Office of the Chief Information Officer &
High Performance Computing and Communications
Section 508 Guidance for Software Developers
Under Section 508, software applications are also required to be accessible to Federal employees with disabilities. Applications must be designed not to interfere with previously- installed assistive technology, and descriptions of the accessibility and compatibility features must be available. In addition, support documentation and services must be available in a format that accommodates people with disabilities.
The Access Board has developed guidance material to help you to understand how to design and develop software applications to meet the Section 508 1194.21 "Software Applications and Operating Systems" technical requirements to ensure the accessible use of Federal EIT. Most of the specifications for software pertain to usability for people with vision impairments. For example, one provision requires alternative keyboard navigation, which is essential for people with vision impairments who cannot rely on pointing devices, such as a mouse. Other provisions address animated displays, color and contrast settings, flash rate, and electronic forms, among others.
Some questions to ask during the design and evaluation phases are: Were commercial repair tools used to aid the evaluation? What parameters were set in the tools regarding the number and types of items to be flagged for attention? Were people with disabilities and people with experience in using assistive technologies involved in the evaluation? What tests were actually utilized?
Remember, you are not developing assistive technology. You must only meet the Section 508 requirements of the Access Board so that your application(s) may be successfully used by a person with a disability.