Why Section 508 is Important and Who Needs to Comply?

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Why Section 508 is Important and Who Needs to
Comply?
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• Section 508 accessibility testing can be
  daunting, but when done by a team who specialize
  in the field, it can be a truly enlightening and
  rewarding process for all involved. Read on to
  learn all about Section 508 and Section 508
  testing.
• Youve probably heard the term Section 508
  being tossed around when speaking about
  accessibility and compliance. But what does it
  mean? To whom does it apply? What is Section 508
  testing? Why is it important?
• Were here to help break down the lingo so you
  know what Section 508 is and how it might
  apply to you.

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What is Section 508?
Section 508 (of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act of
1973) mandates Federal agencies to develop,
procure, maintain, and use electronic and
information technology in ways that allow
Federal employees with disabilities the ability
to use information and data in the same way as
 employees who are not disabled access and use
the same information and data. The regulation
states equal access must be provided unless an
undue burden would be imposed on the agency in
making this possible.
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•  
• With the same goal of equal access in mind,
  Section 508 also states that members of the
  public who are individuals with disabilities, and
  who are seeking information or services from a
  Federal agency, should have equal access to and
  be able to use information and data as do
  individuals who are not disabled.
• Simply put, Section 508 refers to making sure
  individuals of all abilities have equal access to
  the information and data they seek from federal
  agencies or which they need to do their jobs
  within a federal agency.
• Who Needs to Comply?
• If youre a federal government employee or
  contractor, you need to understand what Section
  508 is and how it applies to you and your role,
  as well as to your products or services. This is
  a far-reaching piece of legislation that applies
  to many roles across many organizations in
  various ways.

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Information and Communication Technology
(ICT) Section 508, as you read above, is about
ensuring persons with disabilities have access to
Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
that gives them the ability to interact or work
with data and information within a federal
agency. A few examples of ICT include

• Computers
• Telephones (including smartphones)
• Software
• Websites
• Electronic documents
• Videos

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Who Needs to Comply with Section 508?

• If you work for the federal government or are a
  contractor, you will need to comply with Section
  508 when developing, procuring, maintaining, or
  using ICT. If youre building a presentation or
  website, creating electronic training or
  documents, or building or providing ICT
  solutions, you need to understand and adhere to
  Section 508.

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Your Section 508 Lifeline

• If you need a little help when it comes to
  Section 508, were here to be your lifeline. At
  Training Compliance Support Access, we are
  dedicated to the advancement of equal access and
  empowerment of persons with disabilities through
  the provision of Assistive Technology (AT) tools
  and solutions aimed at fostering independence and
  productivity.
• We specialize in the assessment, implementation,
  and support of reasonable accommodations for
  individuals with a variety of support needs.
  These can include (but are not limited to)
  persons who are blind, low vision, deaf, hard of
  hearing, deafblind, as well as those with
  mobility or cognitive challenges.

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TCSA believes

• In an accessible experience for all.
• That equal access is possible web-based and
  digital content is key to achieving equal access.
  We can provide quality, accessible documents with
  a short turnaround.
• Creating an accessible experience requires
  special knowledge, and we bring combined
  expertise and user knowledge to auditing and
  remediating digital document accessibility.
• Contact us today to get TCS Access on your
  Section 508 accessibility testing, ADA, or PDF/UA
  standards team!

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