Other Accessibility Issues
Providing AT to End-Users
A distinct partition can be drawn between Section 508 and Section 504.
In essence, Section 508 mandates standards for the technology that can
be accessed by a user whereas Section 504 requires that certain users
with disabilities be provided additional or alternative technology,
environments, schedules, etc. (“accommodations”) that allow
them to perform their job to their fullest capacity.
If an agency employee requires AT, the agency is required to provide
them with a reasonable accommodation under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act. Under Section 508, however, you are only responsible for procuring
and implementing technology within the agency that can either be used
by someone with a disability or is compatible with AT.
Return to Section 508 Training
Fundamental Alteration
If making a product accessible would require changing one of the key
attributes of the product that make it unique or operational, then it
may not be possible to meet the requirements of the law. For instance,
if making a personal digital assistant (PDA) accessible would require
additional circuitry which would make the item cumbersome, then portability—a
key feature—would be compromised.
Return to Section 508 Training
Procuring the Most Accessible Product
When procuring EIT, you must first identify the product that meets
the minimum specifications defined in the procurement. If Product A
is less compliant with Section 508 than Product B, but A meets the minimum
technical requirements of the procurement and B does not, than A is
the better choice.
Commercial unavailability is another provision under the standards
which allows you to procure EIT that does not meet the Section 508 standards
if no compliant product currently exists. Vendors and manufacturers
are responding to the needs of people with disabilities and the goals
of the federal government by closing this gap.
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