ASPA/DCD offers training in Section 508 Compliance for HHS employees and contractors. Classes are 1 to 3 hours long and are available onsite at the Humphrey Building (200 Independence Ave SW) or can be attended via webinar. They are facilitated by an instructor, using handouts and example materials. Our classes are only for HHS employees and contractors who have a current active contract. If you are an HHS Contractor, your COTR’s must sumbit a request for training on your behalf.
Request training by sending your name, email, and class request(s) to 508helpdesk@hhs.gov.
The following classses are available:
- Creating Accessible Office Documents
- Tagging PDF’s in Adobe
- How to Identify 508 Errors in PDF
- How to Identify 508 Errors in Web Sites
- Issue Management
For an introduction to Accessibility and 508, see Intro to Accessibility
Creating Accessible Office Documents
Prerequisite to the Tagging PDF’s in Adobe course
Description: This course instructs how to create accessible content in Office documents. We demonstrate the built in styles available to create common elements such as images, headings, lists, and tables in an accessible manner so that they are better prepared for their final format (such as HTML or PDF). We will also explain certain elements that cannot be made accessible in Office and go over the initial conversion process to PDF.
Who should attend: Recommended for all HHS employees who use Word, PowerPoint, or Excel to create public facing or agency wide electronic content. We highly recommend you attend the training in person.
When: Offered on the 4th Tuesday of each month.
Tagging PDFs in Adobe
Must be taken after completion of the Creating Accessible Office Documents course
Description: This course shows you how to create an accessible PDF. Because creating a solid source document is a key step, the Creating Accessible Office Documents must be completed prior to this course. We demonstrate the tag structure concept and go over techniques to initially tag the PDF, and how to manipulate the tags to accurately reflect the content. We also show how to use the built in accessibility checker to help verify compliance.
Who should attend: Recommended for all HHS employees who use Adobe Acrobat to create public facing or agency wide electronic PDF. We highly recommend you attend the training in person.
When: Offered as requested
Course Handout: PDF Tagging
How to Identify 508 Errors in PDF
Description: This course is designed to be an in-depth look at evaluating the Section 508 standards as they apply to Adobe PDF. We demonstrate the visual, and back end tag structure issues that are most commonly found including reading order, list and table tagging. We also show how to use the built in accessibility checker to aid in finding these issues.
Who should attend: Recommended for all HHS employees tasked with assuring Adobe PDF’s are 508 compliant and those who use Adobe Acrobat to create public facing or agency wide electronic PDF
When: Offered as requested
Course Handouts: How to Identify 508 Errors in PDF and How to Identify 508 Errors in PDF Training Document
How to Identify 508 Errors in Web Sites
Required for all users of DCD Content Management Systems
Description: This course is designed to be an in-depth look at the Section 508 standards as they apply to Web sites, with an emphasis on sites that reside on DCD-managed Web Content Management Systems. We present real-world examples and solutions for most commonly encountered accessibility issues.
Who should attend: Required for all users of DCD Content Management Systems and is recommended for all HHS employees who work with web pages, including developers, COTRs, CORs, Issue Managers, and Content Managers.
When: Offered on the 3rd Tuesday of each month.
Course Handout: How to Identify Errors in HTML
Issue Management
Required for 508 Issue Managers
Description: This course teaches attendees how use the Leaderboard reports in order to (a) identify 508 issues on web sites, (b) identify issues that are mistakenly identified as errors (false positives), and (c) learn in depth 5 of the 508 web regulations that have the potential to greatly impact Leaderboard scores. This course is most effective when preceded by the How to Identify 508 Errors in Web Sites course.
Who should attend: Recommended for site managers responsible for ensuring 508 compliance and reviewing the monthly leaderboard reports.
When: Offered as requested.
Course Handout: Issue Management training
Email questions about 508 training to 508helpdesk@hhs.gov.