Everything You Need to Know About Section 508

Section 508 is part of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act of 1973, strengthened in 1998. It requires federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities — including websites, software, documents and multimedia. The goal: federal employees and members of the public with disabilities get the same access to information and services as everyone else.

Section 508 applies directly to U.S. federal agencies and the technology they develop, buy, maintain or use. It also affects contractors and vendors selling digital products or services to the federal government, because agencies may only procure accessible technology. Private businesses without federal contracts are not covered by Section 508 itself — for them, the ADA is the relevant law — but many adopt the same WCAG-based standard.

Section 508 incorporates the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines by reference: federal websites and digital content must meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA success criteria, and WCAG 2.2 Level AA is the practical benchmark today. That means text alternatives for images, keyboard operability, captions for video, sufficient contrast, clear structure and labels, defined page language and compatibility with screen readers.

Section 508 is a procurement and technology law for the federal sector; the ADA is a civil rights law covering state and local governments and businesses open to the public. Both point to WCAG as the technical benchmark for websites. If you build for federal agencies, Section 508 applies; if you run a public-facing business site, the ADA applies; meeting WCAG Level AA serves both.

Yes, for federal agencies and their technology suppliers. Agencies must procure, develop and maintain accessible technology, and vendors typically document conformance with a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) and an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR). Non-conforming products can be excluded from federal contracts.

Start with an automated scan and add manual testing on top. allyWay crawls your website and flags the automatically detectable WCAG issues behind Section 508 requirements — missing alt text, low contrast, unlabeled form fields, broken heading structure and more — and returns a prioritized report. Criteria that need human judgment, such as keyboard navigation, come with step-by-step instructions. Your first scan is free.

allyWay covers the whole workflow in one tool: an AI-powered scan against WCAG 2.2, automatic fixes for supported issues, an accessibility widget that gives visitors usable controls right away, and continuous monitoring that alerts you when new barriers appear. One place to find issues, automate what can be automated and get guided instructions for the rest — starting with a 7-day free trial.

Individuals can file complaints with the responsible agency, and the Department of Justice reports on federal Section 508 compliance to Congress. Agencies face remediation orders, and vendors risk losing federal contracts. A traditional expert audit runs to thousands of dollars per review; allyWay starts with a free scan and a 7-day trial, then covers continuous scanning, automatic fixes and monitoring in a predictable monthly plan.