Impacted Parties

• Section 508 impacts

• Federal departments and agencies

• E&IT users with disabilities

• Section 508 does not impact

• Private sector

• Recipients of federal funds

• Contractors acquiring E&IT incidental to a contract

• Federal agencies acquiring E&IT related to national security

Slide Links:

Speaker Notes:

Section 508 is limited to the Federal sector. It does not apply to the private sector, nor does it generally impose requirements on the recipients of Federal funds. However, state agencies that receive federal funds under the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 are required to comply with 508 requirements.

Also, contractors acquiring incidental to a contract, or agencies acquiring E&IT related to national security are not impacted.

On the other hand, Government agencies must comply and make their Web sites, Intranets, and Web-enabled applications – in fact, all of their E&IT -- accessible according to the standards. Furthermore, Government agencies can only purchase E&IT that complies to the Section 508 standards.

Parties that are impacted in a way that most others are not are the E&IT users… for them, being adversely affected means they are unable to use an E&IT product or access a Web site – being positively affected means that they do have access and can enjoy the same benefits of using a product or Web site that all of us enjoy.