► Overview
An explanation of accessibility and Section 508 requirements.
Creating accessible Word files and PDFs.
► Accessibility Considerations: MS Word
Requirements of an accessible Word document.
► Accessibility Considerations: Adobe PDF
Requirements of an accessible PDF.
► Additional Tools and Resources
Supplemental resources for more information.
Definitions of terms, abbreviations and acronyms used throughout the Quick Guide.
The Quick Guides in this collection address the following issues of interest to transportation information professionals:
► Introduction to the Quick Guides
► Collection Development and Management
Accessibility is the ability of all persons to independently obtain information and use products, services and facilities. Information and communication technology (ICT) products—such as reports and websites—are not always accessible to those with visual or other impairments.
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 is a federal law that requires federal agencies to make their ICT products accessible to people with disabilities. This is done in accordance with Section 508 standards issued by the U.S. Access Board. The Revised Section 508 Standards are the federal government’s standard for ICT accessibility, a minimum baseline.
(The descriptions above are taken from the FHWA’s January 2021 Section 508 Overview.)
Note: Reference is sometimes made to making ICT products “ADA compliant.” The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a separate law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life.
The U.S. federal government maintains Section508.gov, a resources website for Section 508 compliance, including a page detailing laws and policies.
FHWA also maintains a Section 508 website.
Information and Communication Technology
ICT is any technology used to convey, transmit or receive any kind of information. Examples include, but are not limited to:
State Products
For state DOTs, products that are federally funded, such as research reports, and submitted to FHWA for publication on NTL’s website must be compliant with Section 508.
Some state DOTs also have state accessibility laws similar to the federal laws with which ICT must also conform.
The Transportation Research and Connectivity pooled fund study, TPF-5(442), is a consortium of state departments of transportation (DOTs) and other partners that supports the coordinated development of transportation libraries as well as research organizations without dedicated libraries. Study focus areas include communication and networking, digitization, research report accessibility, and developing online resource guides and a toolkit for non-librarians.
Accessible Digital Content: Tips and Tricks, Digital.gov, May 26, 2021.
Hosted by the U.S. General Services Administration, this 90-minute webinar addresses some common errors and issues with developing accessible presentations, spreadsheets and documents.
The guidance in this Quick Guide is appropriate for DOTs with or without library spaces that are required to ensure the accessibility of research reports and other publications produced by a research program.
This Quick Guide was prepared by CTC & Associates LLC for the Transportation Research and Connectivity pooled fund study, TPF-5(442), under the guidance of the following members of the study's technical advisory committee:
This guide is a living document that is intended to be revised and updated to incorporate new resources. To suggest a resource for inclusion, please contact one of the committee members listed above.
Publication date: December 2022.