healthfinder.gov is a free guide to reliable
health information, developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services. The site provides an easy-to-use, searchable index of carefully
reviewed health information from over 1,500 government agencies, nonprofit
organizations, and universities.
For Alternative Access to Web Documents
The actual information indexed by healthfinder.gov
generally is produced by and resides on Web sites of other organizations. If you wish to request information in an alternative
format pursuant to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, we recommend that you—
- Contact the sponsoring organization listed as part of each item in any healthfinder.gov
search results page. For example, the sponsoring organization in
this example item is the National Cancer Institute. Just select
the organization name to read its contact information in the healthfinder.gov
database.
NCI Cancer Facts
Also available in:
Spanish
A wide range of accurate, credible cancer information from
peer-reviewed PDQ® summaries on state-of-the-art care,
cancer fact sheets and other publications. Information is
based on the results of
details...
National Cancer
Institute, National Institutes of Health
If you can not identify or contact the sponsoring organization, you may—
- Send an e-mail to healthfinder@nhic.org,
or
- Write to healthfinder.gov, National
Health Information Center, P.O. Box 1133, Washington, DC 20013-1133.
- Contact the HHS Help
Desk.
Synopsis of Section 508 Accessibility Requirements
Section 508 requires
that when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and
information technology (EIT), Federal employees with disabilities have
comparable access to and use of information and data as Federal employees who
have no disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency.
Section 508 also requires that individuals with disabilities, who are members of
the public seeking information or services from a Federal agency, have
comparable access to and use of information and data as the public without
disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency.
Although Federal agencies have an explicit statutory obligation to make all
EIT that they develop, maintain or use compliant with Section 508, the current
emphasis is on newly procured EIT because it is the category that is explicitly
enforceable by legal action. Procurement awards made on or after June 25, 2001,
are subject to Section 508 (see FAR
Final Rule).
According to the Access Board, the
Section 508 requirements do not apply retroactively to pre-existing EIT.
Specifically, the "Electronic
and Information Technology Accessibility Standards: Economic Assessment,"
states that—
"The standards
are to be applied prospectively and do not require Federal agencies to
retrofit existing electronic and information technology. As agencies upgrade
and change their electronic and information technology, they must comply
with the standards."
(See Chapter
2.1. Final Standards)
It should be noted, however, that other Federal regulations and guidelines
(e.g., Section 501
and Section 504
of the Rehabilitation Act) require equal access for individuals with
disabilities. Therefore, Federal agencies are required, upon request, to provide
information and data to individuals with disabilities through an alternative
means of access that can be used by the individuals.