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    Glossary›Section 508
    Glossary · Standard

    What is Section 508?

    Definition

    Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act is a U.S. federal law requiring that electronic and information technology developed, maintained, or procured by federal agencies be accessible to people with disabilities. Section 508 standards mirror WCAG guidelines and apply to all digital content and tools used by federal employees and agencies. Compliance is mandatory for any vendor selling to U.S. federal government, and many enterprises use Section 508 as their accessibility standard baseline.

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    In short

    Section 508 at a glance.

    U.S. federal accessibility law for digital content
    Required for federal government vendors
    Standards similar to WCAG Level AA
    Applies to websites, software, documents

    Section 508 in Practice

    Any product sold to U.S. federal agencies must be Section 508 compliant. This is a hard requirement, not optional. Compliance involves accessibility statement (document what is and is not accessible), remediation for known gaps (explain workarounds or timeline for fixes), and ongoing testing. Many enterprises and government contractors also adopt Section 508 as their standard, making it a wise baseline even if you don't currently sell to government.

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    Section 508 — frequently asked

    Federal agencies are required to comply. Vendors selling to federal agencies must meet Section 508. Federal contractors often must include Section 508 compliance in their deliverables. State and local governments sometimes adopt Section 508 as well, though ADA compliance is the federal standard for them. If you sell to government or large enterprises, assume you need Section 508 compliance.

    Section 508 incorporates WCAG by reference. Section 508 compliance is essentially WCAG Level AA compliance plus U.S.-specific requirements and documentation. If you meet WCAG AA standards, you are most of the way to Section 508; additional effort goes into documentation and testing for Section 508.

    Federal agencies can refuse to purchase non-compliant products. Private parties can file complaints with the U.S. Department of Justice, which can investigate and require remediation. While penalties are less severe than ADA fines, federal contract loss is significant. Given the cost of remediation, it is wise to build accessibility in from the start rather than retrofit.

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