Implementing Section 508: Improving Access to Government Information and Data for Persons with Disabilities

The President put it best when he said, “Americans with disabilities are Americans first and foremost, and like all Americans are entitled to not only full participation in our society, but also full opportunity in our society.” And, the truth is that Americans with disabilities can’t fully participate and will not have the full opportunity to do so unless they have access to the technology that is so critical to that participation and those opportunities. That’s why, at the President’s direction, his Administration has focused on enhancing our commitment to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, so that Americans outside the government can access information about their government and those working inside the government can be productive employees. Over the past few years, we have taken several affirmative steps regarding Section 508.

For the first time, the Chief Information Officer Council and the Chief Acquisition Officer Council now jointly chair the Chief Information Officers Accessibility Committee. We have taken the information from the listening sessions as well as all the input received through various stakeholder meetings and pulled together a framework for the next phase in our efforts to improve Section 508 management. That’s where you come in. Before proceeding further with development of the strategic plan, we are seeking your input and expertise. Taking into account ideas from all the stakeholders we’ve met with so far, we posted a strategy document at http://section508.ideascale.com. It includes high level objectives, initiatives, focus areas, and potential measures. We’re looking for you to comment on what has been proposed, but also for you to propose broad management strategies, tactics, and actions that can ultimately help Federal agencies better comply with Section 508.


Implementing Section 508: Improving Access to Government Information and Data for Persons with Disabilities