Additional Requirement – 30: Compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

This AR implements Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d), and the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) Accessibility Standards (36 CFR Part 1194). Further information on Section 508 is available via the Internet at

https://www.section508.gov.

When designing, developing, fabricating or acquiring EIT, the recipient of the Grant or Cooperative Agreement (a.k.a. “recipient”) must ensure that (1) Federal employees with disabilities have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access and use by Federal employees who are not individuals with disabilities; and (2) Members of the public with disabilities seeking information or services from the recipient have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access to and use of information and data by members of the public who are not individuals with disabilities.

Applicability: Unless an exception applies (see below), EIT supplies and services, and equipment in general designed, developed, fabricated or acquired with funds granted by the CDC must meet the applicable accessibility standards at 36 CFR Part 1194. If, for some reason, acquired EIT equipment, supplies or services are not available that meet the accessibility standards at 26 CFR Part 1194, the recipient must document in writing the non-availability, including a description of market research performed and which standards cannot be met, and provide documentation to the Grants Management Officer for review, approval and inclusion in the grant file.

Exceptions: Exception determinations are required prior to award. The requirements of this AR do not apply to acquired EIT that (a) Does not meet the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) limit for micro-purchases found in FAR Subpart 13.2 (micro-purchases). However, for micro-purchases, recipients are strongly encouraged to comply with the applicable accessibility standards to the maximum extent practicable; (b) Is for a national security system; (c) Is acquired by a recipient incidental to the requirements of the grant or cooperative agreement; (d) Is located in spaces frequented only by service personnel for maintenance, repair or occasional monitoring of equipment; or (e) Would impose an undue burden (see definition below) on the recipient.

Basis for undue burden determination: “Undue burden” means a significant difficulty or expense. In determining whether compliance with all or part of the applicable accessibility standards in 36 CFR Part 1194 would be an undue burden, the recipient must consider the difficulty or expense of compliance, and recipient resources available to its program or component for which the equipment, supply or service is being acquired. The recipient must document in writing the basis for an undue burden decision and provide the documentation to the Grants Management Officer for approval and for inclusion in the official grants file.