ADA Question of the Month

QUESTION:

What is Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act?

ANSWER:

Section 508 is a U.S. law requiring federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology (ICT) accessible to people with disabilities

This covers things like websites, software, videos, and electronic documents.

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires that electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained or used by the federal government must be accessible to people with disabilities, unless it would pose an undue burden to do so. This relates to both employees of federal agencies and customers of federal agencies who use information technology devices like computers, software, websites, applications, kiosks, electronic voting booths, telecommunications, video, and electronic documents (PDFs, Word, etc.)to access government information and interact with government agencies. This includes comparable access for people with disabilities, including visual, auditory, physical, and cognitive impairments

Some examples of requirements include software that must be operable via keyboard, web content must provide text alternatives for non-text elements (like images), videos with audio need captions and transcripts, and documents must be structured for screen readers.

Comprehensive information about Section 508 can be found on the Section 508 website maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA).

For additional information contact Dana Gover, MPA, ADAC, Training & Technical Assistance Consultation Northwest ADA Center-Idaho Email: dananwadacenteridaho@gmail.com ADA TA Hotline: voice and text 208-841-9422