Compliance With Section 508 Requirements

Overview

M2 Systems is committed to providing high-quality products and services that are both useful and accessible to all potential users, including individuals with disabilities. As such, we proudly support the goals of the U.S. government in implementing the new Federal regulations directed at broadening the availability of electronically delivered information.

Section 508 refers to a portion of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794d) that requires Federal agencies to meet specific accessibility standards when buying, developing, maintaining, or using information technology. This law was enacted to eliminate barriers in the provision of electronic information for people with disabilities and to encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals.

The accessibility standards associated with Section 508 are designed to ensure that electronically delivered information is available to as many people as possible. The practical application of this goal most frequently applies to information that is presented to the general public, consumers of software-based services, and end-users of software-based services via Intranet or Internet. Software components provided strictly for background operation, back-end connectivity, system monitoring, and other behind-the-scenes usage generally do not apply to the accessibility standards.

Applicability

M2 Systems software products to which Section 508 accessibility standards are applicable generally fall into (3) categories:

  1. End-user applications and components
  2. Reporting applications and components designated for use by the public
  3. Maintenance and reporting applications designated for use by local, state, and federal agencies

In these cases, the information and data that is delivered as a result must be accessible in conformance with the standards. In the case of end-user driven systems, the tools must also comply with the standards of accessibility.

Section 508 Compliance Plan

M2 Systems expects to satisfy Section 508 accessibility requirements by implementing the following plan:

  • Provide full disclosure of the Section 508 compliant status of our products in conformance with applicable accessibility legislation
  • Design our software products to promote maximum accessibility by the widest range of users as a fundamental component of feature functionality
  • Continually test and evaluate our software products against the accessibility standards set forth in implementing regulations
  • Ensure that the M2 Systems develops and maintains applications in conformance with accessibility standards when performing services for customers who are subject to the provisions of Section 508

Summary

Achieving the goals established by the Section 508 regulations will be the result of a partnership effort between government agencies, their suppliers of software and hardware, and information technology service professionals. M2 Systems intends to help Federal organizations meet these objectives by providing software tools that are capable of delivering applications that function within the accessibility standards. The actual compliance of any given application will be dependent upon the proper use of M2 Systems tools as well as the accessibility compliance of the other hardware and software components with which our software interoperates.

For your convenience, www.section508.gov is the official government web site for Section 508 information.

For further information, please contact our Business Development Manager Mike Catchings at mailto:mcatchings@m2-corp.com or call (407) 551-1330.