Section 508 Amendment to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

In 1998, the U.S. Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act to require federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities.

The law applies to all federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology.

The Board released drafts of proposed rules based on the committee's recommendations in 2010 and 2011 for public comment.

[9] The Section 508 standards, tools, and resources are available from the Center for Information Technology Accommodation (CITA), in the U.S. General Services Administration's Office of Government-wide Policy.

[10] When evaluating a computer hardware or software product which could be used in a U.S. government agency, information technology managers now look to see if the vendor has provided an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR).

Because colorblindness is common, another issue is whether the device or software communicates necessary information only by differences in displayed color.

If the product can be configured to avoid potential barriers to use, that is usually considered a satisfactory adaptation to the Section 508 requirements.