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Thread: Question on monitoring Section 508 compliance
Number of posts in this thread: 8 (In chronological order)
From: Christoffersen Lyn
Date: Wed, Jan 11 2006 9:50AM
Subject: Question on monitoring Section 508 compliance
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Hello!
Does anyone know of any agency or organization, federal or otherwise,
which monitors federal government websites for 508 compliance with fed
regulations? Or are websites only investigated if a complaint is filed?
Thanks in advance!
Lyn Christoffersen
Visual Communication Services
Booz Allen Hamilton
230 Peachtree Street NW
Atlanta GA, 30303
PH: 404-658-8045
From: Robinson, Norman B - Washington, DC
Date: Wed, Jan 11 2006 11:40AM
Subject: RE: Question on monitoring Section 508 compliance
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Lyn,
The relevant parts you'll want to read are Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended 29 U.S.C.
From: Christoffersen Lyn
Date: Wed, Jan 11 2006 11:50AM
Subject: RE: Question on monitoring Section 508 compliance
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Hi Norm,
Thanks for your response. Long story - the wife of one of my coworkers works at the CDC - he was trying to find this out for her for a meeting with her director. I was involved in developing Section 508 compliant websites a few years ago - so they thought to ask me. I'm not on top of this as much as I was 2-3 years ago, so figured I'd ask those who might know.
I really appreciate your time - I'm forwarding this to all who have been involved with this so far to "update" their knowledge on the subject.
Thanks!
Lyn Christoffersen
Visual Communication Services
Booz Allen Hamilton
230 Peachtree Street NW
Atlanta GA, 30303
PH: 404-658-8045
________________________________
From: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = [mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ] On Behalf Of Robinson, Norman B - Washington, DC
Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2006 1:35 PM
To: WebAIM Discussion List
Subject: RE: [WebAIM] Question on monitoring Section 508 compliance
Lyn,
The relevant parts you'll want to read are Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended 29 U.S.C.
From: Deborah Buck
Date: Wed, Jan 11 2006 12:40PM
Subject: RE: Question on monitoring Section 508 compliance
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Federal agencies are also required to report annually to the Department of
Justice regarding their efforts to comply with Section 508. In the past,
questions regarding web site accessibility compliance were a part of the
survey and agencies had to respond to specific questions regarding
accessibility of an identified number of their pages. In addition, I
believe that the US Office of Management & Budget requires agencies to
address their efforts relative to 508 as part of their plan to implement
e-government initiatives. I don
From: Christoffersen Lyn
Date: Wed, Jan 11 2006 12:47PM
Subject: RE: Question on monitoring Section 508 compliance
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Thanks Deborah, this is very helpful!
Lyn Christoffersen
Visual Communication Services
Booz Allen Hamilton
230 Peachtree Street NW
Atlanta GA, 30303
PH: 404-658-8045
________________________________
From: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = [mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ] On Behalf Of Deborah Buck
Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2006 2:32 PM
To: 'WebAIM Discussion List'
Subject: RE: [WebAIM] Question on monitoring Section 508 compliance
Federal agencies are also required to report annually to the Department of Justice regarding their efforts to comply with Section 508. In the past, questions regarding web site accessibility compliance were a part of the survey and agencies had to respond to specific questions regarding accessibility of an identified number of their pages. In addition, I believe that the US Office of Management & Budget requires agencies to address their efforts relative to 508 as part of their plan to implement e-government initiatives. I don't know if these requirements/strategies have been changed in the last year or so. Excerpt from the legislation below- the underline is mine.
'(c) AGENCY EVALUATIONS.-Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998,
the head of each Federal department or agency shall evaluate the extent to which the electronic and information technology of the department or agency is accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities described in subsection (a)(1), compared to the access to and use of the technology by individuals described in such subsection who are not individuals with disabilities, and submit a report containing the evaluation to the Attorney General.
'(d) REPORTS.-
'(1) INTERIM REPORT.-Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, the Attorney General shall prepare and submit to the President a report containing information on and recommendations regarding the extent to which the electronic and information technology of the Federal Government is accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities described in subsection
(a)(1).
'(2) BIENNIAL REPORTS.-Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, and every 2 years thereafter, the Attorney General shall prepare and submit to the President and Congress a report containing information on and recommendations regarding the state of Federal department and agency compliance with the requirements of this section, including actions regarding individual complaints under subsection (f ).
'(e) COOPERATION.-Each head of a Federal department or agency (including the Access Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the General Services Administration) shall provide to the Attorney General such information as the Attorney General determines is necessary to conduct the evaluations under subsection (c) and prepare the reports under subsection (d).
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended 29 U.S.C.
From: Hoffman, Allen
Date: Wed, Jan 11 2006 1:10PM
Subject: RE: Question on monitoring Section 508 compliance
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Hi:
Norman is right, however, the the Department of Justice does regularly (every other year), perform a survey regarding Section 508 compliance. To date web compliance has been a large portion of the survey.
