They will address how the standards are used in the acquisition of information technology, interpretations of various provisions in the standards, how to validate conformance with section 508 and various types of testing tools, resources that are available to help users understand and implement section 508, and other topics. Guide to the section 508 standards subpart a general. Test for accessibility find an overview of testing methods and the tools to test websites, software, and electronic documents for conformance with the revised 508 standards. The first version of the harmonized baseline was developed in 2009 to establish consistency in section 508 conformance testing within the federal government. Section 508 compliance testing is your organization. Note that the baseline is not a test process and does not include testing tools. As an option, we can apply the fixes to your software section 508 remediation in order to bring it into full compliance with the section 508 standard.
Home schedule section 508 questions and answers with the access board and gsa. These rules are more pertaining to information accessibility implying that information needs to be accessible to all individuals inclusive of individuals with disabilities. Section 508 software applications and operating systems 1194. May 26, 2017 any and all digital communications that a company under section 508 jurisdiction creates must be 508 compliant. Section 508 covers technology procured by a federal agency under contract with a private entity or produced within the agency itself.
More details of that effort and outcome are available in the harmonized testing process for section 508 compliance. Section 508 was originally added as an amendment to the rehabilitation act of 1973 in 1986. To work toward compliance, we recommend incorporating accessibility testing into existing testing processes. Oct 08, 2019 section 508 requires that all website content be accessible to people with disabilities. The original section 508 dealt with electronic and information technologies, in recognition of the growth of this field. We conduct all the applicable tests, then identify and suggest section 508 fixes for software applications and web content. Section 508 compliance approach for webbased applications. On january 9th 2017 the access board released a final rule that updates accessibility requirements covered by section 508 of the rehabilitation act of 1973 along with guidelines for telecommunications equipment subject to section 255 of the communications act of 1934. This includes website content, emails, computer software, gaming systems, apps, and pdf versions of traditionally printed assets. On december 21, 2000, the technical standards for implementing section 508 of the rehabilitation act of 1973 as amended by the workforce investment act of 1998 were published in the federal register. Section 508 requires that when federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology, federal employees with disabilities have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to.
Provide technical guidance, tools and resources to assist with section 508 compliance throughout the agency. Give practical suggestions to improve accessibility and check 508 compliance. Section 508 is the governing principle and it requires that all government information be accessible to disabled users. Guide to the section 508 standards united states access. Section 508 compliance section 508 is a law that must be followed by federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain or use eit. Take advantage of high volume automated 508 compliance scanning tools, but be aware of their limitations. Section 508 requires that all website content be accessible to people with disabilities. Section 508 questions and answers with the access board. Accessibility testing for websites and software section508. Getting the guidelines uptodate updating the guidelines is an important part of the reboot of our usability. This law is broader than the rehab act and applies if you operate a business or nonprofit agency, or manage a state or local government department, and provide services to the general public. Provide automated detection of accessibility issues. If you already know about wcag youre in great shape.
Section 508 questions and answers with the access board and gsa. Where an application permits the user to adjust color and contrast, the range of choices should be broad enough to accommodate low vision users. Testpros understands that compliance is based on the premise that software, hardware and document accessibility is part of each it requirement, and should be addressed up front as part of the system development life cycle. Jul 12, 2019 section 508 compliance testing checklist. Pdfs require 508 remediation as they are not accessible by screen readers.
Automated scanning tools cannot apply human subjectivity, and therefore either produce excessive false positives orwhen configured to eliminate false positives test for only a small portion of the requirements. It explains the installation steps in detail, and important information to help you download the necessary components from the host websites. This part of test cases are based on the section 508 technical standards. The section 508 website provides a dedicated page on section 508 compliance testing, including testing guidelines for websites, software, and electronic documents. When states wanted to require accessible information technology, they turned to the section 508 accessibility standards to define accessibility. The office of the chief information officer ocio is responsible for hhs section 508 compliance. Section 508 amendment to the rehabilitation act of 1973.
