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Webmasters get online 508 how-to's

FCW's Dot-Gov Thursday feature

BY William Matthews
July 19, 2001

Web page designers - and their bosses - who aren't sure how to create pages
that meet the accessibility standards spelled out by Section 508 of the
Rehabilitation Act now can turn to an online training course for advice.

A series of online lessons developed by Interactive Media Corp. for the
General Services Administration are up and running and receiving favorable
reviews.

The lessons begin with a 19-page explanation of the Section 508 law
requiring that when federal agencies buy information technology, they must
buy technology that can be used by people with disabilities. The law applies
to Web pages as well as to office equipment.

There are eight lessons, and the longest one is a 52-page practicum on
designing Web pages to meet 508 standards. It could take several hours to
complete. A less detailed overview is designed to take two to three hours to
complete.

Other lessons deal with such matters as:
* How to use frames and style sheets.
* Alternatives to multimedia presentations.
* Scripts and applets.
* How to handle online forms and PDF files,
* How to verify that the finished Web site is 508-compliant.

It's a "super course," said Don Barrett, an accessibility expert at the
Education Department.

"The site is very concise and very accurate. The content is excellent," said
Patrick Sheehan, a computer specialist in the Office of Information
Technology at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The online tutorial is likely to be most useful to Web designers who are
familiar with Section 508 but want more detailed instructions on how to make
specific elements of their Web pages accessible. For example, a designer
might want specific instructions on how to create accessible tables, Sheehan
said. The training course "will walk you through it," he said.

The lessons were intended by GSA to train federal Web designers, but are
available to anyone who wants to take them. A link to the lessons has been
added to the federal accessibility Web site (www.section508.gov).

Because Section 508 is enforced through federal procurement regulations, GSA
is planning to add courses to the site to train government procurement
officers in the details of the law. Other planned additions include training
courses for human resources personnel.

Copyright 2001 FCW Government Technology Group