Section 508 Certification and VPAT
There is a common misconception among information
technology buyers, users, and even some technology vendors that a product, which
must comply with Section 508 of the 1998 Rehabilitation Act, must also be
certified. Section 508 of the law provides accessibility guidelines and
mandates that information systems used by the Federal government or
organizations funded by the Federal government must be in compliant with the
law, but the law does not state the technology must be certified.
There is no certification document, certification process,
nor certification authority that tests and attests to Section 508 compliance.
Compliance is mandated but self-regulated. An individual or organization could sue
if they believe some technology is not compliant, but other than that, there is
no Federal procedure associated with compliance or certification.
The best way for buyers, users, and vendors to assure
compliance is by requiring a Statement of Compliance and a completed Section
508 VPAT.
A Statement of Compliance is nothing more than a technology vendor
stating in writing as a stand-alone document or as part of sales proposal or
marketing literature that a specific product version is compliant with Section
508 of the Rehabilitation Act.
A VPAT is the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, a
standardized form developed by the Information Technology Industry Council
(ITIC) to communicate that a product conforms to key regulations as specified in
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.
For more information see Understanding Section 508 Compliance and VPAT.