A beginners guide to section 508 and accessibility compliance. Using xep, you can create a solution for 100% dynamic composition of variable content that is perfectly tagged and section 508 compliant. Having a wellstructured source file does not necessarily translate into an. Only federal government agencies are directly accountable for complying with this law. It looks for common elements that need further action, such as. Vpats help federal agency contracting officials and government buyers to assess ict for accessibility when doing. I had to retype the table because it was an image, and. The purpose of this document is to ensure cms compliance with federal requirements relative to any purchase of electronic and information technology eit. It is designed to identify errors in your content related to section 508 standards andor the wcag. Pdf accessibility and compliance the leader in pdf accessibility. These pdf forms are fully accessible but there is no computation, validation, or verification of the information you enter.
Electronic document compliance services edcs is dedicated to helping fulfill this promise. Nothing in iso 142891 the standard for accessible pdf. The make accessible action walks you through the steps required to make a pdf accessible. How to create 508 compliant adobe pdf documents dau. Section 508 compliance can also help your seo and marketing initiatives as an accessible website has better visibility to search engines, which will boost your rankings and allow the web crawlers that are used to read a website, to evaluate your. Define accessibility criteria in contracts when preparing solicitations, statements of work, or other procurement documents, clearly define your criteria to ensure the information and communication technology ict your agency buys or builds is accessible and conforms to the revised 508 standards. May 26, 2017 any and all digital communications that a company under section 508 jurisdiction creates must be 508 compliant. Current section 508 compliance requirements cover all electronic information including, but not limited to, electronic deliverables procured from outside contractors and vendors. Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology. Section 508 requires agencies to procure the most 508 compliant product that meets their need.
What rules and regulations do you have to follow to ensure your website is compliant. Is noncompliance really an option for a current government vendor. You can create pdfs to meet common accessibility standards, such as web content accessibility guidelines wcag 2. Section 508 compliance can also help your seo and marketing initiatives as an accessible website has better visibility to search engines, which will boost your rankings and allow the web crawlers that are used to read a website, to evaluate your content more easily than a site that is not compliant. Please view these video tutorials on creating 508 compliant documents. Making pdfs accessible section 508 compliant beacon blog.
Use the sample language below in your procurement documents to mitigate section 508 compliance risk in it procurement and. I can convert ms word documents into compliant pdf files simply by selecting. This section provides references and guidance toward accomplishing that goal. Procure the most 508compliant product that meets your need. The report should be completed by a technical specialist for the manufacturer. These tests are for measuring compliance with section 508 of the rehabilitation act of 1973, as amended 29 u. This includes website content, emails, computer software, gaming systems, apps, and pdf versions of traditionally printed assets.
How to make a pdf fillable 508 compliant form from a word document. Section 508 compliance formstack is committed to complying with the government standards for section 508 compliance, and we strive to meet the needs of all users, regardless of disability status. This increased demand has prompted a surge in vendors jumping into. The prospective vendor should be made aware that the county requires a completed questionnaire certifying compliance before the webbased product or content will be accepted. Pdfua designation certifies that documents are compliant with iso standard 14289, the new international standard for accessible pdfs. You do not jabbor wocky the pdf s real textual content with inappropriate alt text. No is found in document properties, or if tagged pdf fails in the accessibility full check, then the pdf is not tagged.
If using an authoring tool, make sure the tool is capable of generating accessible pdf documents that conform to pdf ua some do not. The information provided on your section 508 evaluation template is considered to be a selfrepresentation unless expressly affirmed otherwise. Indeed, section 508 does not require private companies to comply with its accessibility mandates. Hisoftware cynthia says portal is a web content accessibility validation solution. The checklist below, a series of tables, is based on the content of the pdf. Utilizing the tenants of creating a section 508 compliant document will help us to provide supporting information, provide logic and a reading order, so that individuals with disabilities can have access to the information. Voluntary product accessibility template vpat section508. In addition to section 508 requirements, hhs has policies, standards, and requirements for electronic documents that include but are not limited to the following. It prompts to address accessibility issues, such as a missing document description or title. For accessible pdf files, the recommended format is the pdfua format which complies with wcag 2. You do not jabbor wocky the pdfs real textual content with inappropriate alt text. Section 508 requires that when federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology, federal employees with disabilities must have access to. Pdf enhancing visibility of vendor accessibility documentation.
