Section 508 - EIT Accessibility

The HLQAT.org is committed to making its Web site and electronic information technology (EIT) accessible to the widest possible audience, including individuals with disabilities. In keeping with its mission, the HLQAT.org complies by implementing the regulations of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Section 508 Implementation Policy.

Synopsis of Section 508 Accessibility Requirements

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, requires that when federal agencies procure, develop, maintain, or use EIT, they ensure that federal employees and members of the public with disabilities have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access to and use of information and data that is available to individuals without disabilities.

The first regulation implementing Section 508 was issued by the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (the "Access Board"), an independent federal agency, whose primary mission is to promote accessibility for individuals with disabilities. This regulation is referred to as the Access Board's "EIT Accessibility Standards," which became enforceable on June 21, 2001. The Access Board's standards set forth a definition of EIT and the technical and functional provisions and performance criteria necessary for compliance with Section 508.

In January 2005, the Secretary of HHS signed the "HHS Policy for Section 508 Electronic and Information Technology (EIT)". This policy establishes guidance for implementing Section 508 throughout the Department.

Although federal agencies have an explicit statutory obligation to make all EIT that they develop, procure, maintain, or use compliant with Section 508, individuals may only file complaints or lawsuits to enforce Section 508's requirements with respect to EIT systems procured or deployed on or after June 21, 2001. The Section 508 requirements do not apply retroactively to pre-existing EIT. However, as agencies upgrade and change their EIT, they must comply with the standards. Specifically, the Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards: Economic Assessment states that:

"The standards are to be applied prospectively and do not require federal agencies to retrofit existing electronic and information technology. As agencies upgrade and change their electronic and information technology, they must comply with the standards."

It should be noted, however, that federal agencies have additional responsibilities under Section 501 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. These Sections require that agencies provide reasonable accommodation to employees with disabilities and provide program access to members of the public with disabilities and take other actions necessary to prevent discrimination on the basis of disability in their programs.

For Alternate Access to Web Information

At this time, all HLQAT.org Web information should be accessible via screen readers and other accessibility tools. If you need an alternative means of access to any information on a HLQAT.org Web site, please contact hlqat@ifmc.org Let us know the nature of your accessibility problem, the Web address of the requested information, and your contact information.

Download Assistance

In addition to the web page material which can be read using your browser, we occasionally post resources in other file formats which require the use of additional software. The following information will help you understand what you need to use and/or view each of these file formats.

Adobe PDF
Many of our documents are available in PDF format. Version 6.0 of Adobe Reader, formerly called Acrobat Reader, now includes a built in Read Out Loud option. If your current version of Adobe Reader doesn't have this feature, the updated plug-in is available at no charge from Adobe.

Reader 6.0 synthesizes the text in Adobe PDF files into speech, using a regular Windows or Macintosh computer, so anyone can read basic Adobe PDF text files aloud, even without a screen reader. For more information about this new feature please read Adobe Acrobat 6.0 and Accessibility.

The Read Out Loud Option can be accessed by using the following key board short cuts:
• View single page - Shift + Ctrl + V
• Read entire document - Shift + Ctrl + B

To install the latest version of the Adobe Reader go to: http://www.adobe.com/reader

If you use screen reader software (for example an audio-enabled web browser) which is not compatible with Adobe Reader, Adobe provide a free online tool which converts the content of PDF files to a format which can be understood by most screen reader applications. If you need to assistance to convert PDF documents, Adobe® offers conversion tools at its Accessibility Resource Center at http://www.adobe.com/accessibility/index.html

Microsoft Office Files

• Microsoft Access
  Microsoft Access files normally have the file extension .mdb. To view these files you will need Microsoft Access, which is a part of Microsoft Office. If you do not have Microsoft Access, then you can view these files using Microsoft's free Access Viewer.
  
  If you are having trouble downloading Access files in your Web browser, right-click on the link, and save the file to your hard drive. Then open the Access file from your hard drive by double-clicking it.
   
• Microsoft Excel
  Microsoft Excel files normally have the file extension .xls or .xlsx. To view these files you will need Microsoft Excel, which is a part of Microsoft Office. If you do not have Microsoft Excel, then you can view these files using Microsoft's free Excel Viewer.
  
  If you are having trouble downloading Excel files in your Web browser, right-click on the link, and save the file to your hard drive. Then open the Excel file from your hard drive by double-clicking it.
   
• Microsoft PowerPoint
  PowerPoint files are used for presentations and normally have the file extension .ppt or .pptx. To view these files you will need Microsoft PowerPoint, which is a part of Microsoft Office. If you do not have Microsoft PowerPoint, then you can view these files using Microsoft's free PowerPoint Viewer.
  
  If you are having trouble downloading PowerPoint files in your Web browser, right-click on the link, and save the file to your hard drive. Then open the PowerPoint file from your hard drive by double-clicking it.
   
• Microsoft Word
  Microsoft Word files normally have the file extension .doc or .docx and can be read by recent versions of Word and by some other current word processors. To view these files you will need Microsoft Word, which is a part of Microsoft Office. If you do not have Microsoft Word, then you can view these files using Microsoft's free Word Viewer.
  
  If you are having trouble downloading Word files in your Web browser, right-click on the link, and save the file to your hard drive. Then open the Word file from your hard drive by double-clicking it.
Zipped Files
• ZIP files (also known as compressed folders or archives) are files that have been shrunk in size to help to decrease download times. A ZIP file may comprise anything from a single file, a folder containing a number of files, or even a huge batch of folders and subfolders, each having many files inside.
   
• To open ZIP files so that you can extract the files within them, you will need a zip utility program, such as pkunzip or WinZip. An evaluation version of WinZip can be downloaded free of charge from www.winzip.com, but be aware that you should license it if you want to continue using it after the evaluation period has run out, or you will be infringing copyright restrictions!
   
• Windows ME users only: Windows ME can create and open ZIP files (which it calls compressed folders) without the need for a separate program. Look up 'compressed' in the Windows ME help files for further information.