36 CFR Part 1194 Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards (Section 508 Standards)

§ 1194.4 Definitions.

The following definitions apply to this part:

Agency.  Any Federal department or agency, including the United States Postal Service.

Alternate formats.  Alternate formats usable by people with disabilities may include, but are not limited to, Braille, ASCII text, large print, recorded audio, and electronic formats that comply with this part.

Alternate methods.  Different means of providing information, including product documentation, to people with disabilities.  Alternate methods may include, but are not limited to, voice, fax, relay service, TTY, Internet posting, captioning, text-to-speech synthesis, and audio description.

Assistive technology.  Any item, piece of equipment, or system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is commonly used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.

Electronic and information technology.  Includes information technology and any equipment or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment, that is used in the creation, conversion, or duplication of data or information.  The term electronic and information technology includes, but is not limited to, telecommunications products (such as telephones), information kiosks and transaction machines, World Wide Web sites, multimedia, and office equipment such as copiers and fax machines.  The term does not include any equipment that contains embedded information technology that is used as an integral part of the product, but the principal function of which is not the acquisition, storage, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission, or reception of data or information.  For example, HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) equipment such as thermostats or temperature control devices, and medical equipment where information technology is integral to its operation, are not information technology.

Information technology.  Any equipment or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment, that is used in the automatic acquisition, storage, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission, or reception of data or information.  The term information technology includes computers, ancillary equipment, software, firmware and similar procedures, services (including support services), and related resources.

Operable controls.  A component of a product that requires physical contact for normal operation.  Operable controls include, but are not limited to, mechanically operated controls, input and output trays, card slots, keyboards, or keypads.

Product.  Electronic and information technology.

Self Contained, Closed Products.  Products that generally have embedded software and are commonly designed in such a fashion that a user cannot easily attach or install assistive technology.  These products include, but are not limited to, information kiosks and information transaction machines, copiers, printers, calculators, fax machines, and other similar types of products.

Telecommunications.  The transmission, between or among points specified by the user, of information of the user’s choosing, without change in the form or content of the information as sent and received.

TTY.  An abbreviation for teletypewriter.  Machinery or equipment that employs interactive text based communications through the transmission of coded signals across the telephone network.  TTYs may include, for example, devices known as TDDs (telecommunication display devices or telecommunication devices for deaf persons) or computers with special modems.  TTYs are also called text telephones.

Undue burden.  Undue burden means significant difficulty or expense.  In determining whether an action would result in an undue burden, an agency shall consider all agency resources available to the program or component for which the product is being developed, procured, maintained, or used.