508 compliance for software

Section 508 voluntary product accessibility template vpat page 4 page 4 section 1194. Smart technologies currently has software and hardware certification in place in most federal agencies. Guide to the section 508 standards subpart a general. Ensure 508 compliance with an accessibility strategy. Any and all digital communications that a company under section 508 jurisdiction creates must be 508 compliant. A trusted tester is a person certified to provide accurate and repeatable section 508 compliance test results for software and web applications.

Previously, section 508 listed a specific set of accessibility requirements that agencies and schools were required to follow for compliance. Jaws, j ob a ccess w ith s peech, is the worlds most popular screen reader, developed for computer users whose vision loss prevents them from seeing. Youll learn what products need to meet 508 compliance standards, how to report 508 compliance, why being compliant with section 508 is important, and how you can. This page provides information about statas compliance, including a complete voluntary product accessibility template vpat documenting compliance. This applies to web applications, web pages and all attached files on the intranet, as well as, the internet. Federal agencies, private entities that receive public funding and independent software vendors are required by law to make. Dhs section 508 compliance test process for applications about this document who should use this document this document has been designed for and is intended for use by dhs trusted testers.

Information that isnt publicly accessible might be 508 compliancerequired as well. These vpat documents describe how our products address section 508 of the u. The purpose of this part is to implement section 508 of the rehabilitation act of 1973, as amended 29 u. Interactivity, especially simulations, quizzes, and tests, can be challenging when designing 508 compliant elearning courses.

In general, all electronic content, and all hardware and software with a user interface, must be accessible. Section 508 support kendo ui accessibility support. With no national legislation focused exclusively on online accessibility and an overall trend toward deregulation, equal website access for. The 2018 update specifies people with disabilities must have full access things like intranets, emergency. Section 508 was originally added as an amendment to the rehabilitation act of 1973 in 1986. It is designed to identify errors in your content related to section 508 standards andor the wcag. The section 508 office of the department of defense chief information officer dod cio ensures comprehensive section 508 management, implementation, and governance infrastructure so that dod components will effect ict accessibility in compliance with section 508 policies, procedures, and performance measures. Section 508 requires the concept of digital accessibility extend to people with cognitive, learning, and language abilities instead of just vision, hearing, and physical disabilities. 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.

This guide provides a list of the testing tools used in the dhs section 508 compliance test process for applications. Smart technologies is committed to simplifying federal government certification and accreditation processes by providing information to comply with your agency requirements. This new section covered all information technology, including computer hardware, software, and documentation. Section 508 compliance and vpat voluntary product accessibility template vpat, developed by the information technology industry council, is standardized form that assists federal contracting officials in making preliminary assessments regarding the availability of a given product and service with features that support accessibility. Lawsuits regarding accessibility on the web are on the rise, and one of the best ways to comply with section 508 of the rehabilitation act of.

Section 508 compliance a quick guide by level access. This includes website content, emails, computer software, gaming systems, apps, and pdf versions of traditionally printed assets. 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. If you are responsible for creating or signing offclearing files, you can use this checklist as part of your process. A screen reader is a software program that enables a blind or visually impaired user to read the text that is displayed on the computer screen with a speech synthesizer or braille display. Both sigmaplot and sigmastat have been designed and tested with section 508 standards in mind. Jira service desk server and data center vpat for section 508 compliance. Applications and systems developed for use by cms websites including portals, exchanges, secure. Achieving complete 508 compliance can be a complicated process to try and undertake on. The original section 508 dealt with electronic and information technologies, in recognition of the growth of this field. While we all know that linear courses that lack interactivity are boring, if 508 compliance is the most critical priority for your client, be sure to make your elearning solution as simple as possible. Section 508 requires that all website content be accessible to people with disabilities. Section 508 compliance approach for webbased applications. The technical requirements generally have to do with definitions of how to properly code interface elements to.

A quick guide to section 508 compliance give us five minutes and well fill you in on section 508 compliance for things like documents, websites, apps, software, and hardware. Accessibility testing for websites and software section508. Guide to the section 508 standards united states access board. Tools and resources for developers and content authors to create accessible digital products and content that conforms to section 508. Dhs section 508 compliance testing tools homeland security. Powerpoint document 508 checklist if you are responsible for creating or signing offclearing files, you can use this checklist as part of your process. All applications developed for cms must be validated for 508 compliance. Section 508 amendment to the rehabilitation act of 1973.

It sets standards that must be followed by every federal government department, as well as every organization that receives federal contracts or funding, and educational institutions that receive federal funding via. Section 508 compliance federal agencies, private entities that receive public funding and independent software vendors are required by law to make information and communication technology ict accessible. Gsa 508 technical tools and resources free testing tools for 508 compliance. Oct 08, 2019 section 508 requires that all website content be accessible to people with disabilities. All publicly accessible blogs and social media posts must all be compliant as well. Jul 12, 2019 section 508 compliance testing checklist.

It explains the installation steps in detail, and important information to help you download the necessary components from the host websites. We are committed to developing products that are accessible to the largest number of users possible and to making our products operate with popular assistive technology products. Pdfs require 508 remediation as they are not accessible by screen readers. Oct, 2016 this guide provides a list of the testing tools used in the dhs section 508 compliance test process for applications. Any newly purchased or developed information and communication technology ict including new versions or releases, must be validated for 508 compliance. Webbased application modules that fail the test criteria outlined in the checklist should be subject to remediation and retested to confirm compliance. Electronic content shall conform to level a and level aa success criteria and conformance requirements in wcag 2. Section 508 support kendo ui accessibility support kendo. 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. The vpat and general accessibility statements for each of. Section 508 compliance testing 508 compliance website. This page has information about the section 508 law, and the va section 508 office. Sigmaplot section 508 compliance systat software, inc. Our design guidelines have been created with accessibility in mind were auditing our products to ensure they are compliant with section 508 and wcag 2.

Commercial off the shelf cots software hardware scanners, printers, copiers, etc. Section 508 is an important amendment to the rehabilitation act that protects the right of people with disabilities to have equal access to electronic and information technology. Software includes, but is not limited to, applications, nonweb software, and platform software. The section 508 compliance checklist for webbased applications shown in appendix b should be used to evaluate each page of the application. Requiring functionality for assistive technology like screen readers and other software. The rehabilitation act was amended in 1998 with the addition of section 508. 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. Listed below are section 508 testing tools available from nongovernment websites. Generally, the bar for accessibility compliance in. In 1997, the federal electronic and information technology accessibility and compliance act was proposed in the u.

Test for accessibility find an overview of testing methods and the tools to test websites, software, and electronic documents for conformance with the revised 508 standards. The following standards are excerpted from section 508 of the rehabilitation act, 1194. 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. Dhs section 508 compliance test process for applications. Jul 15, 2016 interactivity, especially simulations, quizzes, and tests, can be challenging when designing 508 compliant elearning courses. Tools and resources for developers and content authors to test digital products and content for conformance to section 508 accessibility. This includes, but is not limited to, the following. Webbased intranet and internet information and applications 1194. This includes website content, emails, computer software, gaming systems, apps, and. Section 508 compliance federal agencies, private entities that receive public funding and independent software vendors are required by law to make information and. Hisoftware cynthia says portal is a web content accessibility validation solution. Section 508 compliance extends beyond web accessibility and software. The office of the chief information officer ocio is responsible for hhs section 508 compliance.