Overview of Section 508 Compliance

Overview of Section 508 Compliance

The first statute to specify how the American government should assist those with disabilities was the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Major technological advancements, the kind that couldn't have been foreseen or handled when the Rehabilitation Act was initially established, occurred in the years that followed its enactment. When the disability community interacted with institutions that had legal obligations, it frequently encountered technological obstacles.

The Rehabilitation Act was amended to include Section 508, which mandates that the majority of electronic and information technology (EIT) utilised by a federal agency or department be accessible to people with disabilities.

The U.S. Access Board updated the Section 508 accessibility criteria in 2017.

Overview of Section 508 Compliance

The first statute to specify how the American government should assist those with disabilities was the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The years that followed its implementation were characterised by significant advancements in

The Section 508 requirements for electronic and information technology accessibility were updated in 2017, according to the U.S. Access Board. This revision was made to guarantee that Section 508 could take into account modern technological developments and trends. Furthermore, lawmakers were determined to include a stronger definition of "accessibility."

Today, Section 508 covers online documents, video and audio content, websites, software, and social networking posts. People must be able to access and use these for them to be deemed Section 508-compliant.

Is compliance with Section 508 required for every organisation?

Federal agencies and organisations that receive financing from the federal government must achieve Section 508 compliance.

Contractors and independent workers who perform services for institutions of government or businesses that receive federal funding are likewise covered by Section 508. This implies that Section 508 compliance is required for small enterprises that accept government funding or contract with federal agencies.

The significance of complying with Section 508

For the federally supported agencies and organisations it pertains to, obtaining Section 508 compliance is important (and advantageous) for several reasons.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) were added to Section 508's technical specifications in 2017. WCAG, which was released by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), has grown to be one of the most important sets of recommendations for web accessibility. Other EIT, including as online documents and videos, can also be made accessible to those with disabilities by following the guidelines in WCAG.

You can adhere to WCAG at three different levels: Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA.

Level AA is the compliance level that many accessibility guidelines and regulations around the world relate to, while Level A is the most fundamental type of conformity.

The highest level, Level AAA, is also the most difficult to attain.

You must adhere to WCAG 2.0 Level AA to comply with Section 508.

You can use the following checklist to make sure that your website and other electronic and information technology (EIT) comply with WCAG at this level.

VPATs and Section 508 compliance

You must also finish a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, or VPAT, as part of obtaining Section 508 compliance. A VPAT reveals the degree of accessibility of your website and other EIT and the extent to which it complies with pertinent accessibility standards. That standard in this instance is WCAG 2.0 Level AA.

It's crucial to keep your VPAT current. You must submit a new VPAT if you significantly alter your product.

How may a website's compliance with Section 508 be tested?

You can manually check your website's WCAG 2.0 Level AA conformity. Please feel free to utilise the checklist in the next section to that aim.

As an alternative, you may rapidly determine if your website complies with Section 508 by using an automated website accessibility checker like AccessScan.

After you enter the URL of your website, it will quickly and automatically audit it to see if it complies with WCAG. Following the audit, you will be given a score (compliant, semi-compliant, or non-compliant) and a list outlining the specific areas of your website's compliance. You will be informed of any accessibility issues and given simple, brief advice if any do.

How may a website's compliance with Section 508 be tested?

You can manually check your website's WCAG 2.0 Level AA conformity. Please feel free to utilise the checklist in the next section to that aim.

Following the audit, you will be given a score (compliant, semi-compliant, or non-compliant) and a list outlining the specific areas of your website's compliance. You will be informed of any accessibility issues and given simple, brief advice if any do.

Give non-text content text substitutes.

Some website users cannot view non-text information, such as audio files, photos, or videos. Non-text information should include text alternatives so that assistive technologies like screen readers can communicate with it. Consider adding alt text to photographs that are informative and not merely ornamental, or those that are meaningful.

Offer audio-only and video-only content as alternative

For audio-only content, like podcasts, include transcripts. The audio descriptions should be included in every video footage.

Provide captions for audio-only videos.

Visitors who are hard of hearing or deaf cannot access video content with audio. Ensure that videos with audio have synchronised, accurate, and speaker-identified subtitles.

Make sure the text has a strong contrast.

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