Glossary term
Section 508 Accessibility
Section 508 is a US federal law requiring electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained, or used by federal agencies — and many federal grantees — to be accessible to people with disabilities, currently enforced through standards aligned with WCAG 2.0 AA.
Section 508 is a US federal law requiring electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained, or used by federal agencies — and many federal grantees — to be accessible to people with disabilities, currently enforced through standards aligned with WCAG 2.0 AA.
How Section 508 differs from WCAG
- WCAG is an international, multi-version standard published by W3C; Section 508 is US federal law that references a specific WCAG version.
- Section 508 currently aligns with WCAG 2.0 AA criteria (the “Revised 508 Standards” effective 2018), while many private-sector and state requirements have moved on to WCAG 2.1 AA or 2.2 AA.
- Section 508 carries procurement enforcement: federal agencies legally can’t buy non-compliant technology.
Who has to care
- Federal agencies and their direct contractors.
- Recipients of certain federal grants (especially Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services).
- Many state and local governments that have adopted Section 508 by reference.
- Universities and research institutions with federal funding.
How we handle it
Our default is WCAG 2.1 AA, which exceeds Section 508 in most areas. Where a Section 508 certification or specific VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) is required, we produce it as part of the engagement — documenting which standards apply and where the implementation meets or differs from them.