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Section 508: Making the Web Accessible To AllThe Architectural Compliance Boards Accessibility Standards has published Section 508 which mandates that all Information Technology infrastructure and tools shall be accessible to individuals with disabilities. The law states that by July 26, 2001, all web sites, applications, and other IT hardware items (such as kiosks) shall be made accessible to all individuals. If a component of IT infrastructure, a web site, or other identified items are not compliant with Section 508 by the July 26, 2001, date, the agency hosting or owning the application, web site, or other IT component will be held liable. As such, the offending agency is subject to legal proceedings initiated by individuals who are unable to access the item or web site.To insure compliance and adherence to the Section 508 requirements, NASA Headquarters is initiating a complete review and renovation of all web pages hosted on devices at this facility. A project plan has been developed and includes analyses of over 30 separate web sites and approximately 40 web applications. Beginning in January, Charles Redmond, Code CI, and Tom Fedrick, Code CI-1 (SAIC), will host briefings for individuals who manage web pages and web sites at Headquarters. These briefings will cover what the law actually states, what Code CI and SAIC plan to do with the web sites to make them compliant, and how each of the many webmasters at Headquarters can improve their sites and keep them within the law. Copies of the project plan and schedule will also be available on the web at www.hq.nasa.gov/webaccess/HQwebsked.html. This is an ongoing process and will continue until all web sites and web applications at Headquarters are compliant with the new law. Thank you in advance for your participation and support. For further information contact Charles Redmond, 358-1757, or Tom Fedrick, 703-676-0311.
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