Section 508: accessibility for federal technology
Federal ICT accessibility, the Revised 508 Standards and what contractors must deliver.
Service · Federal
Section 508 compliance
Testing, remediation and documentation for federal agencies and the contractors, grantees and vendors who sell to them.
Who we help
- Federal agencies that need surge capacity for document remediation or independent testing.
- Contractors and integrators delivering websites, applications or documents under contract.
- Software vendors responding to RFPs that require a Section 508 ACR.
- Grantees that must make federally funded content accessible.
What we do
- Test websites, applications and electronic documents against the Revised 508 Standards (WCAG 2.0 AA as incorporated, plus the 508-specific functional performance criteria), using a methodology aligned with the DHS Trusted Tester approach.
- Remediate PDFs, Word, PowerPoint and Excel files against the same checks federal agencies use (see our accessible PDF guide), and fix web code.
- Document conformance with an ACR on the VPAT 508 or INT edition.
- Train content authors so new documents are born accessible.
Why go beyond WCAG 2.0
Section 508 still references WCAG 2.0, but the rest of the US public sector has moved on: the ADA Title II and HHS Section 504 rules require WCAG 2.1 AA. We test to WCAG 2.2 AA by default, so your product passes every current requirement in one pass.
Frequently asked questions
Does Section 508 apply to federal contractors?
Section 508 binds federal agencies. But agencies must buy accessible ICT, so contractors and vendors are required to deliver 508-conformant products, websites and documents under their contracts — usually shown with an ACR.
Is Section 508 the same as WCAG?
The Revised 508 Standards (in effect since January 18, 2018) incorporate WCAG 2.0 Level AA by reference for web content, documents and software, and add requirements for hardware, authoring tools and support documentation.
Find out where you stand, in writing.
Send us a few URLs or sample PDFs. Within two business days you get a free, plain-English snapshot of your biggest accessibility risks and what it takes to fix them.