CyberBahn’s 508 Compliance Team
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 states that all federal agencies are required to make electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities to the best of their abilities regardless of medium including websites, web portals, mobile apps and application software.
At CyberBahn, we have a Section 508 compliance team that includes SMEs, testers and solution developers. With extensive design background, our developers understand how to present information in a way that enables easy access regardless of the user’s software or device.
We incorporate best practices for user interface development, forms design, web usability, and accessibility so ALL users can successfully navigate federal websites, portals and applications.
Award-Winning
CyberBahn is experienced with Section 508 compliance implementation, including deployment of web-based training courses for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and several health registries for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Our team received the Green Flag award from VA.
508 Compliance Services
CyberBahn starts every compliance project by conducting a thorough evaluation and assessment of your web and software applications against Section 508 standards. Next, we develop a detailed project plan and timeline for correcting compliance issues. We then conduct in-depth compliance testing using CyberBahn’s comprehensive 508 compliance checklist and present a detailed report with practical recommendations for bringing the product into compliance. CyberBahn makes the approved changes to achieve Section 508 compliance and then conducts a final re-evaluation to verify full compliance.
As part of our ongoing Section 508 compliance support services, CyberBahn:
- Performs agency-wide audits of web assets and applications.
- Assesses and scores each website/application compliance and adherence to usability and accessibility best practices.
- Prioritizes and ranks each website for remediation based on its level of importance, public visibility and level of use.
- Performs remediation services on a prioritized basis.
- Maintains ongoing compliance support services as needed.
Benefits
Get the following benefits from CyberBahn’s Section 508 compliance auditing services:
- Document current accessibility status and compliance rates.
- Receive reliable, independent analyses using standardized testing methodologies.
- Create a prioritized project plan for addressing issues.
- Review code-level examples of accessibility errors and recommended solutions.
Why Audit Your Agency Software And Web Applications?
Section 508, American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) compliance audits are now standard for government agencies.
CyberBahn conducts skillful accessibility audits to identify and prioritize all accessibility errors, define the preferred method for addressing issues, and document the system’s overall compliance with Section 508, ADA, and WCAG. We then create audit reports that are useful for improving compliance, preparing for Department of Justice (DoJ) audits and help protect you against legal action.
If you haven’t yet begun auditing your IT systems to determine their compliance with accessibility standards such as Section 508, ADA, and WCAG, it is time to start!
Section 508 Compliance Evaluation Sprints
CyberBahn has developed a concise and proven process for evaluating websites, web portals, mobile apps and application software. We follow and factor real-world conventions – making sure that information is easy for users to locate, access and navigate. As part of our process, we ensure that meaningful and descriptive labels, window titles, messages and alert notifications are understandable.
Our SQA team (508 testers) possesses a thorough understanding of Section 508 compliance and the usage of assistive technology tools such as JAWS,
Windows Eyes, and Dragon Naturally Speaking. At a minimum, our 508 testers/SQA evaluate the following:
- Are all elements navigable via keyboard?
- Is the tabbing order of elements logical?
- Are all elements recognized by the assistive technology?
- Do all elements have a label recognized by the assistive technology, and does the label sufficiently describe the element purpose?
- Are all images explained via an alternate(alt=” ”) tag?
- Do all tables identify column and row properly to the assistive technology?
- Does the assistive technology bring the user back to a meaningful data element on a partial page post back?
- Are required fields denoted for non-visual data?
- Will the user of assistive technology be aware of all validation error messages without navigating through the whole page?
- Are skip links present to bypass repetitive headers and menus?
- If color-coding is used, is there a data equivalent in the page that is accessible by the assistive technology?
Core Competencies
CyberBahn leadership and expertise in Section 508 compliance is widely recognized. Let us help you to increase constituent accessibility, strengthen
best practices, and maintain ongoing compliance.
We can provide:
- Accessibility Testing. Assessing a product to identify accessibility issues and ensure that it complies with Section 508.
- Program Management Support. Strategic consulting to help manage accessibility programs.
- Help Desk Support. Answers to Section 508, accessibility development, and assistive technology questions.
- Accessibility Training. Attend an online webinar or a customized on-site training on web or mobile accessibility, Section 508, PDF, or accessibility testing.
- PDF Remediation. Resolve compliance and usability challenges in your PDF documents with our expertise.
- VPAT Verification. Third-party evaluation of products to verify compliance of content and systems.
- On-Going Compliance Monitoring. Audit changes and monitor evolving standards to maintain compliance.
- Website Development. Design and construct websites that meet Section 508, and integrate accessibility into CMS workflows.
Summary Of Section 508 Capabilities
Section 508 compliance is not just about checking the box. Our compliance experts consider this important law for everything we do. Our team has created the best practices for Section 508 and built custom solutions utilizing the technical standards (§1194.21 and §1194.22) of Section 508 Law for Software Applications and Operating Systems.
Development that spans a wide range of constituent access points such as:
- Websites (with User Experience).
- Information portals.
- Mobile technologies (responsive web design).
- Expertise across a variety of accessibility tools, such as JAWS/Window Eyes/Dragon Naturally Speaking etc.
- Factor in all accessible attributes to the full solution life cycle.
- Detailed Testing and remediation techniques with reports.