STAMFORD, Conn.--June 25, 2001--Building on a 15-year history of engineering office products for use by people with disabilities, Xerox Corporation intends to lead the way in meeting the new Section 508 compliance regulations established by the federal government. Section 508 legislation, which goes into effect today, requires government entities to purchase information technology equipment that is most accessible to disabled government workers and citizens who wish to use it. Xerox has established a new Web page at www.xerox.com/Section508 that will serve as an ongoing resource for federal contracting agents and the public. The site lists Xerox products and offers information about the current compliance status of each product. "Ensuring accessibility of Xerox products has been and continues to be a major priority,'' said Jack Azar, vice president, Xerox Environmental Health & Safety. "We put our products through a rigorous evaluation process so we will meet both the explicit and implied requirements of Section 508. We believe this is not only good business, but also good corporate citizenship.'' As an industry leader in accessible product design, Xerox's Industrial Design/Human Interface organization has worked with product engineering teams from the earliest design stages to incorporate features that make products easy to access and operate. For many years Xerox product design specifications included requirements to minimize the force required to lift document covers and open doors and to provide controls within easy reach. The company has also developed dozens of accessories, such as angled consoles, Braille console labels, and "start print'' footswitches, to help customers meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This history will help the company adapt future products to Section 508 requirements, which address accessibility concerns that differ from the ADA's. Section 508 regulations cover software, telecommunications equipment and Web-based information, and office equipment, including copiers, facsimile machines and printers. Xerox will incorporate Section 508 requirements in its time-to-market product development model to ensure future product designs comprehend Federal accessibility standards.