Section 508
Section 508 mandates that Federal electronic and information technology must be accessible to users with disabilities, unless this imposes an undue burden on the Agency. The updated standards went into effect in 2001.
TRI’s Commitment to Accessibility.
TRI is committed to providing access to all individuals—with or without disabilities—seeking information on our customer solution sites and repositories. In our work with the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Commerce, and other critical agencies, we ensure all web sites, applications, documents and other data have been built to comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (as amended). We believe that simple design and adherence to coding standards are the best means of ensuring access to the broadest possible audience, and our design and evaluation staff work together to achieve those goals. In our projects, we address accessibility issues from the earliest stages of the design process, ensuring that barriers are not designed into our clients’ sites or systems.
Our Compliance Status.
We are committed to Section 508 compliance in TRI systems and services. All production system used in client solutions are evaluated and updated to meet 508 compliance standards unless exempted from the Federal standards. TRI publishes compliance for these systems in Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPAT) in accordance with Section 508 standards and makes these available to users and owners of these solutions.
TRI currently manages VPATs for:
- TRI Clinical Data Management Systems (including Medidata Rave, OpenClinica, and Oracle Clinical)
- TRI Clinical Trial Management Systems (using Medidata CTMS, Oracle Siebel, or TRI StudySource
- TRI Clinical Research Collaboration Portals (using Microsoft SharePoint Server 2013, 2016, or SharePoint Online)
- TRI Safety Reporting Systems (using Oracle Argus, Empirica Signal and Topics)
- TRI Regulatory Management Systems (using Veeva platforms and Microsoft SharePoint)
- TRI Learning and Event Management Systems (using AbsorbLMS and TRI RoundUP
- Custom client solutions using SAS Analytics, Tibco Spotfire, ASP.NET, and other platforms
Many of our Federal customers and partners require VPAT and 508 Annual Reports. These compliance documents are furnished within 30 days of contract award and again annually on the anniversary date of the contract in the form of the Section 508 Annual Report.
Evaluation and Remediation.
To achieve our compliance goals, we take the following actions:
- TRI solutions undergo a rigorous 508 compliance evaluation process that includes:
- Iterative compliance audits through a knowledgeable auditor
- Assistive technology testing using in-house JAWS Software
- Code review and validation
- In our development process, we select supporting products and services that meet, or come closest to meeting, Section 508 requirements.
- We provide training and workshops in Section 508 compliance for TRI technical staff, project managers and external clients.
- We provide assistive technology support using IM, NexText.net (TTY) and addtional information via multiple channels.
When a solution does not meet Federal standards, we address that gap in the next phase or phases of the development lifecycle and update the VPAT accordingly. TRI encourages clients to notify us whenever a product or feature does not meet their accessibility needs. Where compliance is documented requirement, TRI understands that any remediation required for the level of conformance specified in our VPAT will be the responsibility of TRI at our own expense.
