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IT Accessibility Program Office - Government-wide Section 508 Assessment Criteria

IT Accessibility Program Office

This section asks about your reporting entity's program management, reporting, benchmarking, risk management, continuous process improvement, and other business-related functions that align to the development, implementation, and maintenance of your reporting entity's Section 508 program or equivalent.

Question 29

What is the status of the reporting entity's Section 508 Program or equivalent? (*Required)

Select one:

  1. Does not have a formal Section 508 program or equivalent
  2. Formal Section 508 program or equivalent is in development
  3. A Section 508 program or equivalent exists with defined organizational ownership
  4. The Section 508 program or equivalent is widely known and relied on to inform policies, practices and decision-making related to digital content, technology development, and acquisitions
  5. In addition to d), the Section 508 program has well-defined performance metrics as well as authority in decision-making processes related to ICT

Question 30

What is the status of the reporting entity's Section 508 Program Manager or equivalent position. (*Required)

Select one:

  1. No formal position nor duties assigned to perform the role of a Section 508 Program Manager or equivalent
  2. Section 508 Program Manager position has clearly defined roles and responsibilities but no personnel are currently performing the duties of the Section 508 Program Manager or equivalent
  3. Section 508 Program Manager or equivalent is currently staffed and has clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and Section 508-aligned performance measures
  4. In addition to c), meets or exceeds defined Section 508 -aligned performance measures and has sufficient authority and time to effectively manage and coordinate entity Section 508 efforts
  5. In addition to d), uses feedback loops and process analysis to continually make program improvements

Question 31

Indicate how often the reporting entity's Section 508 program (or equivalent) provides support in response to ICT accessibility-related questions and support requests. (*Required)

Select one:

  1. Does not have a Section 508 program or never provides support
  2. Sometimes but generally on an ad hoc basis (approximately 1%-24% of the time)
  3. Regularly (approximately 25%-59% of the time)
  4. Frequently (approximately 60%-89% of the time)
  5. Almost always (approximately 90% or more of the time)
  6. Unknown

Question 32

Indicate how often Section 508 is included in ICT governance processes (e.g., milestone reviews, publication or deployment decisions, change control reviews). (*Required)

Select one:

  1. Never (0% of the time)
  2. Sometimes but generally on an ad hoc basis (approximately 1%-24% of the time)
  3. Regularly (approximately 25%-59% of the time)
  4. Frequently (approximately 60%-89% of the time)
  5. Almost always (approximately 90% or more of the time)
  6. Unknown
  7. N/A - reporting entity does not engage in any form of ICT governance

Question 33

Indicate to what extent resources are available (e.g., training, tools, staff support, etc.) to the reporting entity's Section 508 Program (or equivalent) to implement Section 508. (*Required)

Select one:

  1. Resource needs are unmet and no indication of plans for allocation
  2. Resource needs are unmet but resources are planned for allocation to meet needs in whole or in part
  3. Some resource needs are met (approximately 1%-59%)
  4. Most resource needs are met (approximately 60%-89%)
  5. All or almost all of resource needs are met (approximately 90% or more)
  6. Unknown

If the reporting entity is unsure of resource needs, select “f) Unknown.” For answers a) to e), it is assumed the reporting entity is aware of resources needed.

Resources include but are not limited to:

  • time allocated for all Section 508 team staff to take relevant Section 508 training,
  • attendance to a bootcamp for accessible coding,
  • trainer-led training on the entity-specific content management system for the Section 508 Program Manager,
  • support and resources for automated testing tools approval and installation for enterprise use,
  • multiple vendor demonstrations of accessibility and assistive technology tools, and
  • leadership support to facilitate and enable communication with multiple stakeholders within the organization.

Reviewed/Updated: April 2024

Section508.gov

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