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Glendale Community College District 2241 Administrative Regulation Section 508 Accessibility Standards for EIT
The technical standards of
Section 508 provide criteria specific to Electronic & Information
Technology (EIT) acquisition. EIT Includes
information technology and any equipment or interconnected system or subsystem
of equipment that is used in the creation, conversion, or duplication of data
or information. The term electronic and information technology includes, but is
not limited to, computers, software, telecommunications products (such as
telephones), information kiosks and transaction machines, World Wide Web sites,
multimedia, and office equipment such as copiers and fax machines. The term
does not include any equipment that contains embedded information technology
that is used as an integral part of the product, but the principal function of
which is not the acquisition, storage, manipulation, management, movement,
control, display, switching, interchange, transmission, or reception of data or
information. For example, HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning)
equipment such as thermostats or temperature control devices, and medical
equipment where information technology is integral to its operation, are not
information technology. The complete
standards are available on the federal Section 508 website http://www.section508.gov/
and an explanatory guide is available on the Access Board website, http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/guide/. Section 508 standards apply
only to new acquisitions; existing EIT products do not have to be made to
conform. When developing, procuring, or
maintaining EIT, the district shall ensure that those products conform to
Section 508 standards, unless a fully conforming product is not commercially
available or, unless a significant difficulty or expense would be imposed on
the district. Where an exception is claimed, it will still be necessary
to provide the information in a timely manner and in an alternate format
suitable for the individual with a disability.
Purchasers must also pursue effective acquisition strategies for
acquiring EIT products that conform to the
applicable standards. Successful
implementation of Section 508 requires the support of each employee who is
involved in the design, development, and procurement of EIT.
508 Compliance Committee: The 508
Compliance Committee will establish a structured EIT procurement process that
ensures conformance to these
standards. The 508 Compliance Committee will be comprised of stakeholders from
the Administration, Purchasing, IT, Center for Students with Disabilities,
faculty, staff and individuals with disabilities. Further, this committee will
create on-going curriculum for 508 Compliant Procurement Process training
program to establish responsibility of administrators and requestors.
508 Compliance
Procurement Process: The 508
Compliance Procurement Process shall include provision for the following: 1.
Identifying and documenting needs and general product
specifications; 2.
Market research to determine and document
availability of conforming products; 3.
Purchase of the most conforming product; and 4.
Documentation of criteria if an exception is claimed. Web Development
For purchases of web-based
products or for supplemental applications and/or content in electronic form
included as part of a textbook, follow the process outlined above for other EIT
products. For web-based development,
maintenance, and course content ensure that the final product will conform to the applicable Section 508 standards
by including Section 508 conformance as
a specification for the contract. If you
develop or maintain district web content, refer to the Section 508 Checklist http://www.webaim.org/standards/508/checklist
for suggestions on how to conform to Section
508 for web content. Adopted: 2/9/06 |
