Top 10 CIO Strategies For Implementing Section 508
1. Adopt a Social Responsibility Perspective for Accessibility
Agencies unintentionally erect barriers to participation and
inclusion for people with disabilities; however, a shift in perspective
can fundamentally change their approach to accessibility (i.e., the
staircase creates the barrier, not the wheelchair). Agencies that adopt a
proactive position—actively seeking to prevent access barriers—will do
much better than those who address accessibility as an accommodation
“they have to do.”
2. Manage Accessibility
The Section 508 office must be visible, backed by policies that lend
it authority, and have access to IT decision-makers. There are many
accessibility stakeholders within an agency, and to establish and
maintain relationships with those components, organizational placement
and structure are primary concerns for management.
3. Treat Accessibility like Security
Much like security, agencies dedicate resources to accessibility and Section 508 reluctantly. They see it as a legal obligation while overlooking the benefits—improved usability for all users, increased productivity for employees with disabilities, and better online access to Internet government services. Under resourcing accessibility underestimates the consequences—slipping project schedules, cost overruns to retrofit projects whose design did not include accessibility, and the consequences of legal action that can include judges making agency IT decisions.
4. Design and Plan for Accessibility
Designing for accessibility starts at the concept phase, and thus
requires formal inclusion in multiple phases of an organization’s
development and procurement life cycles. Having a single process
approval gate at the end of a project is not sufficient, because by then
it is too late. Large and important project approval will likely trump
retrofitting for accessibility, and adopting an inaccessible project
exposes the agency to avoidable legal risk. Retrofitting applications
and remediating accessibility issues is more costly, difficult, and time
consuming than addressing accessibility at a project’s design phase, so
take a proactive approach and place accessibility requirements into the
life cycle early and often.
5. Procure Accessible Electronic and Information Technology (E&IT)
Section 508 uses the “power of the purse” to improve the
accessibility of products and services in the marketplace, but it is
only effective when applied uniformly across many agencies. Do more than
ask about accessibility; establish product and service accessibility
criteria and validate accessibility claims with testing. Accessibility
does not terminate with the purchase of products. Regardless of whether
an agency or vendor performs integration, the agency must establish
implementation guidance and acceptance criteria.
6. Impose Targeted Standards
Ensure Section 508 standards are included in your agency policies,
development life cycle processes, and as minimum requirements for all
procurements. Describe how the agency will interpret the Section 508
standards and how they integrate with other agency specific
accessibility requirements. Specify how the agency will evaluate
accessibility requirements.
7. Test and Validate
An agency must evaluate and test products, applications, and
electronic content if it wants positive and measurable accessibility
outcomes. Vendor claims and, for that matter, agency development group
claims are meaningless without scrutiny and a method to measure
accessibility progress. As you prioritize what is tested, understand
that validation is fundamental to improving accessibility.
8. Study and Use Best Practices
Successful accessibility programs have many practices in common.
Benefit from the best practices applicable to your agency, continue to
evaluate and mature your accessibility program by learning from other
agencies, and participate in communities of practice.
9. Participate in and Join Communities of Practice
Communities of practice are important for sharing ideas, expertise,
and creating a uniform marketplace for E&IT. Participate in Section
508 Coordinator workshops, interagency ad hoc committees, and comment on
Notices of Public Rule Making. Consider participating in communities of
practice beyond US Federal agencies. Section 508 spotlights the federal
sector, but outside communities of practice are eager for agency
participation. Take advantage of their wealth of expertise, creativity,
technical guidance, process approaches, and policy examples.
10. Employ People with Disabilities
Actively recruit qualified individuals with disabilities. President Obama signed Executive Order 13548 (Increasing Federal Employment of Individuals with Disabilities) with the intention of making the US Federal government a model employer for people with disabilities. Agencies have many tools to help them actively recruit these qualified applicants. Visit Disability.gov for more information.