00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:04.959
Have you ever tried to read a book but can't see the words?
00:00:05.919 --> 00:00:10.000
Hear a song, but the lyrics aren't loud enough?
00:00:11.119 --> 00:00:13.279
It's a lack of information, right?
00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:26.960
Section 508 is a compliance standard that is part of the Rehabilitation Act that we've talked about before with Section 504 and Section 503 of the American with Disabilities Act.
00:00:27.120 --> 00:00:39.439
And what Section 508 says is in essence to make your digital technology, your websites, your PDFs, your documents accessible to all.
00:00:40.320 --> 00:00:43.039
And that really breaks down to a few things.
00:00:43.280 --> 00:01:00.799
It means that websites, software applications, electronic documents like PDFs, Word documents, PowerPoints, pages, etc., internal intranet, so internal payroll systems, uh kiosks, hardware, need to be compliant.
00:01:01.280 --> 00:01:03.840
And that is compliant to people with disabilities.
00:01:03.920 --> 00:01:10.640
That could be the neurodivergent population, but in most cases, it's people who are blind or have low vision.
00:01:10.879 --> 00:01:13.680
And this is where this becomes really important.
00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:39.280
The Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act says that federal governments and state governments and agencies and people that do business with those agencies through federal and state governments, and I'm going to get into that in a minute, have to have their digital technology and all the things that I just mentioned have to be compliant for individuals with disabilities.
00:01:39.359 --> 00:01:42.959
And again, especially we're talking about the blind and low vision community.
00:01:43.200 --> 00:01:56.400
And so there have been standards that have put in place, uh WCAG 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, as set a bet set out by the um the accessibility world.
00:01:56.640 --> 00:02:07.040
The international accessibility world came out and gave some guidelines of how to make documents accessible, how to make mobile applications accessible, and websites.
00:02:07.200 --> 00:02:27.039
And it gets into everything such as color contrast, uh font sizes, fonts themselves, and especially on how screen readers can read a document, read a web page, read information, and present it orally through uh screen readers like Jaws to people who are blind.
00:02:27.280 --> 00:02:30.479
And this is uh extremely important.
00:02:30.960 --> 00:02:41.439
And the core principle of it all is that content must be per must be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.
00:02:42.080 --> 00:02:46.319
Perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.
00:02:46.719 --> 00:02:49.360
I think operable is pretty pretty uh self-evident.
00:02:49.599 --> 00:02:56.319
It means that your mobile applications need to be able to be navigated, your websites navigated with screen readers.
00:02:56.479 --> 00:02:58.879
Uh that's that's pretty pretty understandable.
00:02:59.039 --> 00:03:01.520
Perceivable is a little bit more than that.
00:03:01.759 --> 00:03:08.319
You need to be able to perceive the color contrast, the the differentiation between a border and a background.
00:03:08.479 --> 00:03:12.240
Um, you need to be able to perceive the information that's in there.
00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:16.719
Understandable is where this all sort of comes together.
00:03:17.039 --> 00:03:27.120
And that is the screen reader technology that needs to be um usable for certain documents, and especially we're talking about PDFs in most cases.
00:03:27.599 --> 00:03:32.159
Most Word documents, by their nature, are made accessible.
00:03:32.319 --> 00:03:40.240
Most HTML, if it's coded with accessibility in mind at the beginning, is coded for accessibility.
00:03:40.560 --> 00:03:46.479
Where we get into problems is when we try to remediate an existing problem.
00:03:46.639 --> 00:03:48.479
We try to fix an existing problem.
00:03:48.879 --> 00:03:51.120
This is the disability history, isn't it, right?
00:03:51.360 --> 00:03:56.000
Where the medical model of disability is we're gonna fix disability.
00:03:56.319 --> 00:04:03.520
Well, the the technology version of that is we've got a website that's not accessible to screen readers, so we're going to remediate it.
00:04:03.680 --> 00:04:07.520
We're gonna fix it, we're gonna put a plug-in that makes it all better.
00:04:07.840 --> 00:04:16.879
Unfortunately, when websites are developed without accessibility in mind at the beginning, uh the plugins don't work in every case.
00:04:17.120 --> 00:04:20.959
What can work is when you code accessibility at the beginning.
00:04:21.120 --> 00:04:35.360
We know this with jobs ability, with the the the information that you see on our rability.jobsjobs board, because once you log in and you're behind the password, everything that we built inside there has been built with accessibility in mind.
00:04:35.600 --> 00:04:37.759
WCAG 2.1 standards.
00:04:37.920 --> 00:04:38.399
Why?
00:04:38.639 --> 00:04:45.519
One reason is because Kartik, who's who's running the technology, is blind and uses Jaws, right?
00:04:45.600 --> 00:04:48.800
And so we we're building it with accessibility in mind.
00:04:49.040 --> 00:04:54.240
The main reason, though, is that it should be developed for everyone, and we've realized this.
00:04:54.639 --> 00:05:19.279
And so Section 508 and through the the Rehabilitation Act is saying that as of April 2027, the date had been extended by a year, but as of April 2027, federal agencies, state agencies, the information that they provide and the organizations they work with have to have their documents, their websites, their mobile applications accessible.
