Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. § 794d)
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 508) requires all electronic and information technology, also referred to as information and communication technology, that is developed, procured, maintained, or used by a federal agency to be accessible to people with disabilities. Access available to persons with disabilities must be comparable to access available to others. Standards for Section 508 compliance are developed and maintained by the United States Access Board (Access Board). Our agency applies the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA success criteria and conformance requirements to our web content. The Access Board’s information and communication technology standards are available on their website at https://www.access-board.gov/ict/.
The FTC is committed to making its information and communications technologies delivered through its Internet site accessible for all members of the public, including individuals with disabilities. In the spirit of this commitment, the FTC strives to provide information and communication technology that meets or exceeds the compliance requirements of Section 508.
To meet this commitment, our website, FTC.gov includes several features designed to improve accessibility for users with disabilities. Some of the images on the site contain “alt tags,” which aid users who listen to the content of the site by using a screen reader, rather than reading the site. Likewise, a “skip to” link provides these users with a method for bypassing the header and going directly to the main content each time a page is accessed. In addition to the features that make the graphics version of the site more accessible, a text-only version provides added convenience for users.
Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. §§ 4151--57)
The Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) requires access to facilities that are designed, built, altered, or leased with Federal funds. The Access Board is the federal agency responsible for enforcing the ABA. The Access Board's accessibility standards for buildings and sites are available on their website at https://www.access-board.gov/ict/. Information about filing a complaint with the Access Board can be found at https://www.access-board.gov/enforcement/.
Contact Us
If you have feedback, concerns, or complaints related to the accessibility of information and communication technology provided by the FTC, including content on the website, please contact the FTC Section 508 Program Manager, Trevor Beierschmitt, via email at Section508compliance@FTC.gov.
You may also send complaints regarding Section 508 to the following address:
Room HQ-683
Office of the Chief Information Officer
ATTN: Section 508 Compliance
Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20580
For information about filing a discrimination complaint with FTC under Section 508, please contact the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Workplace Inclusion at eeo@ftc.gov.
Additional Resources
Visit the pages below for information about federal antidiscrimination legislation, accommodation procedures, our agency's discrimination complaint process, and the Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS):
Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act (No FEAR) P.L. 107-174
Reasonable Accommodation Procedures
Federal Sector Employment Discrimination Complaint Process within the FTC
Telecommunications Relay Service - TRS (Federal Communications Commission website)
Page last updated: May 31, 2024