Transcript Document 7883931

Making IT Accessible: Section
508 Overview
Betsy Sirk
Section 508 Coordinator
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
August 17, 2011
Agenda
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What is Section 508?
Scope
Current Technical Standards
Proposed New Standards/Refresh
NASA Section 508 Accomplishments
Next Steps
Resources
What is Section 508?
• Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended
by Congress in 1998 requires that Federal employees with
disabilities have access to and use of information and
data, comparable to that for Federal employees without
disabilities, unless it is an undue burden to do so.
• Section 508 also requires that disabled members of the
public who are seeking information or services from a
Federal agency, have access to and use of information
and data comparable to that for members of the public
without disabilities.
• Section 508 applies to Federal agencies, including the
U.S. Postal Service.
• Contractors providing services or products to Federal
agencies must provide Section 508 compliant
deliverables.
Scope
• Electronic and information technology (EIT) products procured,
developed, maintained, or used by a Federal agency, including
products that store, process, transmit, convert, duplicate, or
receive electronic information. (Examples: copiers, computers,
fax machines, software, hardware, websites, telephones)
• Limited number of exceptions apply:
• EIT incidental to a contract (not part of the government deliverable)
• EIT deemed to be for national security
• EIT used in areas frequented only by service personnel for maintenance,
repair or occasional monitoring (Example: telephone closets)
• Undue burden, defined as significant difficulty or expense, is
rarely invoked. Requires approval of Center legal counsel.
• You are not required to fundamentally alter your requirements if
a compliant solution is not available.
Current Technical
Standards
• Section 508 Technical Standards published in the
Federal Register in December 2000. The Federal
Acquisition Regulation was amended to include
the Section 508 Standards in April 2001
• Enforcement of the Section 508 standards began
June 2001
• Standards and Technical Specifications organized
by types of “products”:
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1194.21 Software Applications and Operating Systems
1194.22 Web-based Information and Applications
1194.23 Telecommunications Products
1194.24 Video and Multimedia Products
1194.25 Self Contained, Closed Products
1194.26 Desktop and Portable Computers.
Proposed New Standards:
Section 508 Refresh
• United States Access Board issued an Advance Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) and draft text in March 2010 to
update:
– Standards for electronic and information technology (Section 508),
– Telecommunications Act Accessibility Guidelines (Section 255)
– Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines
• Public comment period ended June 2010
• What is different in the proposed standards?
– Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) replaced with Information
and Communications Technology (ICT)
– Organization has changed – feature based
– Advisory Notes next to provisions
– Reflects current technology
– Definition of content – what is covered
– Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Harmonization
Proposed New Standards:
Organization
Chapter 1- 508; Chapter 1 – 255 (Telecommunications Act)
Chapter 2 Functional Performance Criteria
Chapter 3 Common Functionality
Chapter 4 Platforms, Applications and Interactive Content
Chapter 5 Electronic Documents
Chapter 6 Synchronized Media Content and Players
Chapter 7 Hardware Aspects of ICT
Chapter 8 Audio Output from Hardware
Chapter 9 Conversation Functionality and Controls
Chapter 10 ICT Support Documentation and Services
Chapter 1
• “Official” communication from agency or representative
of the agency to Federal employees and contains
information necessary to perform job, or to members of
the public necessary to conduct official business with the
agency
• Examples of communications to federal workforce:
– Announcements about working conditions or policies
– Announcements of upcoming agency events, training
opportunities
• Examples of communications to the public:
– Technical assistance about agency regulations
– Content posted on the agency website
– Information about benefits or programs administered or provided
by the agency
Chapters 2 & 3
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Chapter 2- Functional Performance Criteria
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202.2 Without Vision
202.3 With Limited Vision
202.4 Without Perception of Color
202.5 Without Hearing
202.6 With Limited Hearing
202.7 Without Speech
202.8 With Limited Manipulation
202.9 With Limited Reach and Strength
202.10 Without Physical Contact
202.11 Minimize Photosensitive Seizure Triggers
Chapter 3- Common Functionality to all ICT
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301 General
302 Closed Functionality
