WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

Re: section 508 for a federal contract for technical support

for

From: Peter Shikli
Date: Jul 21, 2020 12:35PM

When a federal Procurement Officer accepts an online document or
software application (as for payment), they are asked to check the box
that it complies to Section 508.  The odds of the Procurement Officer
knowing the answer are low, in which case they sometimes shift
responsibility by asking the vendor for a Letter of Reasonable
Accessibility that specifically claims 508 compliance.  Because that in
turn is hard for a vendor to answer (which they often do anyway), the
feds established their Trusted Tester Program.  A certified Trusted
Tester signing such a Letter of Reasonable Accessibility gives
Procurement Officers confidence checking their 508 box.  Does the
Trusted Tester VPAT allow for subjectivity?  Yes, but less than any
other auditing methodology that I know.

Peter Shikli
Access2online Inc.