For those interested in the 508 regulations and access issues for federal
employees.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2001 07:42:01 -0400
From: Chris McMillan <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: Multiple recipients of NFBnet NFB-Talk Mailing List
<[log in to unmask]>
Subject: FW: Final Regulations Released on 508
Good Morning:
Here is an important article I wanted to send out!!
Final rules governing IT accessibility issued
Tanya N. Ballard
Much-anticipated final regulations designed to make information
technology more accessible to federal employees with disabilities were
published Wednesday in the Federal Register.
Under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, agencies
are required to ensure that federal employees and members of the public
with disabilities, such as hearing or vision impairment, have access to
information, computers and networks comparable to the access enjoyed by
people without disabilities, assuming doing so would not cause an undue
burden on an agency. The accessibility regulations, which become
effective on June 20, also require changes in federal procurement
policy, since procurement officials must ensure that purchased
technology is Section 508-compliant.
"It has huge ramifications," said Olga Grkavac, executive vice president
of the Information Technology Association of America. "We're very
supportive, but I think we are also concerned. We don't want to see any
slowdown in terms of the government contracting process while people are
trying to comply with the letter of the law."
The final rules differ in significant ways from proposed rules published
in January. Procurement officials had originally suggested that the
regulation apply only to contracts solicited, not awarded, after the
effective date. But the final regulations state that all contracts
awarded after June 25 must be Section 508-compliant. Therefore,
contracts that have already been solicited and are to be awarded
sometime after June 25 must be reviewed to ensure they are Section
508-compliant.
"We were surprised that it applies to contracts awarded after June 25,"
Grkavac said. "We had hoped it would [apply] to solicitations issued
after the effective date. That would give individuals and the government
time to ascertain that they were meeting government standards. We were
trying to have as seamless a change a possible."
Grkavac praised the FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulation) Council on its
decision to exempt off-the-shelf "micropurchases" made with the
governmentwide commercial purchase card from the accessibility
regulations until Jan. 1, 2003, when assistive technology is expected to
be the industry standard. Micropurchases are defined as purchases of
less than $2,500.
Click here for related stories and links:
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0401/042601t3.htm
Sincerely,
Chris McMillan
Access Technology Specialist
ALVA Access Group, Inc.
East Coast Region
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