303 Biometrics
304 Preservation of Information Provided for Accessibility
305 Color
306 Flashing
307 Operable Parts
Chapters 4 & 5
• WCAG 2.0 Harmonization
• International standard for accessible web pages:
http://w3.org/tr/wcag
• Chapter 4 (“Web”)
– Platforms, Applications, and Interactive Content
• Chapter 5 (“Documents”)
– Electronic documents – mostly static, read-only, noninteractive content
– Examples: Word files, PDFs, PowerPoint
presentations, Excel spreadsheets, simple web pages
(without Flash)
Chapters 6 & 7
• Chapter 6: Synchronized Media Content and Players
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601 General
602 Video or Audio Content with Interactive Elements
603 Captions and Transcripts for Audio Content
604 Video Description and Transcripts for Video Content
605 Caption Processing Technology
606 Video Description Processing Technology
607 User Controls for Captions and Video Description
608 Audio Track and Volume Control
• Chapter 7: Hardware Aspects of ICT
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701 General
702 Reach Ranges for Installed or Free-Standing ICT
703 Standard Connections
704 Text, Images of Text, and Symbols for Product Use
Chapters 8-10
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Chapter 8: Audio Output from Hardware
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801 General
802 Interactive ICT Within Reach
803 ICT Typically Held to the Ear
804 ICT Not Typically Held to the Ear
Chapter 9: Conversation Functionality and Controls
– 901 General
– 902 Real-Time Text Functionality
– 903 Voice Mail, Messaging, Auto-Attendant, Conferencing, and Interactive Voice
Response
– 904 Information about Call Status and Functions
– 905 Video Communication Support
– 906 Audio Clarity for Interconnected VoIP
– 907 Alternate Alerting for VoIP Telephone Systems
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Chapter 10: ICT Support Documentation and ICT Support Services
– 1001 General
– 1002 ICT Support Documentation
– 1003 ICT Support Services
Refresh Process:
What is Next?
United States Access Board will:
• Finish analyzing comments
• Develop proposed rule and issue notice
• Develop regulatory assessment
• Submit to Office of Management and Budget
• Publish Notice of Proposed Rule Making in the Federal
Register (followed by public comment period)
• Issue final rule (Refresh implemented)
• For information and updates:
– http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/refresh/draft-rule.htm
– [email protected]
– http://www.access-board.gov
NASA Section 508
Accomplishments
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NASA Procedural Requirement (NPR 2800.2, Electronic and Information
Technology Accessibility), outlining NASA roles and responsibilities for Section
508 compliance, implemented January 2011
Requirements
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Procurement of EIT
Technical and Functional Criteria for Compliance with Section 508 of EIT
Special Topics (Multimedia, Lab Equipment, etc.)
Applicability and Exceptions
Roles and Responsibilities
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Chief Information Officer
Agency Section 508 Coordinator
Center Chief Information Officer
Center 508 Coordinators
Office of Procurement
Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity
Office of General Counsel
Program/Project Managers
Requirements Originator/Developer
NASA Section 508
Accomplishments
(continued)
• NASA Section 508 Website enhanced
– Accessibility Guides for Excel, Word, and PowerPoint documents
– Best practices
– http://www.nasa.gov/accessibility/nasaonly/nasaOnly_policyResources.html
• Deployed a procurement tool to assist with Section 508 compliance
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Accessibility Compliance for EIT (ACE) Tool v1.0
Checklist for assessing need for compliance
Helps one determine which Section 508 Technical Standards may apply
http://www.nasa.gov/accessibility/ace
• Section 508 provisions considered in the development of agency
procurement initiatives, including I3P
• Responded to Department of Justice Survey on the status of Section 508
implementation April 2011
Next Steps
• Hold Agency Section 508 Coordinators Working Group
Meeting August 2011
• Identify, develop, and provide Section 508 training
opportunities
• Develop Section 508 Implementation Plans as needed
to address compliance gaps
• Collaborate with Office of Diversity and Equal
Opportunity to promote accessibility.
Resources
• Current listing of NASA Section 508 Coordinators by Center:
http://www.nasa.gov/accessibility/section508/sec508_coordinators.html
• Other helpful sites for technical assistance:
www.section508.gov (maintained by GSA)
www.access-board.gov
Many thanks to Tim Creagan of the United States Access
Board for the content of the Refresh Slides
• For NASA Employees (civil servant and contractor): email
Section 508 questions to [email protected]
• Questions about this presentation:
email: [email protected]
phone: 301-286-0150
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ATTENDING!