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18F / accessibility

A repo to organize the guidelines and best practices for accessibility at 18f.
https://accessibility.18f.gov/
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New Policy #20

Closed PiaScott closed 9 years ago

PiaScott commented 9 years ago

https://insite.gsa.gov/portal/content/669274

adelevie commented 9 years ago

Thanks, @PiaScott! Unfortunately, I am having trouble accessing that link outside of the GSA firewall.

PiaScott commented 9 years ago

Here's the Policy

2105.1C CIO GSA Section 508: Managing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for Individuals with Disabilities

Date: 02/11/2015 Status: Validated Outdated on: 02/10/2022 Printer Friendly Format GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

        Washington, DC 20405

CIO 2105.1C

February 10, 2015

GSA ORDER

SUBJECT: GSA Section 508: Managing Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for Individuals with Disabilities

  1. Purpose. The purpose of this order is to provide policy management of Section 508

initiatives of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, throughout the General Services Administration (GSA).

  1. Cancellation. This directive cancels, CIO 2105.1B GSA Section 508: Managing Electronic and Information Technology for Individuals with Disabilities, dated July 14, 2011.
  2. Applicability. The provisions of this order are applicable to all General Services Administration (GSA) employees involved in the design, development, procurement or use of information and communications technology. This order applies regardless of whether individual service and staff offices currently employ individuals with disabilities. This order applies to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) to the extent that the OIG determines this order is consistent with the OIG’s independent authority under the IG Act and it does not conflict with other OIG policies or the OIG mission.
  3. Background. When developing, procuring, maintaining, or using information and communications technology, each Federal department or agency shall ensure that the technology allows persons with disabilities to have access to information and data that is comparable to the access of individuals without disabilities. This applies regardless of the type of medium of the technology. However, it may not apply if an undue burden would be imposed on the department or agency. When an undue burden to the department or agency is applicable, the Federal department or agency shall provide an alternative means of access that will allow the individual to understand and gain access to the information and communications.

  4. Responsibilities.

    a. Heads of Services and Staff Offices (HSSO). HSSOs will:

    (1)  Support efforts of management and technical personnel to ensure that all applicable ICT resources developed, procured, maintained, or used are accessible to persons with disabilities. This includes access to and use of Federal public information resources and/or work-related ICT resources.

(2)  Appoint a Section 508 point of contact (POC) for the region/organization to respond to employee inquiries on Section 508 and accessibility.

(3)  Respond to the Section 508 Program office yearly data call to confirm the availability or update of the region/organization Section 508 POC.

(4)  Management personnel under the direction of the HSSOs will:

      (a) Require that office documents (Word, PowerPoint, Excel and PDF) be accessible to persons using assistive technology;

      (b) Inform employees within the staff office of the Section 508 POC for the region/organization;

      (c)  Require that ICT resources can be readily configured to accommodate the needs of employees with disabilities;

      (d) Require that region/organization POC’s and employees involved in the design, development, procurement or use of information and communication technology take at least 2 hours of Section 508 accessibility and/or technical training every 2 years;

      (e) Require collection of vendor voluntary product accessibility template (VPAT) by supervised requiring officials when procuring commercially developed products, and require that any government specific products meet Section 508 accessibility guidelines;

      (f)  Enforce captioning of all audio and video multimedia that is developed or procured and posted on a GSA website;

      (g) Purchase assistive technology as necessary for employees with disabilities; and

      (h) Test and remediate all websites, web applications and mobile apps to meet the technical requirements of Section 508 (see Section 508 Procedures Handbook, Chapter 2, for specific requirement).

    b. Contracting personnel.

    (1)  The contracting officer is responsible for reviewing and complying with the acquisition regulations for implementing Section 508, found at FAR 11.002(f) and subpart 39.2.

(2)  Ensure the use of the BuyAccessible Wizard (BAW) tool or Quick Links to develop Section 508 technical requirements in the requirements document. (A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) may be requested from the vendor as part of the requirements document in place of using the BAW tools.

(3)  Contracting personnel will:

      (a) Complete at least 2 hours of Section 508 awareness and/or technical training every 2 years;

      (b) Obtain certification from the incumbent or prospective vendor or maintenance provider that no maintenance or warranty agreements will be voided by adding accommodation devices to existing or newly acquired ICT resources;

      (c)  Ensure contracts include appropriate Section 508 technical requirements and language relevant to the contract requirements; and

      (d)  Refer to the Buy Accessible Wizard for guidance in complying with the requirements of Section 508.

