NASA & Section 508

NASA is fully committed to ensuring that its Electronic & Information Technology (EIT) complies with Section 508 requirements, and, to that end, has put in place a strong management structure for implementing the provisions of Section 508 within the Agency.

The NASA Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) has overall Agency responsibility for Section 508 and provides guidance and executive-level leadership for the Agencywide effort to meet its mandates.The NASA Office of Procurement is responsible for putting in place policies and procedures that ensure that Agency procurements are compliant with Section 508.The NASA Office of Human Resources and Education sponsors Section 508 training for the many functional and technical areas affected by Section 508.The NASA Office of Equal Employment Opportunity Programs, in addition to serving as a strong internal advocate for Section 508, publishes and administers the Agency Section 508 complaint process.

Implementation of Section 508 requirements is distributed.The NASA CIO has established a Section 508 team with representatives (coordinators) from all of its Centers and from the Agency functional offices that have Section 508 responsibilities. CIOs at the NASA Centers, working with Center coordinators, ensure that Section 508 requirements are known and adhered to by Center requiring offices, procurement officers, developers, and all other staff who have Section 508-related responsibilities.

What is Section 508?

In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. Inaccessible technology interferes with an individual's ability to obtain and use information quickly and easily. 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. The law applies to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. Under Section 508 (29 U.S.C. ‘ 794d), agencies must give disabled employees and members of the public access to information that is comparable to the access available to others.

What does Section 508 do?

Section 508 establishes requirements for electronic and information technology developed, maintained, procured, or used by the Federal government. Section 508 requires Federal electronic and information technology to be accessible to people with disabilities, including employees and members of the public.

An accessible information technology system is one that can be operated in a variety of ways and does not rely on a single sense or ability of the user. For example, a system that provides output only in visual format may not be accessible to people with visual impairments and a system that provides output only in audio format may not be accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Some individuals with disabilities may need accessibility-related software or peripheral devices in order to use systems that comply with Section 508.

note: for further information- A Guide to Disability Rights Laws,
August 2001 :U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division,
Disability Rights Section