Building Section 508 in your Agency

Five steps
•	Awareness and Executive buy-in
•	Acquisitions Changes
•	Define Compliance
•	Training
•	Exception handling

Awareness and Executive buy-in
•	Issue policy requiring PROACTIVE actions to implement 508
•	Add Section 508 metrics into SES performance template
•	Get CIO Office to include 508 in CPIC Reviews
•	Identify gatekeepers (contracting officers, webmasters, IT directors) that can ensure 508 is done.

Acquisitions Changes
•	Mandate a PAT – nothing voluntary about it!
•	Make sure it is filled out to your agencies specifications
•	Make it a requirement for consideration of an offer
•	Put vendors on notice that any failure to meet the stated PAT must be remediated at no cost to the gov’t.
•	Require 508 in Acquisition Planning Documents

Acquisitions Changes
•	Include 508 outputs in Life Cycle milestones
•	Make streamlined procedures for electronic documents
•	Not bought by IT-savvy programs
•	Not developed by accessibility experts
•	Generally doesn’t require a PAT

Define Compliance
•	Include Access Board standards in Enterprise Architecture
•	Build checklists for the standards, showing how accessibility will be tested
•	Let contracts for testing – don’t make your people become experts in accessibility
•	Use specialized checklists for commonly-used technologies (e.g. PDF documents)
•	Make checklists public so vendors, staff, and the public know your requirements.

Training
•	Make a “basic” course for staff
•	No more than 1 hour
•	Require attendance for COTR renewal, SES performance, and Credit Card renewal
•	Covers the “What”, not the “How”
•	Do short classes on Accessible electronic documents
•	How-to, as well as How-to-check
•	Do separate classes on formats (PPT, Word, PDF, etc)

Training
•	Make an “Advanced” course for people who buy EIT on a regular basis.
•	As long as necessary
•	Required for:
•	IT Project Officers, 
•	BPA Administrators, 
•	Contracting Officers handling IT acquisitions

Exception handling
•	Identify Senior Manager (SES) to authorize exceptions
•	Operational staff can request but not approve
•	Deny Undue Burden and severely limit National Security
•	Have audits on exception processing by an independent office (IG office, EEO Director, Etc.)

Building Section 508 in your Agency
MARK D. URBAN
OFFICE OF DISABILITY

US DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
AND HUMAN SERVICES

HTTP://508.HHS.GOV/