A new one day briefing on compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

• What agencies and contractors must know about Section 508, the Act and the Regulations
• The Section's Purpose - Equal IT Access for the Disabled
• The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board
• Source Selection Requirements
• Assistive Technologies
• Embedded Software and Operating Systems
• Commercial Items and Commercial Availability
• Web-Based Applications
• Exemptions and Exceptions

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was passed to prohibit discrimination against persons with disabilities and to provide for affirmative action.

The Act requires Federal Agencies to promote both affirmative action and equal employment of the disabled. Government Contractors must take affirmative action to employ and promote qualified disabled individuals at all levels of employment.

The Rehabilitation Act was amended in 1998 to include Section 508. Section 508 specifically addresses the procurement, maintenance, and use of Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) products and services. Under Section 508, Federal Agencies must ensure that federal employees with disabilities have access to IT products that is comparable to the access of employees without disabilities. In addition, disabled persons in the general public who seek information from the Agency, must have access comparable to non-disabled public information seekers.

The 1998 Amendment provides the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) with the authority to develop and issue standards for Federal Agency compliance with accessibility requirements.

The accessibility standards and regulations apply to almost all organizations who provide electronic and information technology to the Federal Government.

In addition, IT products covered by the standards - and purchased by the Government from contractors - must meet the accessibility standards prescribed through the product's own features or through the use of assistive technologies.

Here is an opportunity to learn how these new IT requirements affect you, your agency, and your company. The Course Curriculum outlines the subject areas to be covered.

1. What is Section 508?
   1. Section 508 history
   2. The Rehabilitation Act
   3. The purpose of Section 508
   4. The expected results of Section 508
   5. The Costs of Section 508

2. What Barriers are Faced by People with Disabilities When Using IT Products and Services?
   1. Discussion of recognized disabilities
   2. Barriers with software
   3. Barriers with hardware

3. What is Assistive Techology?
   1. Purpose of assistive technologies
   2. Types of assistive technologies
   3. Live demonstrations of assistive technologies

4. What are the Section 508 Technical Requirements?
   1. Hardware EIT
   2. Software EIT
   3. Other EIT

5. What is the Architectural & Transportation Barriers Compliance Board?
   1. Who comprises the Access Board?
   2. What the Access Board does
   3. What lies ahead for the Access Board

6. What Statutes are involved?
   1. Section 508 as amended by the Rehabilitation Act
   2. The Clinger-Cohen Act exemptions
   3. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 remedies

7. How Does Section 508 Apply to Contractors?
   1. The Federal Acquisition Regulation provisions
   2. Covered EIT
   3. Subcontractors and vendors
   4. Certifications
   5. Exceptions
   6. Indefinite quantity contracts

8. What are the Potential Legal Liabilities Associated with Section 508?
   1. Bid protests of RFPs
   2. Bid protests of contract awards
   3. Government claims
   4. Prime/subcontractor-vendor disputes
   5. Suspension and debarment

9. Where is Section 508 Headed?
   1. Access Board recurring reviews
   2. State and local government initiatives

David R. Johnson    David is a partner in the Washington, DC office of Vinson & Elkins, LLP. His practice includes representing government contractors and information technology companies. Dave has extensive litigation and counseling experience with respect to government contracts issues, including claims preparation and litigation, bid protest litigation at the General Accounting Office and the Court of Federal Claims, defense of government claims against contractors and counseling government contractors clients on compliance matters. As a complement to his government contracts practice, Dave has significant experience assisting information technology clients — not limited to government contractors — negotiate and prepare alliance agreements and other complex agreements involving integration of information technology and services. He has also litigated disputes pertaining to such projects. He has been quoted and published by IT periodicals, particularly with respect to Federal Government procurement initiatives that broadly affect the IT industry, such as the Section 508 accessibility standards for disabled users.

Terri Youngblood    is President of Accessible Systems Incorporated (ASI), a woman-owned small business, providing expert consultation and support to Federal Agencies, IT manufacturers and individuals with disabilities regarding information technology accessibility. Ms. Youngblood has eight years experience in information technology accessibility and assistive technology product integration and evaluation, needs assessments, and support for persons with disabilities. Ms. Youngblood has established a substantial reputation in the field of IT accessibility in the Federal Government and private sector. Accessible Systems has been a key driving force in the adoption of accessibility standards in the federal government for many years. Terri has provided expert consultation in the development of the Assistive Technology Program at the U.S. Department of Education and is the lead author of the Requirements for Accessible Software Design that were used to develop the software section of 508.

Doug Wakefield     is the Access Specialist for access to telecommunications and the lead staff person at the U.S. Access Board developing the standards to implement Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. He formerly owned and operated Talking Computers, Inc., a company specializing in developing training materials to teach people with disabilities how to operate computers using assistive technology. His experience includes serving as an Accessibility Consultant to the State of Virginia. He has also provided consulting service focusing on information access for people with disabilities to several Federal agencies. While on the staff of the center for IT Accommodation at the General Services Administration, he provided a variety of information access related services to Federal managers and employees. (Note: Doug is an invited speaker at the time of this printing.)