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What is digital inclusion?
Digital inclusion refers to the ecosystem of initiatives to guarantee that all people and communities, particularly people with disabilities, have access to and use the available information and communication technology (ICT).
It consists of five essential components: a cost-effective and reliable broadband Internet connection; connected devices that can be used by a variety of users; access to training in digital literacy; high-quality technical support; and programs and online content that promote independence, participation, and collaboration.
Digital inclusion leads to digital equity, which is a condition in which all individuals and communities have the ICT capacity needed for meaningful involvement in society, including in advancing the economy and democracy. It is necessary for access to basic services, earning a living, participating in civic and cultural activities, and lifelong learning.
How Section 508 supports digital inclusion
Section 508 is part of the 1998 amendment to the U.S. Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which requires all federal agencies to develop, procure, maintain, and use ICT that is accessible to and navigable by everyone, including people with disabilities, regardless of whether or not they work for the federal government.
The US Access Board created Section 508 compliance standards that make it easier to apply the law effectively and set the standards for accessibility across a range of ICT products and services.
Besides from the social obligation that comes with digital inclusion, there are a number of other reasons why Section 508's emphasis on digital inclusion is growing popular among many firms. The user experience when utilizing an ICT product or service is improved, and enterprises are helped to comply with the law.
An increasing number of businesses have opted not to simply pursue digital inclusion for the purpose of expanding their market reach but because it is a crucial trait of great ICT products and services. It is for that reason that many businesses are critically conscious of undertaking regular Section 508 testing for their ICT products and services to enable them to improve the quality of the products or services as a strategy for attracting more new customers.
In fact, it is premised on the understanding that if products and services that should enable access to ICT services and opportunities exclude people with disabilities, then a great deal of talent will be cut out of the development landscape, which is why the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) worked in partnership with the General Services Administration (GSA) to develop the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT).
The VPAT provides vendors of ICT products and services with a checklist to use as they address the broader issue of matching the characteristics of their products to the defined accessibility standards. A checklist created from the Section 508 compliance criteria is used, for instance, in the Section 508 compliance VPAT to document the accessibility of an ICT product or service.
- The Section 508 VPAT details how information technology (IT) products and services adhere to the Section 508 accessibilityIf the acquisition of a certain technology will place an unreasonable strain on the organization, the Section 508 Accessibility Standards take these conditions into account.
Section 508 VPAT also contains the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) requirements for making web content accessible. This means that if you have an ICT product or service consisting of hardware and digital content, you donÕt have to fill out a separate VPAT Section 508 accessibility conformance report (ACR) and a WCAG VPAT ACR. Section 508 VPAT allows you to document the accessibility of your digital content in a single document.
If youÕre supplying or seeking to supply ICT products or services to the US federal government and any of its agencies, a VPAT Section 508 compliance statement or certification will be mandatory. This is acquired after a VPAT 508 test of your product or service.
Section 508 compliance testing for your ICT products or services
Regardless of whether you are a small and micro enterprise (SME) or a large corporation, your ICT products or services must be VPAT-compliant to participate in the procurement processes of the federal organizations and those of the entities receiving funding from the federal government.
VPAT 508 compliance testing can be achieved using the manual process, the automatic testing tools, or a hybrid of the two. You can perform the testing by yourself or choose to hire a VPAT 508 testing professional to do it for you. Hiring a professional to handle it for you adds impartiality to the entire process and guarantees you high quality work because of the experience the specialists you employ bring to the exercise.
Need help testing your ICT product or service for VPAT 508 compliance?
Learn more about Section 508 VPAT compliance or get assistance in testing the accessibility of your ICT product or service today. Talk to a Section 508 VPAT consultant at (626) 486-2201 to arrange a free consultation and a quick Section 508 VPAT completion quote.
What is Section 508 compliance?
Section 508 compliance is an ecosystem of initiatives or activities aimed at ensuring that federal agencies make sure that the information and communication technology (ICT) they create, acquire, maintain, or use allows people with disabilities to access and use information and data.
