Section 508 Accessibility Standards
The U.S. Access Board is responsible for developing
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) accessibility standards to incorporate into regulations that govern Federal procurement practices. On January 18, 2017, the Access Board issued a final rule that updated accessibility requirements covered by Section 508, and refreshed guidelines for telecommunications equipment subject to Section 255 of the Communications Act. The final rule went into effect on January 18, 2018.
The rule updated and reorganized the
Section 508 Standards and Section 255 Guidelines in response to market trends and innovations in technology. The refresh also harmonized these requirements with other guidelines and standards both in the U.S. and abroad, including standards issued by the European Commission, and with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), a globally recognized consensus standard for web content and Information Communication Technologies (ICT).
The U.S. Accessibility Requirements Tool (ART)
The U.S. Accessibility Requirements Tool (ART) is a step-by-step guide to help you easily identify relevant accessibility requirements from the Revised 508 Standards, and incorporate them into your procurement and contracting documentation, as well as in-house IT development. Use the ART to buy and build technology that is accessible to all. Under the Section 508 law, agencies must give disabled employees and members of the public access to information comparable to the access available to others. The law applies to all U.S. federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology.