36 CFR Part 1194 - Proposed Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Standards and Guidelines NPRM

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See also: Final Rule published to the Federal Register 1/18/17 that jointly updates requirements for ICT covered by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and Section 255 of the Communication Act.

CHAPTER 6: SUPPORT DOCUMENTATION AND SERVICES

The technical requirements in Chapter 6 shall apply to ICT support documentation and services where required by 508 Chapter 2 (Scoping Requirements), 255 Chapter 2 (Scoping Requirements), and where otherwise referenced in any other chapter of the 508 Standards or 255 Guidelines.

602 Support Documentation

602.1 General.

Documentation that supports the use of ICT shall conform to 602.

Advisory 602.1 General. Examples of documentation that supports ICT are installation guides, user guides, and manuals that describe the features of a product and how it is used. Documentation may take the form of stand-alone documents or be integrated into products as on-line or context-sensitive help.

602.2 Accessibility and Compatibility Features.

Documentation shall list and explain how to use the accessibility and compatibility features required by Chapters 4 and 5. Documentation shall include accessibility features that are built-in and accessibility features that provide compatibility with assistive technology.

Advisory 602.2 Accessibility and Compatibility Features.One example of an accessibility feature is the ability to access commands and navigate using the keyboard. Voice recognition software, screen readers, and alternative keyboards rely upon keyboard control for accessible and efficient operation. Keyboard navigation includes support for the following: cursor keys (up, down, left and right arrows), tab and shift-tab (to cycle through fields), enter or spacebar (to select or activate), hot keys, macros, and other keyboard acceleration mechanisms.

Where ICT components are designed to be part of an integrated system, this provision requires that the documentation explains how to configure the system to support accessibility. For example, the documentation for a DVD player and multimedia projector is required to explain how to configure the DVD player and projector to support the display of closed captions.

602.3 Electronic Support Documentation.

Documentation in electronic format, including Web-based self-service support, shall conform to all Level A and Level AA Success Criteria and all Conformance Requirements in WCAG 2.0 (incorporated by reference in Chapter 1), or ISO 14289-1 (PDF/UA-1) (incorporated by reference in Chapter 1).

602.4 Alternate Formats for Non-electronic Support Documentation.

Alternate formats usable by individuals who are blind or have low vision shall be provided upon request for support documentation in non-electronic formats.

Advisory 602.4 Alternate Formats for Non-electronic Support Documentation. Examples of alternate formats are electronic versions of hard copy, braille, large print and audio files. None of the alternate formats listed are accessible to all users who are blind or have low vision.

603 Support Services

603.1 General.

ICT support services including, but not limited to, help desks, call centers, training services, and automated self-service technical support, shall conform to 603.

603.2 Information on Accessibility and Compatibility Features.

ICT support services shall include information on the accessibility and compatibility features required by 602.2.

Advisory 603.2 Information on Accessibility and Compatibility Features. A best practice is for ICT support services to provide training programs about the following topics: accessibility requirements for individuals with disabilities; methods of communication used by individuals with disabilities; assistive technology commonly used with ICT products; designing for accessibility; solutions for accessibility and compatibility of ICT with assistive technology; accessible document creation and remediation; ICT product assessment; user testing; the use of people-first language; and sensitivity training.

603.3 Accommodation of Communication Needs.

Support services shall be provided directly to the user or through a referral to a point of contact. Such ICT support services shall accommodate the communication needs of individuals with disabilities.

Advisory 603.3 Accommodation of Communication Needs. The Federal Communications Commission maintains a list of contact information for telecommunications service providers and manufacturers of telecommunications products that can be useful when support services are provided through a referral. Examples of accommodations are qualified sign language interpreters, assistive listening systems, TTYs, real time captioning, and telecommunications relay services. Telecommunication relay services can be TTY, speech-to-speech, and video relay service.

A best practice is for help desk and other ICT support services to use a variety of communication technologies. Examples of such communication technologies include Internet posting (such as message boards and website blogs), telephones, email, fax, postal mail, texting, and instant messaging.

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