Section 508 Compliance Guide
US federal law requiring all electronic and information technology developed, procured, or used by federal agencies to be accessible to people with disabilities. The 2018 Refresh aligned Section 508 with WCAG 2.0 Level AA.
Overview
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was significantly amended in 1998 to require federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology (ICT) accessible to people with disabilities. The law applies to all federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use ICT — whether employees or members of the public are the intended users.
The Section 508 Standards were substantially updated in the "508 Refresh" published in January 2017 and taking effect in January 2018. The Refresh aligned Section 508 with WCAG 2.0 Level AA for web content and incorporated the European standard EN 301 549 for broader ICT requirements. This alignment means that organizations meeting WCAG 2.0 AA for their web content substantially satisfy Section 508's web requirements.
Section 508 extends beyond web content to cover software applications, operating systems, kiosk hardware, telecommunication products, video and multimedia, and desktop and portable computers. Federal contractors and vendors selling technology to the government must provide a VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) documenting their product's Section 508 conformance — making Section 508 compliance documentation a critical part of federal sales processes.
Key Requirements
- Web and software must meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA (51 success criteria)
- Closed functionality (kiosks, printers) must have built-in accessibility features
- Software must be compatible with assistive technology on supported platforms
- Hardware must meet physical accessibility requirements for reach and operation
- Video content must include captions and audio descriptions
- Real-time text (RTT) must be supported for telecommunications products
- Information and documentation must be available in accessible formats
- Electronic documents (PDFs, Word, Excel) must be tagged and structured
- Support services must be accessible to people with disabilities
- Vendors must provide VPATs documenting conformance for procured products
Who Must Comply
All US federal agencies are required to comply. Federal contractors and vendors who provide ICT to the government must ensure their products and services conform and must document conformance via VPAT/ACR. State and local governments are not directly covered by Section 508 but are covered by ADA Title II requirements.
How VPATify Helps
Federal procurement requires vendors to submit a VPAT documenting their product's Section 508 conformance — but creating an accurate VPAT from scratch is a multi-day task requiring accessibility expertise. VPATify accelerates this process by scanning your web content against WCAG 2.0/2.1/2.2 criteria and automatically populating VPAT 2.5 entries based on scan results.
VPATify's VPAT editor allows your team to review each criterion, add manual assessment notes, override automated results with justification, and export a polished Word or PDF document ready for federal procurement submission. Teams with active federal contracts can use VPATify to maintain an up-to-date ACR and re-scan on each product release to keep documentation current.
Frequently Asked Questions
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