Reveal what a screen reader should say for interactive elements. This site supports training resources operated by the. The ict testing baseline describes how to evaluate conformance to the revised 508 standards, which align with wcag 2. Trusted tester and ict testing baseline section508. But 508 covers all information technology and it is the only standard that does so. It sets standards that must be followed by every federal government department, as well as every organization that receives federal contracts or funding, and educational institutions that receive federal funding via. Gsa 508 technical tools and resources free testing tools for 508 compliance. Computer software, hardware, and documentation are all covered by section 508. Iterators is a trusted tester tt certified by the department of homeland security dhs and provides a code inspectionbased test approach for determining software and website conformance to the section 508 standards. Listed below are section 508 testing tools available from nongovernment websites.
It is designed to identify errors in your content related to section 508 standards andor the wcag. Any truly comprehensive testing plan must include both automated and manual testing, preferably including testers with disabilities. Section 508 compliance a quick guide by level access. Any truly comprehensive testing plan must include both automated and manual testing, preferably including testers with. This course is designed to enable students to install or coordinate the installation of the required software used for testing web sites and web applications for section 508 conformance, and to validate that the. An introduction to 508 compliance testing testlodge blog. Federal laws, including section 508 of the rehabilitation act, mandate that people with disabilities have access to the same information that someone without a disability would have. Nov 29, 2016 even if you dont care about section 508 software compliance, you likely have responsibilities under the americans with disabilities act ada.
The following standards are excerpted from section 508 of the rehabilitation act, 1194. Compare criterions premium section 508 compliance solutions to our competitors section 508 manual accessibility testing. A comprehensive checklist for testing section 508 compliance can be found at the hhs. Section 508 is an important amendment to the rehabilitation act that protects the right of people with disabilities to have equal access to electronic and information technology. Oct 31, 2018 the section 508 website provides a dedicated page on section 508 compliance testing, including testing guidelines for websites, software, and electronic documents. Testing for web accessibility compliance under section 508. It applies to all electronic and information technology eit including software, web sites, web applications, and hardware applications such as computers, networks, peripherals, and other types of electronic. Guide to the section 508 standards united states access board. Apply to tester, senior tester, section 508 testing sme and more. In essence, being 508 compliant and implementing 508 testing in your organisation is a positive way to make your digital products and information technology as accessible as possible. Four wcag testers, including expert endusers with disabilities and senior application developers, manually test all unique web pages not just a small sample and upload their accessibility test results to our customized online portal.
Dhsatt150a and trusted tester tools for web on windows. It is organized by categories to help you easily identify applicable requirements. This guide provides a list of the testing tools used in the dhs section 508 compliance test process for applications. Section 508 of the rehabilitation act of 1973, as amended 29 u. This page has information about the section 508 law, and the va section 508 office. And some of these test cases are combined with assistive technology, such as screen reader, screen magnifier, etc.
The dhs application testing script consists of fourteen main testing sections. Any and all digital communications that a company under section 508 jurisdiction creates must be 508 compliant. Section 508 testing department of homeland security. National clearinghouse of rehabilitation training materials 2,505 views 1. Section 508 testing section 508 is a set of standards laid out by the us federal govt which must be followed while developing webpages websites.
This applies to web applications, web pages and all attached files on the intranet, as well as, the internet. In 1997, the federal electronic and information technology accessibility and compliance act was proposed in the u. Eas section 508 team our enterprise applications services eas section 508 team works closely with the usda section 508 program office to ensure quality and continuity in our testing efforts. Accessibility testing for websites and software web designers, developers, and content managers play a key role in ensuring websites and digital tools are accessible, and conform to the revised 508 standards and the w3c web content accessibility guidelines wcag 2. Technology is deemed to be accessible if it can be used as effectively by. Section 508 was updated in 2018 explicitly referencing the web content accessibility guidelines wcag 2. Section 508 compliance testing 508 compliance website. Hisoftware cynthia says portal is a web content accessibility validation solution. Provide training to employees on the section 508 standards, and how to develop and buy accessible technology. Please visit other pages on the navigation pane to the right titled resources to view more information about accessibility and obtaining conformance with section 508.
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