00:05:19.759 --> 00:05:21.839
Now, who are we talking about?
00:05:22.319 --> 00:05:26.079
We are talking about, yes, federal and state agencies, that makes sense.
00:05:26.319 --> 00:05:33.439
Department of Defense, um, Department of Transportation, for federal or state, uh, state ed.
00:05:34.319 --> 00:05:39.199
All of all of that information needs to be accessible to the to the public that they serve.
00:05:39.439 --> 00:05:46.240
But then take it down to another level here, which is the people that work with these state agencies.
00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:48.959
And now we're getting into some pretty heavy matters.
00:05:49.279 --> 00:06:00.160
Think about every community college, college, university that receives state funding or federal funding, which is all colleges.
00:06:00.319 --> 00:06:05.920
If you get a federal grant, a federal loan program, uh, you have federal dollars coming in.
00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:09.519
Yes, certainly it means your state schools, but it means your private schools as well.
00:06:09.759 --> 00:06:17.920
And every PDF document that's emailed out April 2027 has to be compliant.
00:06:19.199 --> 00:06:20.560
Why is this important?
00:06:21.040 --> 00:06:32.160
This is important because, yes, obviously, when you're making a PDF or Word document or PowerPoint, you have to have alt text, you have to be navigable, you have to be usable, you have to be understandable and robust.
00:06:32.639 --> 00:06:44.879
You need to make sure that information is accessible, but you also need to make sure that you're running the checkers, the accessibility checkers, that make sure that your PDF document, your Word document, is accessible.
00:06:46.240 --> 00:06:48.959
And our ability, we're trying something new.
00:06:49.360 --> 00:06:55.759
We have been building with some of our previous AI modeling and some work that we've done with Adobe.
00:06:56.000 --> 00:07:01.519
We've built uh a web page, abli.ai, aboli.ai.
00:07:02.079 --> 00:07:09.439
Abley at the beginning was a language checker to check against ableist language inside job descriptions.
00:07:09.519 --> 00:07:12.720
We've made it more robust using the robust word again.
00:07:12.959 --> 00:07:28.319
And now what we've done with it is we have a place in here with our AI modeling, with our large language models that we developed in accessibility years ago, and with some of the information that we've gotten with some work with Adobe, we have an accessibility checker.
00:07:28.560 --> 00:07:34.800
Now it is not 100%, it will not quote fix a document.
00:07:34.959 --> 00:07:43.600
What it will do is it will check the document against best practices and make recommendations to you on how to fix it.
00:07:43.920 --> 00:07:50.879
We're gonna fix it to a certain point, but it we're gonna send it back to you with a checker to tell you how to fix it more in depth.
00:07:51.439 --> 00:08:05.199
I urge you to take a look at ABLI, because what we're gonna do with ABELE is we're gonna use it as a way to help you fix your PDF documents leaning up into now the next seven months to April of 2027.
00:08:05.680 --> 00:08:10.319
If you'd like to try it, it's on the World Wide Web, aboli.ai.
00:08:10.560 --> 00:08:12.639
If you'd like to be a beta tester, reach out to us.
00:08:12.720 --> 00:08:14.160
We'd love to have you check it.
00:08:14.319 --> 00:08:22.240
And the reason we want to do this is we want to create cutting-edge technology that helps you make your documents more accessible.
00:08:22.480 --> 00:08:24.079
We're excited about this work.
00:08:24.319 --> 00:08:26.800
We're excited about accessibility in general.
00:08:27.120 --> 00:08:34.320
We are cognizant of the conversation today around where we're going through technology, but technology can be used for good.
00:08:34.480 --> 00:08:50.960
And here's an example of how it can be used for good, and that good is to make the world a more accessible place, uh, more accessible so that the information that's provided is more perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.
00:08:51.679 --> 00:08:55.360
This is John Robinson with Our Ability, Disability in the Public Square.
00:08:55.440 --> 00:08:58.320
If you'd like to test abily, be a beta tester, let us know.
00:08:58.480 --> 00:09:04.480
Reach out to me at John.robinson at our ability.com or find us on ourbility.com's website.
00:09:04.720 --> 00:09:06.000
Thank you very much.
00:09:06.559 --> 00:09:10.159
Hey, it's Blaze here for Disability in the Public Square.
00:09:10.399 --> 00:09:21.600
I am filming this from my phone as um experiencing some technical issues with my usual setup that hopefully we can get squared away later this week.
00:09:21.759 --> 00:09:29.200
But to weigh in on the section 508 stuff here with respect to accessible websites.
00:09:29.519 --> 00:09:36.799
As someone who is totally blind and relies on a screen reader, this is critically important to me.
00:09:37.039 --> 00:09:47.440
Um it's accessible websites when I think of them, it's things like being able to use headings and keyboard navigation.
00:09:47.679 --> 00:09:51.039
I do a lot of single-letter keyboard navigation.
00:09:51.200 --> 00:09:57.039
So for example, if I want to navigate the various headings on a website, I will hit the H key.
00:09:57.279 --> 00:09:59.840
It's of course color contrast.
