Federal funding. The original section 508 dealt with electronic and information technologies, in recognition of the growth of this field.

In 1997, The Federal Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility and Compliance Act was proposed in the U. S. legislature to correct the shotcomings of the original section 508; the original Section 508 had turned out to be mostly ineffective, in part due to the lack of enforcement mechanisms. In the end, this Federal Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility and Compliance Act, with revisions, was enacted as the new Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, in 1998.

The law

Section 508 requires that electronic and information technology developed, procured, used, or maintained by all agencies and departments of the Federal Government be accessible both to Federal employees with disabilities and to members of the public with disabilites, and that these two groups have equal use of such technologies as federal employees and members of the public that do not have disabilities.

• Qualifications
  • National Security Systems is exempt from this legislature.
  • In the case that implementation of such standards causes "undue hardship" to the Federal agency or department involved, such Federal agencies or departments is required to supply the data and information to covered disabled persons, by alternative means that allow them to make use of such information and data.
• Provisions

The original legislation mandated that the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, known as the Access Board (http://www.access-board.gov/), establish a draft for their Final Standards (http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/508standards.htm) for accessibility for such electronic and information technologies in December 2001. The final standards were approved in April 2001 and became enforceable on June 25, 2001.

The latest information about these standards and about support available from the Access Board in implementing them, as well as, the results of surveys conducted to assess compliance is available from the Board's newletter Access Currents (http://www.access-board.gov/news/Access%20Currents/General.htm). The Section 508 Standards, tools, and resources are available from The Center for Information Technology Accommodation (CITA), in the U.S. General Services Administration's Office of Governmentwide Policy at section508.gov (http://www.section508.gov).

Summary of Section 508 technical standards

• Software Applications and Operating Systems: includes usability for people that are visually impaired, such as alternative keyboard navigation.

• Web-based Intranet and Internet Information and Applications: assures accessibility to web page graphics by the visually impaired using assistive technology such as screen readers and refreshable Braille displays. This is accomplished by using text lables and descriptors for graphics.

• Telecommunications Products: addresses accessibility for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. This includes technology compatibility with hearing aids, assistive listening devices, and TTYs.

• Videos or Multimedia Products: includes requirements for captioning of multimedia products such as training or informational multimedia productions. Captioning or video descriptors must be able to be turned on or off.

• Self Contained, Closed Products: products with imbedded software, such as information kiosks, copiers, and fax machines, often cannot be used with assistive technology. This standard requires that access features be built into these systems.

• Desktop and Portible Computers: discusses accessibility related to mechanically operated controls such as keyboards and touch screens.

Frequently asked questions

• Is this part of the ADA?

No, it is not. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a different piece of legislation. This is an amendment to The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, of which Section 504, of the original act, laid some of the groundwork for the ADA, in the areas of rehabilitation, training and employment of the disabled people.

• Is this related to, or the same as, the WWW Consortium's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines?

No. These WAI guidelines were considered in establishing the Access Boards Standards, as well as other resources. But the W3C's Web Content Accessibilies Guidelines are completely voluntary. On the other hand, the Section 508 Standards are enforceable as law and there are monetary penalties for non-compliance to the Access Board Standards. Under Section 508, covered parties alleging discrimination may institute civil suits based on alleged damages and, if successful, receive monetary awards.