ACCESSIBILITY

In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act and strengthened provisions covering access to information in the Federal sector for people with disabilities. As amended, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires access to the Federal government's electronic and information technology. The law applies to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. Federal agencies must ensure that this technology is accessible to employees and the public.

AR 25-1, Army Information Technology, dated 15 July 2019, provides Army policy on Section 508. Paragraph 4-6 (i) (1) reads “Websites are required to comply with the provisions of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998. Websites must be equally accessible to disabled and non-disabled Federal employees and members of the public. Guidance on Section 508 standards concerning web-based information and applications is available at Section 508 website. For procedures and exceptions (see DA Pam 25–1–1).”

Paragraph 4-14 reads “40 USC 762 requires that agencies provide EIT access to employees and members of the public with disabilities. The access must be comparable to the access available to individuals who do not have disabilities. Information managers will make all reasonable efforts to accommodate individuals with disabilities, consistent with the laws cited above and AR 600–7. At no cost to individual activities, the Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP), at 5111 Leesburg Pike, Suite 810, Falls Church, VA 22041–3206, provides assistive technology accommodations and services to persons with disabilities at the DOD.”

Paragraph 4-14 (a) reads “The law applies to all Federal agencies that develop, procure, maintain, or use EIT. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 was enacted to eliminate barriers in IT, to make available new opportunities for people with disabilities, and to encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals. EIT includes equipment or interconnected systems or subsystems of equipment that are used to create, convert, or duplicate data or information. More specific examples of EIT include, but are not limited to, telecommunication products (such as telephones), information kiosks and transaction machines, web sites, multimedia, and office equipment (such as copiers and fax machines). Review Section 508 website for further information and training about the laws and regulations pertaining to Section 508 and how to support its implementation.”

This page provides links to some major private organizations involved with accessibility issues and to the public law and Section 508 requirements of the Federal IT Accessibility Initiative. These links are provided only to promote better understanding of the law and Section 508 requirements and is in no way intended to recommend the use of any particular source in preference to any other source or sources.

If anyone encounters difficulties with any departmental administrative publications, form, or Web page, please provide a brief explanation of the problem encountered. APD is using ANDI Inspection Tool, an excellent automatic tool for accessibility it can help quickly catch many accessibility errors but can’t guarantee that our site is accessible 100%. While we conduct extensive research and testing during the design and development of components, it is impossible to predict every use case for accessibility and usability overall.

CAST is a not-for-profit organization that uses technology to expand opportunities for all people, including those with disabilities.
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) develops interoperable technologies (specifications, guidelines, software, and tools) to lead the Web to its full potential as a forum for information, commerce, communication, and collective understanding.
Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP) provides accommodations to increase accessibility for persons with disabilities throughout the Department of Defense (DOD). As part of this effort, CAP is committed to supporting research and activities that increase the accessibility of World Wide Web (WWW) for people with disabilities.
Section 508 of the Federal IT Accessibility Initiative.
Workforce Investment Act Info and Tools.