Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (www.section508.gov)

Section 508 refers to a statutory section in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Congress subsequently strengthened Section 508 in the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. The amendment has been incorporated into Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and has been effective since June 25, 2001.

This legislation applies when Federal departments or agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology (EIT). The objective of these standards is to ensure that Federal employees with disabilities have access to and use of information technology and data that is comparable to the access to and use of information technology and data as other Federal employees. The standards apply in the same way when members of the public are seeking information or services from a Federal department or agency. Comparable access is not required if it would impose an undue burden, or meet exemptions.

Although Section 508 does not directly apply to Exabyte's cartridge tape subsystems (tape drives) and cartridge handling systems (tape libraries) (reference: FAR 39.204(d) and 36 CFR 1194.3(f)), Exabyte fully supports Section 508 and the efforts of the Federal government in making mainstream technology accessible to people with disabilities.

To assist you in your review of Exabyte's tape drives and tape library products within the federal arena, we are happy to provide the following information: Exabyte does not sell Exabyte-branded software for use with its tape drives and tape libraries and Exabyte recommends that you contact the third party software vendor directly for specific Section 508 questions. Exabyte's tape drives and tape libraries are typically used in 'back office' environments frequented only by service personnel for monitoring, maintenance or repair activities.