      (e)  Adhere to guidance included in OCIO issued solicitation evaluation sampling letters received.

    c. The Chief Information Officer (CIO) and the Office of GSA IT. The CIO is the senior agency official responsible for establishing guidance on ICT accessibility management, to include ensuring access to Federal public information resources for persons with disabilities. The CIO will:

    (1)  Determine Section 508 policy management and procedures;

(2)  Raise levels of agency awareness and manage the Section 508 program;

(3)  Create and provide guidance, training, references and other information for agency employees to learn, understand and implement Section 508 in everyday program activities;

(4)  Ensure that IT accessibility management is incorporated into the GSA IT portfolio;

(5)  Conduct random Section 508 accessibility and compliance checks of ICT contracts, online documents and websites;

(6)  Conduct a data call on organization’s websites owned and their percentage of conformance to the Section 508 technical requirements for intranet and internet information systems;

(7)  Randomly flag and report online non-captioned multimedia;

(8)  Provide Section 508 training for agency employees;

(9)  Refer all Section 508 complaints to the Office of Civil Rights;

(10) Receive employee requests for specialized accessibility needs and coordinate  as necessary through the Department of Defense Computer Electronic Accommodations Program; and

(11) Ensure the use of the BuyAccessible Wizard (BAW) tool or Quick Links by the requiring organization to develop Section 508 technical requirements to be included in the requirements document.  A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) may be requested from the vendor as part of the requirements document in place of using the BAW tools).
  5. General exception. General exceptions are intended to allow managers sufficient time to make his/her ICT accessible. An exception will not alleviate the need to provide an alternate accessible format when requested. To request an exception, the program officer should follow the procedures outlined in the GSA Section 508 Procedures Handbook, Chapter 1.
  6. Section 508 complaints. The GSA Office of Civil Rights (OCR) investigates and processes complaints concerning Section 508. GSA OCR can be reached at 1800 F Street, NW, Room 2331, Washington, D.C. 20405, or call 202-501-0767 or 1-800-877-8339 (TDD).
  7. Accessibility statement on GSA websites. GSA Intranet and Internet websites will include a link to an accessibility statement that articulates GSA's commitment to Section 508 and accessibility and note when the statement was last updated. Additional guidance on the language for an accessibility statement may be found in the GSA Section 508 Procedures Handbook.

  8. Definitions.

    a. Accessibility management. The practice of ensuring equal access to and use of all ICT resources by disabled and non-disabled individuals. Accessibility Management must be addressed during the planning and acquisition of all ICT resources to ensure all ICT resources utilized can accommodate individuals with disabilities.

    b. Assistive technology (AT). Any item, piece of equipment, or system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is commonly used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capability of individuals with disabilities.

    c. Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Any information technology, equipment, or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment for which the principal function is the creation, conversion, duplication, automatic acquisition, storage, analysis, evaluation, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission, reception, or broadcast of data or information. Examples of ICT are electronic content, telecommunications products, computers and ancillary equipment, software, information kiosks and transaction machines, videos, IT services, and multifunction office machines which copy, scan, and fax documents. ICT includes:

    (1)  Software programs;

(2)  Web based Intranet or Internet information and applications;

(3)  Telecommunication products;

(4)  Information kiosk and transaction machines;

(5)  Websites;

(6)  Multimedia (including video and pictures);

(7)  Office equipment, computers, copiers and fax machines;

(8)  Electronic forms and documents; and

(9)  Other related resources defined by the Administrator.

    d. Information technology. As defined in the FAR subpart 2.1, is any equipment or

interconnected system(s) or subsystem(s) of equipment that is used in the automatic acquisition, storage, analysis, evaluation, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission, or reception of data or information by the agency.

     (1)  The term "information technology" includes computers, ancillary equipment (including imaging peripherals, input, output, and storage devices necessary for security and surveillance), peripheral equipment designed to be controlled by the central processing unit of a computer, software, firmware and similar procedures, services (including support services), and related resources.

     (2)  The term "information technology" does not include any equipment that

           (a)  Is acquired by a contractor incidental to a contract; or

           (b)  Contains embedded information technology that is used as an integral part of the product, but the principal function of which is not the acquisition, storage, analysis, evaluation, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission, or reception of data or information.

 e.  Requiring officials.  The program manager or other Government staff delegated with responsibility for developing ICT requirements.

 f.   Undue Burden or Unduly burden(ed).  To cause a significant difficulty or expense.  When there is an undue burden, the statute requires an alternative means of access be provided to persons with disabilities.

 g.  Voluntary product accessibility template (VPAT).  The vendor’s self-representation of their product(s) or service(s) conformance to the Section 508 technical standards.
  1. Signature.

/S/___

SONNY HASHMI

Chief Information Officer

Office of GSA IT

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