In April 2018, the Department of Homeland Security announced some updates coming to the Trusted Tester Program, to align with recent updates to the Revised 508 Standards.
The Federal Accessibility Community of Practice has updated the Harmonized Baseline for Testing Conformance, which is used to develop streamlined test processes for IT accessibility. The Trusted Tester Process, training, and Trusted Tester Certification are also being updated to align with the updated Baseline, and are slated for release in Fall 2018. Once updated, the Trusted Tester process will align with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) Level A and Level AA.
IMPORTANT – Existing V3 certified Trusted Testers must recertify for Trusted Tester V5.
Timeline
- June 30, 2018 - End of new enrollments for the Trusted Tester V3 training and Certification exam.
- Note: Students currently enrolled will be allowed to complete their training and take the V3 certification exam until September 30, 2018
- October 1, 2018 - Start of new enrollments for the Trusted Tester V5 training and Certification exam.
- September 30, 2019 - Trusted Tester V3 or V4 test results no longer accepted in DHS HQ and DHS component governance processes.
Trusted Tester Certification
The Trusted Tester V5 Certification training consists of 5 Courses:
- FAC49R - What is Section 508 and Why Is It Important?
- FAC50R - Section 508 Testing Tool Installation
- FAC51R - Section 508 Standards
- FTE250R - Trusted Tester Training
- FTE251R - Trusted Tester Certification
Some things to note:
- Instructor support will be available via webinar.
- If it’s your first time taking this training, it will take an estimated 40–80 hours to complete.
- If you’re already certified, it will take an estimated 40–60 hours to get recertified.
- If you are a Trusted Tester V3 that provides test results to any DHS agency, then you must obtain the Trusted Tester V5 Certification by April 1, 2019.
Related Resources
Contact the DHS Accessibility Helpdesk at accessibility@hq.dhs.gov with questions.
