Esri believes that Section 508 reinforces the use of Esri software and technology by all people and is committed to meeting the requirements and goals of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Esri is committed to providing the information you need to evaluate the impact of Section 508 on your GIS environment.
(excerpt from United States Access Board)
Section 508 is a part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which requires that electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained, or used by the federal government be accessible to people with disabilities unless it would pose an undue burden to do so.
On August 7, 1998, President Clinton signed into law the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998. These new amendments create binding and enforceable standards for all federal agencies.
The enforcement provisions of Section 508 are effective as of June 25, 2001. By statute, the enforcement provisions of Section 508 apply only to electronic and information technology procured on or after the effective date.
Esri believes that Section 508 is good for the GIS industry and its need to provide GIS access to people regardless of their abilities. Our commitment to accessibility is to support the accessibility tools provided by standard operating systems (e.g., Microsoft Windows, UNIX) as well as to build accessibility capabilities into GIS functions across our product line.
Esri's accessibility strategy is to
If you have questions, e-mail us at Section508@esri.com.