Allen Hoffman
DHS : OCIO; Section 508 PMO
From: Robinson, Norman B - Washington, DC [mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ]
Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2006 1:35 PM
To: WebAIM Discussion List
Subject: RE: [WebAIM] Question on monitoring Section 508 compliance
Lyn,
The relevant parts you'll want to read are Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended 29 U.S.C.
From: Cynthia Waddell
Date: Wed, Jan 11 2006 3:00PM
Subject: RE: Question on monitoring Section 508 compliance
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MessageDear Lyn:
You asked about who is monitoring website conformance to Section 508 at the
federal level. I am one of the early ongoing trainers for the federal
Section 508 Coordinators and have been engaged in assisting agencies in
implementation. As you probably know, USGSA is the agency responsible for
providing technical assistance to all federal agencies as they set up and
implement their Section 508 plans.
One could say that there are at least two vehicles for monitoring website
conformance. The first is that Section 508 requires the US Department of
Justice to provide a status report on compliance with Section 508 to
Congress and the President every two years. The USDOJ has typically
gathered this information by requiring every federal agency to complete a
survey. This self-evaluation is then compiled by USDOJ for publication and
includes data on website conformance to Section 508. You can see these
reports at the USDOJ website at http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/508/.
The second type of monitoring vehicle is the fact that Section 508
compliance is complaint driven. This means that federal employees with
disabilities and members of the public with disabilities can file a
complaint that a website is not accessible. The complaint process is the
same as that handled under Section 504.
If you are concerned about a particular federal agency website, it would be
helpful to convey your concerns to the Section 508 Coordinator for that
agency who resides within the CIO department. Feel free to contact me
off-list if there are further issues you would like to address about 508
compliance. My Section 508 work involves services for both government and
business.
Best regards,
Cynthia Waddell
--------------------------------------
Cynthia D. Waddell, JD
Executive Director and
Law, Policy and Technology Consultant
International Center for Disability Resources
on the Internet (ICDRI)
Phone: (408) 691-6921
ICDRI is based in
Raleigh, North Carolina USA
www.icdri.org/CynthiaW/cynthia_waddell.htm
See my new book!
Constructing Accessible Web Sites
www.icdri.org/constructing_accessible_web_site.htm
Is your Site Accessible?
Find out now with Cynthia Says! http://www.cynthiasays.com
Endorsed by the American Council of the Blind,
the Cynthia SaysTM portal is a joint Education
and Outreach project of ICDRI, The Internet
Society Disability and Special Needs Chapter,
and HiSoftware.
From: Christoffersen Lyn
Date: Wed, Jan 11 2006 4:09PM
Subject: RE: Question on monitoring Section 508 compliance
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Cynthia,
Thank you for the additional information on this - this is extremely helpful. Thanks also to those who have replied, this list has been a great resource!
Lyn
Lyn Christoffersen
Visual Communication Services
Booz Allen Hamilton
230 Peachtree Street NW
Atlanta GA, 30303
PH: 404-658-8045
________________________________
From: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = [mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ] On Behalf Of Cynthia Waddell
Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2006 4:28 PM
To: WebAIM Discussion List
Subject: RE: [WebAIM] Question on monitoring Section 508 compliance
Dear Lyn:
You asked about who is monitoring website conformance to Section 508 at the federal level. I am one of the early ongoing trainers for the federal Section 508 Coordinators and have been engaged in assisting agencies in implementation. As you probably know, USGSA is the agency responsible for providing technical assistance to all federal agencies as they set up and implement their Section 508 plans.
One could say that there are at least two vehicles for monitoring website conformance. The first is that Section 508 requires the US Department of Justice to provide a status report on compliance with Section 508 to Congress and the President every two years. The USDOJ has typically gathered this information by requiring every federal agency to complete a survey. This self-evaluation is then compiled by USDOJ for publication and includes data on website conformance to Section 508. You can see these reports at the USDOJ website at http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/508/.
The second type of monitoring vehicle is the fact that Section 508 compliance is complaint driven. This means that federal employees with disabilities and members of the public with disabilities can file a complaint that a website is not accessible. The complaint process is the same as that handled under Section 504.
If you are concerned about a particular federal agency website, it would be helpful to convey your concerns to the Section 508 Coordinator for that agency who resides within the CIO department. Feel free to contact me off-list if there are further issues you would like to address about 508 compliance. My Section 508 work involves services for both government and business.
Best regards,
Cynthia Waddell
--------------------------------------
Cynthia D. Waddell, JD
Executive Director and
Law, Policy and Technology Consultant
International Center for Disability Resources
on the Internet (ICDRI)
Phone: (408) 691-6921
ICDRI is based in
Raleigh, North Carolina USA
www.icdri.org/CynthiaW/cynthia_waddell.htm
See my new book!
Constructing Accessible Web Sites
www.icdri.org/constructing_accessible_web_site.htm
Is your Site Accessible?
Find out now with Cynthia Says! http://www.cynthiasays.com <http://www.cynthiasays.com/>;
Endorsed by the American Council of the Blind,
the Cynthia SaysTM portal is a joint Education
and Outreach project of ICDRI, The Internet
Society Disability and Special Needs Chapter,
and HiSoftware.