The AirO₂bic Mouse™ and other nominated products are asserted by Aerobic Mouse as meeting the relevant standards that apply to Section 508 Law so as to make purchases by the US Government compliant with the Law.

They are listed by us on the GSA Section 508 website! Under "Buy Accessible".

What does that mean?

The first thing to know is that this is not an endorsement of our products by the US Government but is a process of partnership with the US Government by which manufacturers, who claim their products meet Section 508 standards voluntarily disclose the basis for their claims and assertions by describing how they meet the standards, relative to the specific sections to which the products apply. This is achieved by manufacturers filling a document called a VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) at the Section 508 website.

VPAT's are used by Government Purchasing Officers so as they have the information available to judge, based upon a manufacturers own claims, as to products meeting Section 508 standards and so purchases achieve compliancy. Section 508 does not only seek to make Electronic and Information Technology more Accessible to Government employees but also seeks to inform the public as to Accessibility for the benefits that a greater awareness of the issues may so provide. Links to our VPAT's are provided below and to explain more about Section 508 the following extracts are provided from the www.section508.gov website though for a full understanding of the issues and benefits, as perceived by the US Government, that website should be visited.

Section 508 Extracts:

In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. Inaccessible technology interferes with an individual's ability to obtain and use information quickly and easily. Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, to make available new opportunities for people with disabilities, and to encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals. The law applies to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. Under Section 508 (29 U.S.C. 794d), agencies must give disabled employees and members of the public access to information that is comparable to the access available to others.

Excerpts from the Section 508 Standards and why Aerobic Mouse Asserts that its Products currently comply.

Guide to the Section 508 Standards for Electronic and Information Technology

Desktop and Portable Computers (1194.26) Updated: August 1, 2001

Subsection: (2) Controls and keys shall be operable with one hand and shall not require tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist. The force required to activate controls and keys shall be 5 lbs. (22.2 N) maximum.

How will individuals with disabilities benefit from the requirement enabling operability without tight grasping, pinching, twisting, or pressure?

Individuals with tremor, cerebral palsy, or other disabilities may have difficulty operating systems which require fine motor control, a steady hand, or two hands to be used simultaneously for operation. Some laptop computers, for example, require two hands to simultaneously depress buttons on both sides of the laptop to open it, while other laptops can open when a user moves a single switch on the front.

Individuals with high spinal cord injuries, arthritis, and other conditions may have difficulty operating controls which require significant strength. This provision limits the force required to five pounds and is based on section 4.27.4 of the ADA Accessibility Guidelines, codified as the ADA Standards for Accessible Design as part of the Department of Justice's regulation implementing title III of the ADA at 28 C.F.R. pt. 36, Appendix A. This provision is also consistent with the Telecommunications Act Accessibility Guidelines.

PDF DOWNLOADS:

Section 508 Product Flyer (PDF Download)

VPAT's:

GSA Section 508 - AirO₂bic Mouse™ (PDF Download)

GSA Section 508 - Nib™ Software (PDF Download)

GSA Section 508 - VHF System™ (PDF Download)

Articles:

Article in Facility Safety management March 2005