Section 508 deals completely with providing equal access to information. Mar 17, 2020 section 508 may seem similar to the ada, but there are some important differences. The second regulation issued to implement section 508 amended the federal acquisition regulations far to ensure that agency acquisitions of ict comply with the access boards standards. Irs section 508 compliant pdf forms irs section 508 compliant pdf forms more. Third, the requiring official identifies the technical standards, if any, which do. Section 508 applies to everything from desktop software being used by a few employees within a lab to a. It accessibility standards as outlined in section 508 of the rehabilitation act of 1973, as amended 29 u. Pdfs require 508 remediation as they are not accessible by screen readers. The section 508 annual report for vendors section 508 annual report for vendors is intended to assist contracting officials and other persons in hhs in making assessments regarding the deployment of eit and services with features that support accessibility. Are there legitimate, practical reasons for not making some or all of your products section 508 compliant or accessible. Section 508 compliance testing 508 compliance website. What is the standard for handling bolds, italics, and. All elements should be properly tagged, using the make accessible feature, in order to make the documents as compliant as possible with the section 508 requirements.
In 1998, section 508 of this act was amended to require access to electronic and information technology provided by the federal government. Irs section 508 compliant pdf forms internal revenue service. Note, much of this guidance predates the revised 508 standards. Vendor certification webstandards county of sonoma. This chapter notes a few outlier situations where compliance isnt required. For a full list of the section 508 standards of the rehabilitation act of 1973, as amended 29 u. Any and all digital communications that a company under section 508 jurisdiction creates must be 508 compliant. She replies she was up all night making that pdf 508 compliant. Requiring business partners to provide accessible documents. The section 508 of the rehabilitation act of 1973, as amended 29 u. County departments and agencies are encouraged to selfaccept any completed questionnaire that indicates a fully compliant product. Feb 18, 2020 are mobileready pdf files created with acrobat xi pro compliant with section 508 of the rehabilitation act of 1973 as amended 29 u.
Gsa 508 technical tools and resources free testing tools for 508 compliance. Anytime you are preparing an electronic document that will be posted online or distributed via email, whether its an internal document or an external document, you need to follow the section 508 guidelines. At a minimum, you should contact the vendor of each available product you identified and inquire about the products level of 508 compliance. Section 508 compliance with the ability of renderx software to dynamically compose and structure the information. Section 508 pdf document accessibility test process. It does not verify section 508 compliance or web accessibility. Please view these video tutorials on creating 508compliant documents. For accessible pdf files, the recommended format is the pdf ua format which complies with wcag 2. Documents distributed via email includes broadcast messages and any attachments. Open the pdf youd like to make accessible with acrobat pro dc.
Additionally, by checking the errors, warning, and manual. Making files accessible the checklists are the official hhs accessibility checklists. When preparing solicitations, statements of work, or other procurement documents, clearly define your criteria to ensure the information and communication technology ict your agency buys or builds is accessible and conforms to the revised 508 standards. Apps whereby accessibility and adherence to section 508 policy and compliance are included proactively in order to enable the highest level of access for users with disabilities. This includes, but is not limited to, the following. This regulation became enforceable on june 25, 2001. The forms on this page are provided in adobe acrobat portable document format. Clarify expectations include accessibility requirements in any documents that outline the terms of your. Web content accessibility guidelines wcag are technical guidelines referenced when testing website, applications and pdf documents for section 508 compliance.
Section 508 compliance accessible document solutions. If the current document isnt prepopulated select it, and then select microsoft word. Legislation regarding digital accessibility exists, specifically section 508 of the rehabilitation act. Are mobileready pdf files created with acrobat xi pro compliant with section 508 of the rehabilitation act of 1973 as amended 29 u. Section 508 accessibility of electronic and information technology a this sow, pws, or to is subject to section 508 of the rehabilitation act of 1973 29 u. Acrobat tools make it easy to create accessible pdfs and check the accessibility of existing pdfs. About your tustin unified school district benefits this brochure provides a summary of your benefit options and is designed to help you make your. While section 508 compliance is currently only legally binding for united states federal agencies or other agencies that are federally funded, chances are its only a matter of time before your customers request you provide them with an accessible online experience and 508compliant electronic files like downloadable pdfs when they visit.
