Final IT accessibility standards issued
Final rules requiring agencies to provide assistive technology to employees with disabilities were issued Thursday after months of delays.
The new standards revise Section 508 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act. The act requires agencies to ensure that federal employees with disabilities have the same access to information, computers and networks that non-disabled employees enjoy, unless it would cause an undue burden on an agency.
Draft regulations were published in the Federal Register on March 31. The final rules - cleared by the Office of Management and Budget on Dec. 13 - are easier to read than the original regulations, but are not very different in substance. The General Services Administration is leading the Section 508 compliance effort and asked federal agencies last spring to appoint compliance coordinators.
The standards include a provision requiring agencies to build accessibility features into information kiosks, copiers and printers so users do not have to attach assistive devices to them. Information, including user and installation guides, must be available in alternate formats upon request. Alternate formats range from Braille to cassette recordings.
Information technology vendors have six months from Dec. 21 to comply with the new regulations.
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