(upbeat music)
- [Narrator] Protecting and
promoting investor interests,
facilitating capital formation,
and making markets safe and efficient.
Those are the reasons
why we work at the SEC.
But the way we work isn't always the same.
Section 508 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973
is designed to ensure that
staff and the public alike
have the access they deserve.
- I'm a wheelchair user
and my hands don't work.
When I come into the office,
I need a ramp to get in.
But when I'm at my computer,
I really only need two things.
I need to be able to fit under my desk
And I need to be able to
interact with my computer.
Seven, eight, mouse click.
- [Narrator] The SEC is
committed to Section 508
and it's everyone's
responsibility to do their part.
That means making sure
that anything we create
that's related to information
and communication technology
such as digital content,
software, hardware,
electronic documents, web
forms, videos, websites,
all have to be accessible to everyone.
- Just because someone doesn't
look like they need something
does not mean that they don't.
(upbeat music)
- You may think it's a
small handful of people
but I can pretty much guarantee you,
it's a lot more people than you think.
My accessibility needs
really are text-based.
I need to have some type of magnification.
If it's a printed material,
then I have special magnifiers
that I'm using.
I look back now to when
I was say, a student,
even in high school,
and think about if this type
of technology had existed
then, what a huge difference
it would have made.
- I have a little bit of a sight problem.
So I use two larger
monitors, about 27 inches.
It actually helps me
focus and it helps me
by the end of the day not feel so tired.
- I used the dictation software to replace
all the functions that you would use
a keyboard or a mouse for.
The dictation software I
use is the exact same stuff
that you have on your
iPhone or Android phone.
I've been using that
same dictation software
for 14 years.
- [Narrator] Making our work
accessible isn't just the law.
It's smart. Otherwise we're
just making our work harder.
- You're really precluding
people that have a lot to offer
that could really have a lot
of input into your project
that you're working on.
This might be their area of expertise.
And if they can't access the information,
then you're ultimately
missing out as well.
- I'm doing the same work
that everybody else is doing
but just with some
additional software and tools
to help me do it more effectively.
- [Narrator] Following the
guidelines in Section 508
ensures that we're all working smarter
and empowering each other to
do our best work everyday.
- This is the great
equalizer for a lot of us.
This technology is making
it possible for people
with disabilities to be in the workplace.
- Section 508 is not
something that we should fear.
It's just something
that should be a routine
conversation that is not
uncomfortable for people.
- So I think we all have come across
a series of older documents
that somebody else produced.
And we're really frustrated
that one of the functions in
that document didn't work.
508 compliance isn't just
about people with disabilities
and its impact, it affects all of us.
And it helps us to produce
the highest quality documents
to help each of us do
our work effectively.
- [Narrator] And when we
help people work effectively,
together we can accomplish amazing things.