Nov 12, 20 while section 508 compliance is currently only legally binding for united states federal agencies or other agencies that are federally funded, chances are its only a matter of time before your customers request you provide them with an accessible online experience and 508compliant electronic files like downloadable pdfs when they visit. Only the standards that are applicable to pdfs are listed. Section 508 requires that when federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology, federal employees with disabilities must have. Implementing section 508 in xsl fo using renderx xep. The law applies to all federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. We recommend that vendors generate a vpat for any ict thats intended to be marketed to the federal government. A portable document format pdf is a file format created by adobe to create standard consistency when a document is physically printed from a standard printer. Any web application being purchased by ssa also requires the vendor to complete section 1194. Section 508 may seem similar to the ada, but there are some important differences. During the past 20 years, criterion has assisted more than 2,000 government. Test, create, remediate and validate pdfs for accessibility and compliance with the latest ada and section 508 regulations. On february 18 2015 the us access board announced its proposed rule for us federal policy on section 508, and identifies pdfua as equivalent to wcag 2. Tagging a pdf can be tedious and requires acrobat pro or expensive thirdparty software.
Section 508 frequently asked questions deloitte us. Proposals, bids, concept papers, technical documentation, reports, and. Section 508 compliant forms formstack section 508 compliance. If your deliverable is to be an accessible pdf you build on. Learn how to make your documents 508 compliant in nexights stepbystep video tutorial. To compare the two products, check out this matrix. This document must be completed by the requesting official purchase requestor and provided to the. Adobe has a builtin accessibility checker, which is located under the tools section. This document outlines the best practices used by the vha section 508 team when evaluating mobile apps on either the android or ios platform. All electronic communication and documentation created by cms employees and contractors must be 508 compliant.
Section 794d and web content accessibility guildeines wcag 2. Feb 23, 2015 learn how to make your documents 508 compliant in nexights stepbystep video tutorial. Different agencies have different guidelines for what they consider to be adequate market research. How to make your word 20 documents 508compliant pdf how to make your excel 20. There is an extensive list of requirements for section 508 compliant pdf documents. Each section 508 standard is mapped to the dhs pdf testing process for testers who are more familiar with the alphabetical approach. For a full list of the section 508 standards of the rehabilitation act. Pdf remediation firms pdf accessibility and compliance. Cms section 508 policy 2 downloadedprinted copies may be obsolete. The resources in this section were developed by federal agencies, and shared here for your convenience. To help you create section 508 compliant forms for your websites, blogs, and social media, our form builder warns you if youre attempting to include. Some people are claiming that they can provide vendors with a third party. Define accessibility criteria in contracts section508.
The first steps are to determine what your eit need is and what products or services are commercially available to meet that need. Listed below are section 508 testing tools available from nongovernment websites. Test and debug a pdf for 508 compliance acrobat pro test and debug a pdf for 508 compliance acrobat pro dc to determine which version you have, find the program under the start menu of your computer or rightclick on the desktop icon and choose properties. The first steps are to determine what your eit need is and what products or services. Section 508 and accessibility compliance heyward drummond nov 7, 2018 12. Proposals, bids, concept papers, technical documentation, reports, and user and training manuals must be section 508 compliant. The law applies to all federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or. These reports include information on the revised section 508 standards from january 2017 and corrections to the ict final rule from january 2018, the web content accessibility guidelines 2. Adobe portable document format pdf documents should be created using adobe acrobat version 6 or later software, or equivalent tools from adobe. The checklist from section a forward is based on the wcag 2. A voluntary product accessibility template vpat is a document that explains how information and communication technology ict products such as software, hardware, electronic content, and support documentation meet conform to the revised 508 standards for it accessibility. The recent section 508 refresh brought harmonization with the wcag 2.
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