[il-talk] Fwd: FSS Contracting Accessibility

[Kelly Pierce]

Nick,

I believe there may be some misunderstanding about the relationship
between accessibility laws and the actual accessibility of something.
A piece of software, technology, or a service, can be claimed to be
Section 508 or ADA compliant.  However, this does not mean it is
accessible to someone with a disability.  It could simply mean that
someone analyzed whatever it was and believed that a justification
exists that effort would be too costly to make it accessible.  It
could also mean that technology was purchased and delivered with
people saying it is Section 508 compliant when it isn’t really
compliant because folks really didn’t understand how to assess
accessibility properly.  I have worked on projects where technology
specialists at a major blindness organization or agency declared
something to be accessible when it functionally could not be used
independently by a blind person to complete a common transaction or
task.  If you are finding things that are not Section 508 compliant,
consider contacting the Section 508 compliance officer for your
federal agency as a first start.  This is not a recommendation but an
idea, considering how your supervisor likes to follow a strict chain
of command.

Another idea to consider would be to learn if any other blind people
are in the same or similar position elsewhere in the country and
finding out about their job accommodations.

Talk to you later.

Kelly




On 12/16/13, Nicholas <robertson.nicholas at hotmail.com> wrote:
> Am I misunderstanding 508? Please follow the email string below. As the
> sands flow through the hourglass, so do the days of our lives! Yes, I did
> watch this show back in the day. This was a long time ago.
>
> Nicholas S. Robertson
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
>> From: "Robertson, Nicholas S." <Nicholas.Robertson2 at va.gov>
>> Date: December 16, 2013 at 8:11:11 AM CST
>> To: "Shepardson, Paul T." <Paul.Shepardson at va.gov>, "Madden, Gregory"
>> <Gregory.Madden at va.gov>, "robertson.nicholas at hotmail.com"
>> <robertson.nicholas at hotmail.com>
>> Subject: FW: FSS Contracting Accessibility
>>
>> Am I misunderstanding what 508 does or is?  Thanks for dealing with this
>> inquiry.
>>
>> Nicholas S. Robertson, Contract Specialist
>> U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs |VA Federal Supply Schedule Service
>> P.O. Box 76, 1st Avenue, One Block North of 22nd Street, Hines, IL 60141
>> Nicholas.Robertson2 at va.gov | Tel: (708) 786-5135 | Fax: (708) 786-4795
>>
>> Visit VA FSS Online: www.fss.va.gov |
>> http://interact.gsa.gov/users/va-fss-service   |
>> http://www.linkedin.com/pub/va-fss-service/34/166/711  | Customer Survey
>>
>> Confidentiality Note: This e-mail is intended only for the person to whom
>> it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged,
>> confidential, or otherwise protected from disclosure.  Dissemination,
>> distribution, or copying of this e-mail or the information herein by
>> anyone other than the intended recipient is prohibited.  If you have
>> received this e-mail in error, please notify by reply e-mail and destroy
>> the original message and all copies.
>>
>>
>> From: Section 508 Mailbox
>> Sent: Monday, December 16, 2013 7:16 AM
>> To: Robertson, Nicholas S.
>> Subject: RE: FSS Contracting Accessibility
>>
>> I am sorry we do not.  We have tools for Section 508 testing only.
>>
>> From: Robertson, Nicholas S.
>> Sent: Friday, December 13, 2013 5:01 PM
>> To: Section 508 Mailbox
>> Subject: FSS Contracting Accessibility
>>
>> Do you have any tips/hints/scripts for commonly used procurement tools
>> such as eCMS as well as other commonly used applications?  Have a blessed
>> weekend.
>>
>> Nicholas S. Robertson, Contract Specialist
>> U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs |VA Federal Supply Schedule Service
>> P.O. Box 76, 1st Avenue, One Block North of 22nd Street, Hines, IL 60141
>> Nicholas.Robertson2 at va.gov | Tel: (708) 786-5135 | Fax: (708) 786-4795
>>
>> Visit VA FSS Online: www.fss.va.gov |
>> http://interact.gsa.gov/users/va-fss-service   |
>> http://www.linkedin.com/pub/va-fss-service/34/166/711  | Customer Survey
>>
>> Confidentiality Note: This e-mail is intended only for the person to whom
>> it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged,
>> confidential, or otherwise protected from disclosure.  Dissemination,
>> distribution, or copying of this e-mail or the information herein by
>> anyone other than the intended recipient is prohibited.  If you have
>> received this e-mail in error, please notify by reply e-mail and destroy
>> the original message and all copies.
>>
>>
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