Section 508 FactsPhotos of US Capitol and of a document (law) being signedUnderstanding Section 508 and the Access Board's Standards    PDF Version

Purpose

Section 508 requires Federal departments and agencies that develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology to ensure that Federal employees and members of the public with disabilities have access to and use of information and data, comparable to that of the employees and members of the public without disabilities–unless it is an undue burden to do so.

Who is Covered?

Exceptions include some military functions, products owned by contractors incidental to a contract, and "back-office" equipment.

What is Covered?

Complaints and lawsuits can only be filed against products that are procured.

Federal agencies are not required to "retrofit" existing technologies.

What are the Technical Standards?

Section 508 standards are technical specifications and performance-based requirements which focus on the functional capabilities covered by technologies. The standards are organized into six sections:

Important Dates

When an employee or member of the public files a complaint claiming an agency's procurement is not in compliance, the process for handling that complaint will follow already established procedures that exist under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

What Do the Numbers Say?

Section 508 implementation is critical in the era of reliance on information techPhotos of a man with a vision impairment 
walking with cane and of a worker at a computer station equipped with assistive technologynology.

Section 508 Technical Assistance

www.access-board.gov
www.section508.gov
www.ittatc.org