Update on the Section 508 / Section 255 Guidelines

I thought I’d clear up any potential confusion over the recent rumor that the revised version of the Section 508 and Section 255 guidelines would be published for public comment in March.

Last night I confirmed with the US Access Board that the version of the guidelines to be released in March are an “Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM)”, with a 90-day period for public comment.

It is important to note that this Advance Notice is a step BEFORE a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). The Advance Notice is being provided in the interest of getting material out to the public in a timely manner. This Advance Notice allows draft text to be released. After public comments are received and reviewed, a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking will then be released, after preparation of a regulatory assessment, as well as a full Preamble. The date of the NPRM is not known at this time.

An official notice will appear in the US Federal Register when draft text is available.

Note that the US Access Board will be holding a special session at this year’s CSUN conference in San Diego. Members of the public will be invited to speak during the event. Everyone is encouraged to attend.

You can find CSUN on Facebook.

Additional Resources on Section 508

Section 508 Conformance: A Need-to-Know Guide

Categories: Technical