Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires federal agencies to ensure that their information and communication technology (ICT) is accessible to people with disabilities, unless certain exceptions apply. The statute requires federal agencies to ensure that ICT they develop, procure, maintain, or use allows employees with disabilities and individuals with disabilities who are members of the public to have access to and use of information and data. This access should be comparable to that available to employees and members of the public without disabilities.
Section 508 requires the Attorney General to submit to the President and Congress biennial reports containing information on and recommendations regarding the state of federal department and agency compliance with Section 508.1 The last such report was submitted jointly with the General Services Administration (GSA) in 2023.2
Section 752 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 required GSA to submit to Congress an annual assessment of federal agencies’ compliance with criteria that GSA sets for conformance with Section 508, along with recommendations for Congress and federal agencies to support compliance with those criteria.3 This obligation substantially overlaps with the Justice Department’s obligation to submit a biennial report concerning compliance with Section 508.
Accordingly, the Department collaborated with GSA to ensure that the data collection and analysis highlighted in GSA’s report included information necessary for the Department’s biennial reporting obligation under Section 508. The Department submits the information in this report in satisfaction of the obligation in 29 U.S.C. § 794d(d)(2).
Footnotes
- 29 U.S.C. § 794d(d)(2). ↩
- Department of Justice and General Services Administration, Section 508 Report to Congress and the President, Accessibility of Federal Electronic and Information Technology (Jan. 2023). ↩
- 29 U.S.C. § 794d-1. ↩
Reviewed/Updated: December 2024
