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Accessibility and Section 508
What is Section 508?
Section 508 is a Federal law that is part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which established guidelines for technology accessibility.
Section 508 requires that any Information and Communication Technology (ICT) developed, procured, maintained or used by Federal departments and agencies must allow Federal employees and members of the public with disabilities access to and use of information and data.
Section 508 provides technical criteria requirements for the following:
- Applications
- Authoring tools
- Documentation and Support Services
- Functional Performance
- Hardware
- Platform Software
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
How does Section 508 apply to me?
- All government agencies are required to comply with Section 508.
- All content purchased or used by the Federal government for the creation, conversion, or duplication of information must meet the Section 508 standards.
- The VA requires all applicable products to conform to Section 508 and the VA Section 508 Office requires each project team, or product acquirer to submit appropriate Section 508 documents to validate conformance to Section 508 standards.
What is the Role of the Section 508 Office?
The Section 508 Office:
- Audits ICT for compliance with Section 508 standards and policies.
- Provides support to project managers by offering tools, training, and support.
- Serves as a liaison for VA’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) and makes department-wide policy recommendations regarding Section 508 issues.
Contact VA Section 508 by email at section508@va.gov.
Where are we located?
The VA Section 508 Office is headquartered at the Department of Veterans Affairs Central Office. Office visits are available by appointment to all employees interested in seeing, learning, using and witnessing the evaluation of ICT products.
General Contacts
For further information, questions or comments related to procurement, web accessibility, training and awareness, contact the Section 508 Office via email. In the subject line, please indicate the reason for the email or the person you would like to contact.