Office of Charitable Gaming : Accessibility

Access for everyone

It's really about doing the right thing. It's about helping 65 million Americans with disabilities achieve transparent access to information. Aging baby boomers now in the workforce will need some of the technology solutions emerging from Section 508 efforts. The Office of Charitable Gaming (OCG) works to ensure access for disabled citizens and employees to its information and technology.

Follow federal accessibility guidelines

Federal officials say adhering to Section 508 regulations and improving accessibility for people with disabilities make good business sense. Enabling everyone to do their jobs, using the tools that help them best do their jobs, is simply good business and helps individuals become fully integrated into the workplace.

The purpose of this web page

Although not required by regulation or law, OCG seeks to bring its site into basic compliance with Section 508 Standard of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. 794d). Section 508 requires that when federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology, federal employees with disabilities have access and use of information and data that are comparable to the access and use by Federal employees who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency. These provisions of the standards provide the requirements that must be followed by federal agencies. Compliance requires adherence to the Section 508 Standard, Section (1194.22) Paragraphs A through P.

Resources

To assist with implementation of Section 508 requirements, the following resources are available:

Federal Resources

Here's a list of links for those seeking information on Section 508 and its impact on agencies and industry suppliers. First stop for anyone interested in learning more is the Section 508 Web site:

· Federal IT Accessibility Initiative Section 508 requirements, training, how to buy
   accessible products, and how to join the organizations working to improve
   accessibility for people with disabilities.
· Section 508 FAQs FAQ page for Section 508. Learn what it entails, and find answers
   to a variety of questions regarding how to comply with the regulations.
· Section 508 Access Board (Federal)
· Summary of Section 508 Standards
· Section 508 Web Accessibility Training (Federal)

More Links

Another important link is the GSA's Assistance for Americans with Disabilities. This site includes plug-ins, file viewers, and alternate contact information.

The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) provides the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, designed to aid federal contracting officials in fulfilling their acquisition planning responsibilities. This template is a voluntary tool that industry contractors can utilize or modify to provide information regarding their own particular product characteristics.

Another site to visit is the Accessibility Forum, an ongoing collaboration among those affected by Section 508 including users, industry, government, and others to benefit people with disabilities. The Forum is in the process of prioritizing projects that assist government in making informed decisions about Section 508 related procurement, and allow all parties to communicate where further effort is needed.

There are some sites that focus on metrics and statistics as they relate to accessibility and persons with disabilities. Visit any of the following sites to gather more data on people with disabilities.