What is Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act?

"On August 7, 1998, President Clinton signed into law the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, which covers access to federally funded programs and services.

"The law strengthens section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and requires access to electronic and information technology provided by the Federal government. The law applies to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. Federal agencies must ensure that this technology is accessible to employees and members of the public with disabilities to the extent it does not pose an 'undue burden.'"

- U. S. Access Board

The U. S. Access Board is responsible for developing technology standards which address accessibility, thereby including them into the regulations that govern Federal procurement. The Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards for Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Active were issued in December, 2000 and are used to help Federal procurement processes evaluate whether or not technology products meet the definition of "accessible."

How Express Metrix Addresses Section 508

Our goal is to develop products that are accessible and usable by anyone who manages corporate IT hardware and software assets, regardless of their physical capabilities. Express Metrix is, therefore, committed to supporting the standards provided by Section 508. We believe these standards are good for both government and industry in general and, most importantly, for individuals with disabilities.

We have evaluated our products to ensure they meet the provisions of Section 508. Specifically, our product development processes take advantage of the accessibility functionality provided by the underlying operating system (Microsoft Windows) as well as incorporating use of Section 508's guidelines for design and implementation of our user interfaces.