7.7. Accessibility of Electronic and Information Technology
7.7. Accessibility of Electronic and Information Technology
In accordance with Section 508 of Public Law 105-220, "The Workforce Investment Act of 1998,"now codified as Title 29 USC Sec. 794d, “When developing, procuring, maintaining, or using electronic and information technology, each Federal department or agency, shall ensure, unless an undue burden would be imposed, that the electronic and information technology (E&IT) allows, regardless of the type of medium of the technology--
(i) individuals with disabilities who are Federal employees to have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access to and use of the information and data by Federal employees who are not individuals with disabilities; and
(ii) individuals with disabilities who are members of the public seeking information or services from a Federal department or agency to have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access to and use of the information and data by such members of the public who are not individuals with disabilities” (http://www.justice.gov/crt/508/508law.php).
Section 508 does NOT however, in accordance with DoDM 8400.01-M, “Procedures for Ensuring the Accessibility of Electronic and Information Technology (E&IT) Procured by DoD Organizations”, apply to the following:
(1) Any E&IT operated by agencies, the function, operation, or use of which involves intelligence activities, cryptologic activities related to national security, command and control of military forces, equipment that is an integral part of a weapon or weapons system, or systems critical to the direct fulfillment of military or intelligence missions. Systems that are critical to the direct fulfillment of military or intelligence missions do not include systems used for routine administrative and business applications (including payroll, finance, logistics, and personnel management applications).
(2) E&IT acquired by a contractor incidental to a contract. For example, if a firm is contracted to develop a website for the Department of Defense, the website created must be fully compliant with Section 508; however, the firm's own website is not required to be Section 508-compliant.
(3) E&IT located in spaces frequented only by service personnel for maintenance, repair, or occasional monitoring of equipment.
The law further directs the United States Access Board to develop standards to support Section 508. For Requiring Officials who will be acquiring E&IT, the General Services Administration provides a website for assistance in developing Section 508 language in DoD contracts. Included at this site is the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template or VPAT, which helps PMs identify products and vendors that comply with this Federal law. Additional guidance on the DoD Section 508 program is provided in DoD Section 508 Manual (DoDM 8400.01-M) dated June 3, 2011.
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