In an effort to standardize their approach to section 508 agency wide, dhs. In an effort to improve section 508 testing across government, the harmonized testing process for section 508 compliance. Section 508 office of the chief information officer. Section 508 compliance section 508 is a law that must be followed by federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain or use eit. Manual manual testing uses a documented, consistent, repeatable process hybrid a combination of automated and manual testing. Section 508 compliance a quick guide by level access. Provide technical guidance, tools and resources to assist with section 508 compliance throughout the agency. To further streamline the manual testing process, the dhs section 508 testing process begins with evaluating the interface elements where both software and web standards apply. Achieving complete 508 compliance can be a complicated process to try and undertake on your own. Section 508 compliance is achievable with the right help. This applies to web applications, web pages and all attached files on the intranet, as well as, the internet. Baseline tests for software and web accessibility ver 1.
Pioneering the automation of section 508 compliance testing. More details of that effort and outcome are available in the harmonized testing process for section 508 compliance. Section 508 is the federal requirement for software to be accessible for people with disabilities. Accessibility testing isperformed to ensure that the software application, its content and functionality are accessible and usable by people with different types of disabilities. Dhs section 508 compliance test processes homeland security. The office of the chief information officer ocio is responsible for hhs section 508 compliance. Section 508 requires that all website content be accessible to people with disabilities. Pdf icon harmonized testing process for section 508 compliance. The document incorporates the harmonized testing processes for section 508 compliance.
Aug 09, 2019 this repository contains updates to the trusted tester process, while in draft, to align to the revised section 508 standards. Section 508 was originally added to the rehabilitation act in 1986. Section 508 application test process accessibility dc. Hybrid a combination of automated and manual testing. Alphabetical ordering of the standards requires additional repetitive testing effort over the dhs streamlined sequence. The department of educations assistive technology program, the access board publishers of the section 508 standards, and other agencies in the forefront of accessibility testing, have been inundated with 508 related questions, especially as they relate to web development and accessibility. The trusted tester process incorporates the harmonized processes for section 508 testing. To work toward compliance, we recommend incorporating accessibility testing into existing testing processes. Test for accessibility find an overview of testing methods and the tools to test websites, software, and electronic documents for conformance with the revised 508 standards. No tool exists that you can run against your web site or web page for that matter in order to assert that it is accessible andor complies with the section 508 provisions or the web content accessibility guidelines, however much you are willing to pay. United states federal chief information officers council cioc accessibility community of practice acop june 2019 version 5. The baseline was developed as part of a collaborative project between the accessibility teams at the us department of homeland security dhs and the us social. Section 508 amendment to the rehabilitation act of 1973.
Independent it assessment and security services testpros. Automated high volume 508 conformance testing tools automatically scan and test electronic content. We use detailed dhs section 508 compliance testing process for both. Trusted tester section 508 conformance test process for web trusted tester v5 testing tools note that dhs no longer provides training and certification on trusted tester v4. Accessibility is an important part of the designing your site and should be considered throughout the development process. Section 508 of the rehabilitation act requires that institutions receiving federal funds solicit, procure, maintain and use all information and communication technology ict so that equal or alternatecomparable access is given to federal employees and. Dhs section 508 compliance application test process and using approved testing tools. Oct 04, 2019 dhs developed test processes for evaluating section 508 compliance for ios and android applications, largely based upon section 508 s functional performance criteria fpc. Achieve section 508 and wcag compliance for digital publications and prerecorded media. Section 508 was updated in 2018 explicitly referencing the web content accessibility guidelines wcag 2. Automated tests can process large quantities of content extremely.
Listed below are section 508 testing tools available from nongovernment websites. But 508 covers all information technology and it is the only standard that does so. This page has information about the section 508 law, and the va section 508 office. The original section 508 dealt with electronic and information technologies, in recognition of the growth of this field. May 26, 2017 achieving complete 508 compliance can be a complicated process to try and undertake on your own. Powerpoint document 508 checklist if you are responsible for creating or signing offclearing files, you can use this checklist as part of your process. Trusted tester and ict testing baseline section508. Criterion offers section 508 testing from a real world perspective by including expert wcag testers with disabilities on every audit team.
These tests can be incorporated in distinct, practical, and systematic processes for pdf documents. The first version of the harmonized baseline was developed in 2009 to establish consistency in section 508 conformance testing within the federal government. This repository contains updates to the trusted tester process, while in draft, to align to the revised section 508 standards. Baseline tests for software and web accessibility version 1. Provide training to employees on the section 508 standards, and how to develop and buy accessible technology. As an option, we can apply the fixes to your software section 508 remediation in order to bring it into full compliance with the section 508 standard authorization to use the testpros tested 508 compliance logo the terms and conditions of the 508 compliance testpros tested logo agreement we. The following standards are excerpted from section 508 of the rehabilitation act, 1194. Therefore, testing is needed to reduce the risk of unknowingly implementing. There are several ways to validate conformance to the revised 508 standards. Give practical suggestions to improve accessibility and check 508 compliance. The boards section 508 standards apply to electronic and information technology procured by the federal government, including computer hardware and software, websites, phone systems, and copiers. Many people within an organization are responsible for documents and communications that fall under section 508, as well as hiring or conducting business with contractors which must also be compliant. If additional information is needed, the 508 coordinator will contact the cms application owner. It is designed to identify errors in your content related to section 508 standards andor the wcag guidelines.
