U.S.Department of Justice Seal Office of the Attorney General Letterhead, Washington, D.C. 20530, February 17, 2011
 
 

MEMORANDUM FOR HEADS OF ALL FEDERAL DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES

 
FROM: THE ATTORNEY GENERAL Signature of Attorney General Eric Holder
SUBJECT: Agency Implementation of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
 
      Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. § 794d) requires the federal government to ensure that the electronic and information technology that it develops, procures, maintains, or uses is accessible to persons with disabilities. Section 508 also directs the Attorney General to submit biennial reports to the President and Congress on the state of federal agencies' compliance with the Act's requirements. In preparation for its next report, the Department of Justice will conduct a survey of federal agencies to obtain information on the state of compliance with Section 508 for FY 2010.
 
      Each federal department or agency, including the U.S. Postal Service, is required by Section 508 to provide the Justice Department with information that is needed in order to complete the reports the Department must provide to the President and Congress. To implement this requirement, the Department, in conjunction with the General Services Administration (GSA), will solicit information from your agency. Your agency is responsible for providing a consolidated, agency-wide response to the survey that includes information from all of your agency's component organizations.
 
      GSA will post instructions and collect your agency's information through the Section 508 Survey website at https://www.section508.gov/508survey2010. Agencies will be able to enter information electronically on the survey from February 4 until April 29, 2011. Attached to this memorandum is a set of instructions to facilitate your agency's participation in this project.
 
      We thank you for your participation in this important survey and appreciate your cooperation in the effort to report on the federal government's compliance with Section 508.
 
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INSTRUCTIONS FOR SECTION 508 SURVEY

 
      First, each agency must select a primary point of contact for the Section 508 Survey. The agency's primary point of contact, or Designated Agency Official (DAO), must then visit the Section 508 Survey website at https://www.section508.gov/508survey2010, login using username "xx" and password "xx," and complete a profile to create a DAO administrative account. After your DAO's account has been approved, GSA will send a confirmation email to the DAO with the new username and password, which will allow the DAO to access the Section 508 Survey. Your agency's Section 508 coordinator should be able to provide assistance to the DAO or serve as the DAO, if the agency chooses. A list of all agency Section 508 coordinators is available at www.section508.gov/index.cfm?fuseAction=coordlistfullsite
 
      Agencies may begin the process of creating a DAO administrative account on February 4, 2011, and will have until April 29, 2011, to complete the Section 508 Survey. All responses to the survey must be submitted electronically on this website, and each agency will be able to retain a copy of the information the agency enters for its records. Once the survey closes on April 29, 2011, no further information can be entered into the survey tool.
 
      If you have any questions regarding the Section 508 Survey, please contact the Section 508 Survey Team at 508survey2010@usdoj.gov.

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