Words from Washington
May 7, 2001
Vol. 107 No. 6

In this issue...

Federal Acquisition Regulations: Sec. 508 Final Rule
Update on Voting Accessibility

Federal Acquisition Regulations: Sec. 508 Final Rule

Issuance of the final rule on Section 508 by the Civilian Agency Acquisition
Council and the Defense Acquisition Council (Councils) on April 25, 2001
sets in place all required procedures for the implementation of Section 508
of the Rehabilitation Act governing the federal government's acquisition of
electronic and information technology.  Subject to the restrictions outlined
in Section 508 and exceptions outlined in the final rule, the regulation
applies to contracts awarded on or after June 25, 2001.  The final rule
exempts micro purchases, one-time purchases on the open market that cost
less than $2,500, prior to January 1, 2003.  However, the rule strongly
encourages micro purchase compliance with applicable accessibility standards
to the maximum practicable extent.

The text of the rule can be found at
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2001_register&docid=
01-10408-filed. The final rule incorporates standards developed by the
Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board).
You can find the standards at
http://www.access-board.gov/news/508-final.htm. A final rule containing a
compliance guide for small entities can be found at
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2001_register&docid=
01-10409-filed. For more information on Section 508 visit
http://www.section508.gov/regulations.html.

The Dept. of Justice is an additional source of information on Section 508.
I forgot to include that in your newly arrived issue of Words from Washington.

The DOJ site contains the text of the self-evaluation study used by the
department to formulate its first biennial report on EIT accessibility, a
copy of the report, and an e-mail address to obtain further information.

http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/508/508home.html

=====
Update on Voting Accessibility

Efforts to improve access to America's electoral process by people who are
blind or visually impaired continue to move forward. Several hearings have
been held in both the U.S. House and Senate drawing attention to the need to
modernize the nation's voting equipment. On April 25, the House
Administration Committee, the committee with primary jurisdiction in the
House over elections matters, held a well-attended hearing including many
prominent representatives elections community representatives and
Secretaries of State. In general, the witnesses agreed with a growing sense
in Congress that assistance to states must be provided to secure more
reliable technology and administrative processes. However, they were also
clear that few "strings" should be attached to the funds which Congress
might make available, meaning that state and local jurisdictions would have
maximum flexibility to make use of such assistance as they deem appropriate.
The National Federation of the Blind also provided helpful testimony
reminding Committee members and fellow witnesses of the right of people who
are blind or visually impaired to have private and independent access to the
franchise. Additional hearings and congressional action are expected in the
coming weeks.

=====
Paul Schroeder, Alan Dinsmore, Mark Richert, Janina Sajka, and Barbara
LeMoine are contributors to WFW.

WFW is published by the American Foundation for the Blind, Governmental
Relations Group, 820 First Street, N.E., Suite 400 Washington, DC 20002,
202-408-0200, Fax: 202-289-7880, E-mail: [log in to unmask] Address questions
regarding subscriptions or content to Barbara Jackson LeMoine.

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