Section 508 Homepage:  Electronic and Information Technology

Standards issued by the Board under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act cover access to electronic and information technology procured by Federal agencies.  These standards are part of the Federal government’s procurement regulations.  The Board is conducting a joint update of these standards and its guidelines for telecommunications products.

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Update of the Standards

• Notice on the Release of 2011 Draft     PDF version
• 2011 Draft Updated Standards and Guidelines (available for public comment until March 7, 2012)     PDF version
• Public Comments on the 2011 Draft (Regulations.gov)
• Notice of Public Hearings
• Press Release

Background Material

• 2010 Draft ANPRM
  • Notice on the Release of 2010 Draft     PDF version
  • 2010 Draft Updated Standards and Guidelines     PDF version
  • Public Comments on the 2010 Draft
• Advisory Committee (2006 – 2008)
  • Advisory Committee (TEITAC) Report
  • Committee Members
  • Index to materials from advisory committee meetings

Current Standards

• Section 508 Standards     PDF version     Text-to-Speech     Brailler Format
  • Spanish:  HTML     Text-to-Speech     Brailler Format
  • Japanese:  HTML     Text-to-Speech     Brailler Format
• Preamble (published discussion of the standards)

About the Current Standards

• An Overview
• Guide to the Standards
• Accessible Telecommunications Product Design Tutorial
• Developing Accessible Software Tutorial
• E-Learning: Conforming to Section 508

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act

• The Law
• Federal Acquisition Regulation (rule incorporating the standards into the Federal government’s procurement regulations)
• Frequently Asked Questions (Section508.gov)
• Section 508 Facts – Brochure     PDF version

Other Resources

• Section508.gov (Federal Information Technology Accessibility Initiative)
• BuyAccessible.gov (a web-based 508 compliance tool for procurements)
  • Accessibility Forum 2.0 (Conversational blog about Section 508 from the BuyAccessible Team)
• Information Technology Technical Assistance and Training Center
• Communication and Information Technology
• Disability Organizations

Technical Assistance

Access Board

For questions or additional information about the 508 Standards, contact the Access Board:

Section 508 Coordinators

Many Federal agencies have designated Section 508 coordinators who can provide guidance on Section 508 and its implementation and who can be reached through the Section508.gov web site.