508 Compliance Explained
As part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 508 is a federal law that requires all electronic and information technology (EIT) developed, procured, used, owned, or maintained by federal agencies be safe and accessible to individuals with disabilities. While it covers myriad issues, Section 508 generally provides compliance guidelines meant to help people with various types of disabilities to easily access documents, websites, and applications used and developed by or for, US government agencies.
Whether you’re working for the federal government, in the private sector, running an non-governmental organization, or a non-profit entity, it’s very important to ensure that all your websites, documents, content, and applications are compliant to the guidelines provided in Section 508 as a best practice.
Is Section 508 a Law?
Section 508 is a federal law enacted on August 7, 1998 by President Bill Clinton and is generally known as the 1998 Amendment of Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
What is the Difference between Section 508 and Section 501 of Rehabilitation Act of 1973?
Despite being very different, Section 508 and Section 501 are frequently confused with each other. Section 508 mandates all federal agencies to develop, procure, maintain and use EIT that is accessible to individuals with disabilities whether they’re government employees or the public accessing information from the government.
Section 501 prohibits employment discrimination against persons with disabilities in any federal agency. Section 501 mandates reasonable accommodations, which ensure equal access to facilities, systems, and information so that equal employment opportunities exist between disabled and non-disabled individuals.
What is 508 Compliance?
508 Compliance is defined as meeting or exceeding the requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Section 508 was refreshed in 2018 to bring rules in line with international accessibility standards such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0).
When Does Section 508 Apply?
Contrary to widespread misconception, 508 compliance doesn’t apply only to federal agencies. It applies to any entity that does or hopes to do business with any federal agency. This includes all private contractors, companies in the financial industry, legal organizations, and companies in the healthcare industry. It also applies to any entity receiving financial assistance from the federal government including colleges and universities, non-profits, or any other non-governmental organization.
Any company or entity that requires or intends to communicate with people electronically or digitally should be 508 compliant. Being compliant ensures that you offer all your clients equal and non-biased access to all information your company creates.
According to the US Access Board, a federal agency that promotes equality for people with disabilities, Section 508 standards apply to information and communications technology procured by the federal government. This includes:
- Mobile devices
- All computer devices, including all software and operating systems
- Video and audio productions
- Internet and Intranet websites
- PDF documents
- All content stored or supplied on storage media
- Training provided virtually or in a classroom environment
- Webinars and teleconferencing
- Call centers providing outbound support
- User guides, manuals, or instruction for software and tools.
What are Section 508 Standards?
Section 508 Standards describe the General, Technical, and Functional specifications that must be applied to ensure equal access for Federal employees and members of the public when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use EIT.
Section 508 standards ensure access to EIT for people with physical, sensory, and cognitive disabilities by stipulating various technical criteria specific to different types of technologies, and how their performances should enhance accessibility to people with disabilities. Emphasis is on functional capabilities of the products that these technologies cover.
What are Section 508 Exceptions?
Like various federal laws, there are exceptions to Section 508. These are guidelines or scenarios that exempt a federal agency from complying with Section 508. For instance, a federal agency does not have to be Section 508 compliant if the accessibility standards impose undue burden on the agency, if the EIT operated by the agency is part of a national security system, or if the EIT is developed, maintained, and used for monitoring.
Does Section 508 Apply to the Private Sector?
The straightforward answer to this question is no. Section 508 applies to federal agencies and doesn’t affect non-federal agencies or websites unless those entities are providing covered services or products to federal agencies. However, there are other laws that require non-federal agency EIT to be accessible. For instance, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 outlaws any disability-based discrimination by both federal agencies and beneficiaries of federal assistance. Therefore, the EIT of any entity receiving any form of federal assistance, or those consulting, providing services, or bidding on contracts with any federal agency, must also be accessible.
What is Section 508 Refresh?
The Section 508 Refresh officially took effect on January 18, 2018. It fundamentally revised Section 508 standards to be in line with international standards, particularly the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Section 508 Refresh revolves around restructuring the law based on functional performance of products and services rather than types of products and services. In short, the Refresh is meant to streamline the standards and remove repetitive guidelines by evaluating the function of EIT and how it enhances accessibility.
How Does Section 508 Apply to Content Accessibility?
According to Section 508’s topic on “Creating Accessible Digital Products,”The Revised 508 Standards include not just IT tools and systems, but electronic content such as documents, web pages, presentations, social media content, blogs, and certain emails.
How Does Section 508 Apply to Websites?
Section 508 applies to federal websites and the websites of entities receiving federal assistance, consulting, providing services, or bidding on contracts with any federal agency.
How Can I Be Sure My Website is 508 Compliant?
The best way to know for sure that your site meets all the requirements of Section 508 is to work with an accessibility partner who will evaluate your site against WCAG conformance level AA, which satisfies Section 508 compliance for web content accessibility. They will need to utilize both automated testing software AND manual testing, both of which should be managed by a team of web content accessibility specialists. This review is commonly referred to as a web audit and depending on the scale of the web project will either focus on a representative set of content, components, and site assets or if manageable, all site pages and content. A web audit should also include a detailed report of any issues encountered with location and type of issue, technologies used for testing, details about the compliance requirements in context of the issue, and, as we recommend, clear guidance for remediation. Regularly retesting your site, particularly when new content is added or designs are updated, ensures that compliance is maintained. In addition to testing, internal accessibility training of your web content team members is a must!
How Does Section 508 Apply to non-Web Content?
Section 508 doesn’t just refer to web content. It also sets accessibility requirements for electronic documents in other contexts. For example, if you use MS Office Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, you need to ensure those files are accessible to both your internal and external users. PDF, one of the most widely used and shared file formats, is another document format that must meet compliance. What about email? We all use it to communicate. But did you know that Section 508 has requirements for email as well?
Can SeeWriteHear Help Me Achieve Section 508 Compliance?
Absolutely! We’re here to help you create accessible digital products that not only satisfy your legal obligation but increase usability regardless of your content’s format. SeeWriteHear offers the comprehensive evaluation and testing services to help you and your teams understand potential risks. Our remediation services for document, web, and media accessibility will help resolve any existing issues in your content. We also offer comprehensive compliance and content authoring training and consultation to ensure your teams can proactively and confidently produce accessible content.
Check out the following service areas or contact us for further guidance or information.
Compliant MS Office Documents
Compliant PDF Documents
Compliant Audio and Video
Testing and Remediation for Compliant Websites