Testing tools to validate pdfs for section 508 compliance, testers must utilize the tools available in adobe acrobat professional to conduct manual and automatic section 508 compliance testing. Eas section 508 team our enterprise applications services eas section 508 team works closely with the usda section 508 program office to ensure quality and continuity in our testing efforts. Manual manual testing uses a documented, consistent, repeatable process. Testing for web accessibility compliance under section 508. Section 508 compliance is required for federal agencies and contractors. Section 508 trusted tester certification level access. During the past 20 years, criterion has assisted more than 2,000 government agencies and contractors to obtain longterm section 508 compliance via our premium section 508 compliance services. Hybrid apps are native apps that integrate web content. Gsa 508 technical tools and resources free testing tools for 508 compliance. This document contains a set of tests that cover section 508 standards and align with applicable wcag 2. They are powerful alone, but even more powerful when used together. They were issued under section 508 of the rehabilitation act which requires access for both members of the public and federal employees to such.
Thats why we designed software to be simple, elegant, and optimized for realworld use. May 06, 2019 hhs section 508 accessibility checklists the below checklists are the official hhs accessibility checklists. This process may misidentify problems where none exist, causing. Section 508 is the governing principle and it requires that all government information be accessible to disabled users. About the section 508 standards united states access board. If additional information is needed, the 508 coordinator will. Adobe acrobat reader does not include any accessibility validation tools and therefore it is not used to test pdfs in this test process. When software is deployed, government it staff use a 508 toolbar to manually test and identify areas of the application that appear to be out of compliance. Section 508 is an important amendment to the rehabilitation act that protects the right of people with disabilities to have equal access to electronic and information technology. The baseline was developed as part of a collaborative project between the. It is designed to identify errors in your content related to section 508 standards andor the wcag. Computer intelligence is a maryland based company founded in 2001 and has a long standing practice in accessibility as it relates to software technologies. Advancing the industry of digital media accessibility services for over a decade, word wizards has the knowledge and experience to make your content 508 compliant. Section 508 covers technology procured by a federal agency under contract with a private entity or produced within the agency itself.
It applies to all electronic and information technology eit including software, web sites, web applications, and hardware applications such as computers, networks, peripherals, and other types of electronic office equipment. Dhs section 508 compliance test process for applications. Accessibility focuses on how a disabled person accesses or benefits from a site, system or application. During the audit process, there will be automated testing, manual testing, and. Dhs section 508 compliance test process for applications version. Many people within an organization are responsible for documents and communications that fall under section 508, as well as hiring or conducting business with contractors which must also be. If you already know about wcag youre in great shape. Section 508 pdf document accessibility test process.
This document contains information on how cms is meeting the section 508 standards and policies and how cms is organized to meet this mandate. When states wanted to require accessible information technology, they turned to the section 508 accessibility standards to define accessibility. In 1997, the federal electronic and information technology accessibility and compliance act was proposed in the u. Any accessibility testing must be viewed as a process that combines automated software tools with human judgment. Dhs section 508 compliance test process for applications a logical order and groupings of interface s is normally a given in the design of component software applications and web content. Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, to make available new opportunities for people with disabilities, and to encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals. For more information, contact a cms 508 clearance officer see downloads below. Accessibility testing for websites and software section508. Computer software, hardware, and documentation are all covered by section 508. Monitoring compliance for section 508, american with disabilities act ada, and the web content accessibility.
The law applies to all federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. The section 508 website provides a dedicated page on section 508 compliance testing, including testing guidelines for websites, software, and electronic documents. Section 508 tester jobs, employment skip to job postings, search close. Reveal what a screen reader should say for interactive elements.
The test processes cover testing of native or hybrid apps. Our clients include large healthcare and technology companies that look to us to provide the right mix of accessibility knowledge and practicality. Overview of testing methods for 508 conformance section508. As per section 508 of the amended united states rehabilitation act of 1973, agencies must give disabled employees and members of the public access to information. Hisoftware cynthia says portal is a web content accessibility validation solution. Section 508 also means that a person with a disability applying for a job with the federal government or a person who is using an agencys website to get information about a program, or completing an online form has access to the same accessible information and resources available to anyone. This page contains the cms section 508 policy which was approved by the cms section 508 official. Dhs developed test processes for evaluating section 508 compliance for ios and android applications, largely based upon section 508 s functional performance criteria fpc. Any time you are preparing an electronic document that will be posted online or distributed via email, whether its an internal document or an external document, you need to follow the section 508 guidelines. No tool exists that you can run against your web site or web page for that matter in order to assert that it is accessible andor complies with the section 508 provisions or the web content accessibility guidelines, however much. Section 508 compliance testing 508 compliance website.
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