VPAT Section 508 compliance in EdTech
The use of ICT in the classroom to create more interactive, inclusive, and individualized learning experiences is known as "EdTech," or education technology. In order to facilitate and improve learning, EdTech products combine information technology (IT) tools and educational techniques.
The explosion of EdTech products is revolutionizing classrooms with EdTech robots, virtual reality courses, and gamified classroom activities that now permeate the learning environment and make it easier for students to stay involved through pleasant forms of learning.
Particularly for their capacity to give students access to virtual classrooms whether they are physically present in school or not, EdTech Internet of Things (IOT) gadgets have drawn considerable recognition. Blockchain and machine learning tools have also kept up since they have proved helpful in helping teachers grade tests and hold students accountable for their homework.
To ensure that they offer users with disabilities the same learning opportunities as users without disabilities, all of these EdTech products must be accredited as Section 508 compliant. All companies that offer EdTech products that their staff and students use to access and exchange learning resources must be certified as Section 508 compliant.
Can VPAT Section 508 compliance improve accessibility for EdTech products?
VPAT Section 508 compliance can significantly help address concerns about accessibility in EdTech products.
The fact that federal organizations procure and use an ICT product or service that scores highly in terms of acceptability with regard to 508 accessibility demonstrates how Section 508 compliance can help improve the accessibility of EdTech products.
Other ways through which Section 508 VPAT compliance can help improve EdTech products by addressing accessibility include the following:
- Creation of a common framework for comparison of similar EdTech products
Buyers of EdTech can utilize Section 508 compliance VPATs to compare the compliance of comparable products and select the ones that best meet their desired accessibility standards as well as their functional and legal requirements. This makes it possible for EdTech products that potential customers would not have chosen to be assessed by their owners in order to remedy the accessibility problems that made their products unsuitable for selection.
- Helping in the fixing of accessibility barriers in EdTech products
Vendors of EdTech products might be aware of accessibility problems with their products, but they might not be motivated to fix them. VPAT Section 508 compliance certification can be useful here. It encourages these companies to do more than simply acknowledge the accessibility issue with their product and take steps to make it more accessible.
The VPAT instills a sense of urgency in the vendor by making them aware of the opportunities they would miss if the non-compliance issues in their EdTech products were not resolved. This is because the VPAT clearly identifies areas where the product has to be made more accessible.
- Helping to prioritize areas to be improved in EdTech products
With the use of a Section 508 VPAT, vendors of EdTech products can quickly establish a clear priority list for correcting the accessibility issues discovered in their products. This is frequently the situation when the vendor is overwhelmed and attempting to choose which improvements to deploy initially. The 508 compliant websites will help you understand what has to be done right away based on the levels of severity discovered during the VPAT Section 508 compliance audit stage.
- Sets a clear matrix for accessibility conformance
Due to the EdTech sector's amazing growth and businesses' desire to capitalize quickly on it, there is intense competition in the sector. As a result, vendors that have created VPAT ACRs for their products demonstrate that they have made the decision to invest time and money in developing accessible products, which is a great selling point for them.
Users of these vendors' products become more trusting as a result, and as a result, they are more likely to be viewed as conscious of accessibility issues, sympathetic toward those who have disabilities, and proactive in guaranteeing equitable access to ICT products. This can ensure revenue and enhance customer adherence to the vendor's EdTech products.
- Helps to provide insights about the EdTech product’s accessibility baseline
By creating a Section 508 VPAT, an organization can better understand how effectively its EdTech solutions adhere to Section 508 accessibility requirements. Understanding the baseline will continually motivate the company to improve accessibility while updating the product. This ongoing drive to address problems that raise the product's quality eventually aids in the product's increased accessibility over time.
Need help developing your VPAT Section 508 compliance statement?
Learn more about developing compelling VPAT Section 508 compliance statements for your EdTech products or get assistance in addressing the accessibility issues in your current products today. Talk to a Section 508 VPAT consultant at (626) 486-2201 to arrange a free consultation and a quick Section 508 VPAT completion quote.
