What is ART and When Do I Need to Use It?

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Voice Over (VO): What is ART and when do I need to use it?

(VO): The acronym "ART" stands for "Accessibility Requirements Tool."

(VO): ART is an open-source online tool that is designed to make the Section 508 procurement process easier by providing a step-by-step guide to generate your list of Section 508 requirements.

(VO): Section 508 standards require that when the federal government buys or builds Information Communication Technology, or "ICT," it must be accessible and usable by people with disabilities.

(VO): When you procure ICT for a federal government contract, you must determine which Section 508 standards apply to your specific procurement.

(VO): If you are less familiar with Section 508 standards, it can be difficult to review them and compile your list of requirements.

(VO): ART should be used at the beginning of your procurement process to ensure compliance and reduce the need for remediation.

(VO): ART will ask you a few simple questions about what ICT products or services you are buying or building.

(VO): No knowledge of Section 508 or accessibility is required.

(VO): However, you do need to know the nature of what you are procuring in order to get accurate Section 508 requirements for your procurement.

(VO): ART then generates a list of requirements based on your responses, which you can use throughout the procurement process.

(VO): This will make it much easier to assess existing products on the market, write your procurement and solicitation documents, and decide how any new technology solutions should be built.

(VO): This video is a product of the General Services Administration.