Accessibility Information

Section 501 of The Rehabilitation Act of 1973

Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act requires Federal agencies to engage in affirmative action for individuals with disabilities for the hiring, placement, and advancement of people with disabilities in Federal employment.

The EEOC has adjudicatory responsibilities in the federal EEO complaints process and oversight responsibility for federal programs required by Section 717 of Title VII and Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act generally.

Essential Elements of Model Programs

• Demonstrated commitment from agency leadership,
• Integration of EEO into the agency’s strategic mission,
• Management and program accountability,
• Proactive prevention of unlawful discrimination,
• Efficiency, and
• Responsiveness and legal compliance

Employees can make self-identification or update their disability status as life circumstances change through the People Lifecycle Unified System (PLUS). This process enables TVA to determine compliance as it relates to hiring/employing persons with disabilities and to develop statistical data which helps us assure that employment actions are administered in a nondiscretionary manner.

Self-identification does not establish that an employee has a disability, and it is not recorded in an employee’s personnel records.

TVA Coordinators:

Director, Talent Acquisition and Diversity
TVA Equal Opportunity Compliance Office

Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended January 3, 2017

Section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended January 3, 2017, requires the agency to provide Personal Assistance Services (PAS) to individuals who need them because of certain disabilities. PAS are services that help individuals who, because of targeted disabilities, require assistance to perform activities of daily living, like eating and using the restroom.

PAS does not include, for example, performing medical procedures (e.g., administering shots) or medical monitoring (e.g., monitoring blood pressure).

For information on how to request PAS, please refer to the TVA Practical Guide to Providing Reasonable Accommodations and submit TVA Form 21374 Request for Accommodation to emphealthservices@tva.gov.

TVA Coordinators:

Director, Talent Acquisition and Diversity
TVA Equal Opportunity Compliance Office

Section 502 of The Rehabilitation Act of 1973

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires access to programs and activities that are funded by federal agencies and to federal employment. Section 502 of the Rehabilitation Act created the Access Board, which was charged with ensuring compliance with standards issued under the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) and proposing solutions to the environmental barrier problems addressed in the ABA. Congress was clear in its intent that compliance be the primary essence of the Board's function.

Later amendments strengthened requirements for access to electronic and information technology in the federal sector (Section 508).

For TVA’s portfolio of buildings and building-related projects, the design, construction, addition to, alteration and lease of sites, facilities, buildings, and elements shall comply with the following requirements:

• Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 (ABA)
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design
• ANSI A117.1-2009 edition, Standards for Accessible and Usable Buildings/Facilities
• International Building Code (IBC)- edition in effect at date of design
• State-adopted codes and ordinances
• City or county adopted ordinances

Handicap accessible parking is made available where parking is provided for TVA employees. A state-issued handicap tag is required to utilize one of these designated spaces. These spaces are made available on a first come first served basis.

The United States of America owns and TVA manages acres of land Valley-wide as part of TVA's mission of service. This is considered public land. Much of this is undeveloped, untouched by civilization and free from modern facilities. Developed lands come with amenities such as swim beaches and fishing berms, campgrounds, and picnic pavilions. TVA has approximately 380 recreation areas in developed lands that are handicap accessible. These facilities comply with Section 502 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Filing Complaints:

For information on how to file a Section 502 complaint, contact:

Externally: Tennessee Valley Authority, Attn: Architecture and Engineering, 1101 Market Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402, facilitieshelp@tva.gov

Internally: Tennessee Valley Authority, Attn: Architecture and Engineering, FM Support Services Request Form (sharepoint.com).

TVA Coordinators:

Real Estate Strategy and Support, Manager, Property Portfolio
Real Estate Strategy and Support, Manager, Property Administration
Facilities Management, Manager, Architecture and Engineering
Facilities Management, Manager, Space Management
Natural Resources, Specialist, Recreation Engineering

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires federal departments and agencies that develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology (EIT), also known as Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to ensure that these technologies provide access to information and data for people with disabilities. Section 508 also requires that individuals with disabilities, who are members of the public seeking information or services from a federal agency, have access to and use information and data that is comparable to that provided to the public who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency.

TVA Chief Information Officer (CIO) reports TVA’s progress and program maturity to the Chief Information Officer Council and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in February and August of each year.

Filing Complaints:

For information on how to file Section 508 complaints, contact: Tennessee Valley Authority, Atn: Gregory G. Jackson, ggjackson@tva.gov, 1101 Market Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402