Accessibility (Section 508 Compliance)

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All Electronic and Information Technology (E&IT) systems comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (i.e., 29 U.S.C. 794d), unless exempt under FAR (Subpart 39.204, para (b)) as a military system or National Security System. Compliance with Section 508 provides access by Federal employees with disabilities and the public to information and data that able-bodied persons can access through E&IT systems. Section 508 should be considered as a design requirement, addressed at each technical review and clearly stated in the Acquisition Strategy and Systems Engineering Plan.

Program Managers (PMs) should ensure Section 508 compliance, unless exempt, while Systems Engineers are responsible for implementation through use of standards and compliant tools and products.

Resources to aid programs in complying are in SE Guidebook, Table 5-2. Additional information on accessibility is found in DoDI 5000.82, Section 3.13, and DoDI 5000.95, Human Systems Integration in Defense Acquisition.

Table 5-2 Links to Section 508 Government Resources

Description of Link Active Link
Section 508 technical standards https://www.access-board.gov/
Federal rules for Section 508 implementation hosted by GSA has:
  • Roles and responsibilities of procurement officials and engineers
  • 508 best practices
  • Products and techniques
 https://www.section508.gov/
The "Buy Accessible System" GSA site has free tools and guides for conduct of Section 508-compliant acquisitions as well as on-line training and help desk https://www.section508.gov/buy/
Department of Health and Human Services has:
  • Checklists
  • Code library
  • Test tools
 http://www.hhs.gov/
found by searching on "section 508"
Department of Justice home page for ADA has federal laws and pending legislation https://www.ada.gov/
Department of Veteran Affairs reports on Section 508 products and tools and tracks user comments http://www.section508.va.gov/

Products and Tasks

Product Tasks
10-1-1: Documented program accessibility requirements in the system specification
  1. Evaluate the overall system and the different parts of the system to determine FAR 39.204 exemption as a military system or national security system.
  2. Document parts of the system that are FAR exempted from Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance requirements.
  3. Determine and document each part of the system with human interface requirements.
  4. Evaluate the system’s operator and maintainer population characteristics to determine accessibility requirements.
  5. Analyze, determine, and document specific accessibility requirements in accordance with section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (as amended 36 CFR part 1194) for each major part of the system including training, and maintenance sub-systems.
  6. Document all parts of the system and interfaces requiring ADA and 508 compliance, and submit to decision maker for inclusion in the system specification.
10-1-2: System design to facilitate accessibility
  1. Identify specific parts of the design needing to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements and section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (as amended 36 CFR part 1194).
  2. Develop specific design options for each sub-system and component of the system affected by accessibility requirements.
  3. Evaluate, analyze and prioritize the accessibility design options.
  4. Make final design recommendations and present to decision maker.
  5. Update designs to incorporate approved accessibility features.
10-1-3: Verification of system accessibility compliance
  1. Develop and document a plan for testing and verifying the systems compliance with documented accessibility requirements.
  2. Develop the accessibility compliance test plan, and verify its incorporation in the system test and evaluation master plan (TEMP) in accordance with current guidance.
  3. Conduct and document the system accessibility testing.
  4. Verify that the system meets documented accessibility requirements.

Source: AWQI eWorkbook

Resources

Policy and Guidance

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