Effective June 25, 2001, the federal government implemented Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Amendments of 1998 (29 U.S.C. § 794(d)). Section 508 requires that the federal government only acquire electronic and information technology goods and services that provide for access by persons with disabilities. For more information, see http://www.section508.gov.

Under "Buy Accessible", a partnership between government and industry, the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) is hosting a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template on their site. It allows vendors who choose to participate the ability to copy the template and complete it to describe how a particular product or service they offer conforms to Section 508 Access Board standards. This template should be placed on the vendors accessible web site and the link to the template provided to the Buy Accessible database.

Government procurement staff will be able to search the site by specific product or service type and see all vendors who have provided links. They can then use the links to reach the template information and product or service descriptions necessary to complete their market research.