00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:16.159
That doesn't mean anything to me as a totally blind person, but it does for people with visual impairments or people with autism, and of course, alt text, which is also referred to as descriptive text that's put on images.
00:10:16.399 --> 00:10:22.480
You're seeing certainly because of AI, a lot of AI-generated descriptions.
00:10:22.799 --> 00:10:27.919
I'm going to be honest with you, as a totally blind person, that stuff just sucks.
00:10:28.399 --> 00:10:30.559
I can't say it any other way.
00:10:30.799 --> 00:10:41.279
It's really important that if you manage a website or if you utilize a web developer, they are taking the time to put although.
00:10:41.679 --> 00:10:45.600
That doesn't mean you can't use AI to generate a description.
00:10:45.840 --> 00:10:48.480
I encourage that if you're stuck doing this.
00:10:48.960 --> 00:10:55.519
So also it's things like um and and this also applies to social media.
00:10:55.759 --> 00:11:03.840
Um mobile applications, which is the WCAG, the website compliance and accessibility guidelines 2.2.
00:11:04.080 --> 00:11:07.440
So many of us are using mobile devices for everything.
00:11:07.759 --> 00:11:10.240
I'm shooting this video from my phone.
00:11:10.480 --> 00:11:21.120
Um, and it's just so critically important that web, I'm sorry, mobile applications are treated with the same priority as websites.
00:11:21.440 --> 00:11:30.240
I mean, it's it's it's great that we have the nineteen ninety-eight amendment to the ADA, which is how we have section 508.
00:11:30.799 --> 00:11:41.279
That was, my friend, 28 years ago when really you could only do basic calling and maybe even basic texting from a cell phone.
00:11:41.360 --> 00:11:41.919
I'm not sure.
00:11:42.240 --> 00:11:44.799
I was seven and was using corded phones.
00:11:45.120 --> 00:11:46.480
I really don't remember.
00:11:46.720 --> 00:11:50.159
Um MCI was really popular in my house.
00:11:51.120 --> 00:11:59.200
Um it just shows you how much I little how much little I know about cell phones when I was seven.
00:11:59.440 --> 00:12:12.960
Um anyhow, it's it's so critically important and it's something that we need to make sure, like so many other things that the federal administration is doing, doesn't get rolled back.
00:12:13.200 --> 00:12:30.080
They already kicked the can down the road a year with respect to making sure that um people receiving or organizations receiving federal funding, um they were supposed to have accessible websites by 2026 or updated accessible websites this year.
00:12:30.240 --> 00:12:32.399
That can got kicked down the road.
00:12:32.639 --> 00:12:36.480
Some smaller companies have until April of next year.
00:12:36.799 --> 00:12:39.759
That also got kicked down the road until 2028.
00:12:40.159 --> 00:12:42.639
Well, this can get kicked down the road again.
00:12:42.960 --> 00:12:46.399
It's a fair question that needs to be asked.
00:12:46.639 --> 00:12:54.240
So here we are in 2026 and we're still struggling to have fully accessible websites.
00:13:08.240 --> 00:13:09.360
Have a great day.
00:13:09.679 --> 00:13:17.840
Today we will be discussing Section 508, the 1998 amendment to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
00:13:18.480 --> 00:13:33.039
For those of you who don't know, Section 508 requires all digital information used by federal government agencies and contractors, as well as any federally funded technology to be accessible to people of all abilities.
00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:41.679
This is to ensure that there is equal access to technical and electronic information provided for anyone who is working with or for the U.S.
00:13:41.759 --> 00:13:44.080
government, regardless of their ability.
00:13:44.399 --> 00:13:50.000
It's important for everyone to be able to understand and interpret all information by our government.
00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:57.919
Not only do these Section 508 regulations help those with disabilities, but it improves access and user experience for all.
00:13:58.399 --> 00:14:07.039
It also creates a bit of competition among federal contractors and vendors because it encourages all businesses to raise their accessibility standards.
00:14:07.279 --> 00:14:38.159
Accessibility features include but are not limited to standards that require organizations to modernize their websites, provide the most up-to-date accessibility features for e-signatures, enable screen reader capabilities for PDFs and forms, provide closed captioning and transcription, add descriptive text to images, implement keyboard shortcuts, use contrasting colors, allow for text magnification, and overall improve the customer experience.
00:14:38.399 --> 00:14:47.759
Not only is Section 508 important, but it's imperative to discuss the relationship to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, or WCAG.
00:14:48.240 --> 00:14:53.600
This is because WCAG sets the standards for the Section 508 law.
00:14:53.919 --> 00:15:05.440
There is WCAG 2.0, which is the current benchmark for digital accessibility, and then there is WCAG 2.1 and WCAG 2.2.
00:15:05.759 --> 00:15:15.600
2.1 and 2.2 provide even more stringent guidelines and helps to implement accessibility through best practice, although they are not the law.
00:15:15.919 --> 00:15:29.279
WCAG 2.1 and WCAG 2.2 provide accessibility standards for mobile devices and applications related to users with low vision, cognitive, and physical disabilities.
00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:38.080
Again, these are not required by law, but when businesses and organizations set high accessibility standards for themselves, they inevitably raise the bar for everyone else.