An Official Website of The United States Government
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
You are here: Section 508 Home
If you are a ...
Man at work talking on the phone
Procurement Official
  • Determine if your purchase is subject to Section 508
  • Find language for your solicitation
  • Find companies and do market research to buy Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) products or services
  • Provide documentation for Section 508 compliance
Woman browsing the buyaccessible website
Requiring Official
  • Identify which provisions apply to the procurement
  • Perform market research to determine the availability of conforming products and services
  • Demonstrate “due diligence” (document an audit trail for Section 508 compliance) … and do so effectively, efficiently, and consistently?
Vendors at work discussing at the meeting table
EIT Vendor
  • Facilitate how you sell Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) products and services to the government
  • Provide an easy way to showcase accessibility information about your products and services for government buyers
  • Register with the BuyAccessible Product and Services Directory so that buyers can easily find your accessibility information
Two men and a woman at work reviewing content on a laptop
Section 508 Coordinator
  • Understand the provisions of Section 508
  • Understand your roles and responsibilities
  • Find tools and resources to assist other members of your team
Web developer working hard on his laptop
EIT Professional
  • Learn how the Standards affect your site
  • Assess and evaluate your site for 508 compliance
  • Code your site to assist users using assistive devices such as screen readers
Student in a classroom
Academic Community Member
  • Learn about the web accessibility initiatives of other institutions
  • Join in collaboration and knowledge transfer amongst your peers
  • See different ways to provide tools and training for students and staff
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State Agency Official
  • Learn about the web accessibility initiatives of other States
  • Find policy statements models to build your State’s accessibility policy
  • Find ways to lower your State’s technical barriers to accessibility for persons with disabilities
User reading braille
Person With a Disability
  • Find information on assistive technologies products and equipment
  • Collaborate with advocacy groups
  • Participate with other groups to break down barriers to access

Section 508 Blog - Voices From the Front Line

One Size Does Not Fit All
Within the domain of Section 508 there are many misconceptions. One notable misconception is the thought that if the language works for one solicitation it will work for all... Read full Blog
Social Media Accessibility
Social media is increasingly becoming the communication option of choice...Government agencies must... Read full Blog
Make sure your Solicitation Documentation is Accessible! Don’t Scan!
When GSA reviews a sampling of IT solicitations from FedBizOpps, we often find issues with inaccessible solicitation documents... Read full Blog

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What's Happening

The BuyAccessible Wizard

Buy Accessible Widget on Homepage The BuyAccessible Wizard (BAW) and Vendor Accessibility Resource Center (VARC) are
designed for GOVERNMENT REQUIREMENTS, PURCHASING AND PROCUREMENT OFFICIALS

Check out Quick Links by visiting www.BuyAccessible.gov and selecting "Quick Links".

Use the BuyAccessible Wizard to:
  • Conduct your market research on accessible Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) products and services
  • Meet your 508 requirements to acquire accessible products and services.
Vendors! Use the Vendor Accessibility Resource Center (VARC) to:
  • Advertise your accessible EIT products and services to government buyers.
Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT):
  • This link goes to the www.itic.org which maintains the VPAT (the VPAT is not a government form).
  • Vendors can self-report and document their products' 508 conformance by filling out the VPAT.
  • Federal Government purchasers can use the VPAT for their Section 508 Market Research.
  • Federal Government purchasers and contracting officials can then evaluate a vendor's report of a product's accessibility against the Section 508 standards.
BuyAccessible Training:
  • Training for buyers and sellers.
  • Access the BuyAccessible glossary.