Section 508 Compliance

Federal Accessibility Requirements for Government ICT

What is Section 508?

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology (EIT) accessible to people with disabilities. This applies to technology developed, procured, maintained, or used by federal agencies.

The 2017 Refresh of Section 508 aligned the standards with WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA, making compliance more consistent with international standards.

Who Must Comply?

  • Federal Agencies

    All executive, legislative, and judicial branch agencies

  • Federal Contractors

    Companies developing or providing ICT to federal agencies

  • Grant Recipients

    Organizations receiving federal funding may need to comply

Technical Standards (2017 Refresh)

The 2017 Refresh incorporated WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA success criteria. Key areas include:

Category Requirements
Web Content Must conform to WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA
Software Interoperable with assistive technology
Hardware Accessible input/output, operable without vision/hearing
Documents PDFs, Word docs must be accessible
Multimedia Captions, audio descriptions required

Consequences of Non-Compliance

Contract Loss

Failure to comply can result in contract termination or loss of future contracts

Legal Action

Individuals can file complaints with federal agencies

Procurement Issues

Non-compliant products may be rejected during procurement

Reputation Damage

Public records of non-compliance can harm reputation

Verify Section 508 Compliance

AccessiScan tests against Section 508 requirements aligned with WCAG 2.0 AA.

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