Section 508 compliance, explained in plain English

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires federal agencies — and by extension anyone selling technology to them — to make electronic content accessible to people with disabilities. Here's what that means for your website and how to find out where you stand.

Who has to comply

Federal agencies are directly bound. But the practical reach is much wider: if you sell software, SaaS, or digital services to the federal government — or to states, universities, and hospitals that receive federal funding — procurement will ask for evidence of accessibility. That evidence is usually a VPAT.

What the standard actually is

Since the 2018 "508 Refresh," Section 508 incorporates WCAG 2.0 Level AA by reference — the same success criteria used worldwide. Most buyers now expect WCAG 2.1 AA in practice. The criteria cover things like text alternatives for images, keyboard operability, color contrast, form labels, and screen-reader compatibility.

How compliance is evaluated

Two layers: automated scanning catches machine-detectable failures (missing alt text, contrast, unlabeled fields — roughly 30–40% of WCAG criteria), and manual auditing covers the rest (keyboard flows, screen-reader behavior, logical reading order). A credible compliance claim — and a signable VPAT — requires both.

Where to start

Start with the automated layer: it's free, takes seconds, and finds the issues most likely to sink a procurement review. Fix those, then bring in a manual audit for the criteria automation can't judge.