Someone forward to me this article below from Inside the Pentagon, a private newsletter about DOD. According to the Annual Report on the Employment of Minorities, Women and People with Disabilities in the Federal Government For FY 1997 (Office of Federal Operations, Federal Sector Programs, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) Part II - Employment of People with Disabilities in the Federal Government p. 251-300 Table II-4, People with Targeted Disabilities (deaf; blind; missing extremities; partial paralysis; complete paralysis; convulsive disorder; mental retardation; mental illness; distortion limbs'spine) there are 8,734 out of a work force of 726,995 at DOD. "DOD Wrestles With How To Boost Computer Access For The Disabled The Defense Department, like all other federal agencies, is still grappling with a new law intended to lend those with disabilities better access to electronics and information technology systems -- a measure that could prove costly for both industry and government. Initial drafts of "Section 508" requirements drew fire from industry coalitions and some government officials concerned that overly restrictive language would stymie the federal procurement process. While generally supportive of the measure, most of them agree the impact on both industry and government will be profound, with the Defense Department as no exception. Section 508 of the Workforce Investment Partnership Act of 1998 mandates federal agencies purchase only systems that afford those with disabilities reasonable access. In general, a system is considered accessible if it does not depend on a single sense or ability to acquire data. For example, a Web site with graphics must be accompanied by explanatory text; this way a blind person can install software that reads the text aloud. The provision amends the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which was passed to improve employment and other opportunities for people with disabilities. Almost 30 years later, IT systems are now crucial tools in obtaining government data. Accordingly, Congress passed Section 508, which allows citizens to sue federal agencies who do not comply with technical standards. After significant input from government officials and industry groups, the White House on April 25 published the final standards in the Federal Register. The ruling becomes effective June 21. The recent ruling exempts systems that would impose an "undue burden" on a federal agency, as well as all national security systems. National security systems are those used for "military command, weaponry, intelligence and cryptologic activities," according to a fact sheet provided by the Access Board, a federal council advocating services for people with disabilities. For example, "a computer designed to provide early missile-launch detection would not be subject to the Section 508 standards, nor would administrative or business systems that must be architecturally tightly coupled with a mission critical, national security system to ensure interoperability and mission accomplishment," the final rule states. This exemption does not apply to "routine business and administrative systems used for other defense-related purposes or by defense agencies or personnel," the board states, comparing the law to the 1996 Clinger-Cohen Act, which required federal agencies to exert more oversight of IT acquisitions. Clinger-Cohen also exempts national security systems, but compliance became a challenge for the military in part because of the vast number of IT systems the Defense Department must track, according to past audits reports. Payroll, finance, logistics, personnel management and other administrative applications are not exempt from Clinger-Cohen or Section 508 compliance and DOD's investment in these systems are significant. Section's 508's "undue burden" clause is defined to exempt systems that would comply only after "significant difficulty or expense." Any federal agency claiming this exemption, however, must still provide people with disabilities access to that information. DOD spokeswoman Susan Hansen said the Pentagon staff is not ready to conduct interviews on the subject, but did offer that officials anticipate compliance costs to be "significant, but not overwhelming." "In addition to the increased cost of IT, DOD faces the costs associated with training procurement personnel, software developers, Webmasters, etc., and the cost of testing tools to ensure that Web sites and software are compliant," she stated in a written response to questions posed by Inside the Pentagon. A dollar figure estimating these additional costs are not yet available, she said. "We anticipate that industry will pass the increased cost of developing and producing Section 508 compliant hardware and software to the customer," Hansen said. Olga Grkavac, the executive vice president for the Information Technology Association of America, said federal agencies are not alone in being unsure how Section 508 might impact future IT procurements. Companies are rethinking how they will approach government sales, and because some of the technologies that will enable people with disabilities in the future are still being developed, both government and industry are bracing for a long adjustment period. DOD recently announced plans to hold a conference on Section 508 compliance, inviting representatives from various Pentagon components, including the Joint Staff and DOD agencies, to attend. The office of the assistant secretary of defense for command, control, communications and intelligence will host the June 6 meeting at the National Defense University in Washington, DC. According to a conference announcement, the meeting aims to "promote a better understanding of what 'accessibility' means for DOD [electronics and IT systems] and focus on how DOD should plan and implement actions that will provide access to information technology as required by Section 508." Arthur Money, then Pentagon Chief Information Officer and OASD(C3I) director, issued a memo in the summer of 2000 warning DOD components of the upcoming law, indicating that compliance could be a challenge. "As DOD currently has tens of thousands of Web pages with more being added daily, accessibility is a significant requirement that will need to be addressed over time," Money stated in a July 20 memo. "However, the department must show an immediate and continuing 'good faith' effort to comply with Section 508." _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com