In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act to require Federal
agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible
to people with disabilities. Inaccessible technology interferes with an
individual's ability to obtain and use information quickly and easily.
Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology,
to make available new opportunities for people with disabilities, and to
encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these
goals. The law applies to all Federal agencies when they develop,
procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. Under
Section 508 (29 U.S.C. ' 794d), agencies must give disabled employees
and members of the public access to information that is comparable to
the access available to others. (source: Section508.gov)
HP supports Section 508 and the efforts of the federal government in
making mainstream technology accessible to people with disabilities. HP
is committed to assisting its government customers in complying with
Section 508.
In 2001, HP and other IT companies partnered with the U.S. General
Services Administration (GSA) to create a simple, Internet-based tool to
assist Federal contracting and procurement officials in fulfilling the
new market research requirements contained in the Section 508
implementing regulations. The result: the Voluntary Product
Accessibility Template, or VPAT.
