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Section 508 Concepts

Section 508 is a U.S. law that requires federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. It establishes technical standards for software, websites, and technology. Section 508 focuses on HTML accessibility and resembles Level A of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). WCAG is an international standard developed by the W3C to ensure web content is accessible. It has three levels (A, AA, AAA) with Level A being the minimum for accessibility. Both Section 508 and WCAG can be tested using screen readers and tools that check file formats like HTML for compliance.

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Ramesh Bodukani
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226 views

Section 508 Concepts

Section 508 is a U.S. law that requires federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. It establishes technical standards for software, websites, and technology. Section 508 focuses on HTML accessibility and resembles Level A of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). WCAG is an international standard developed by the W3C to ensure web content is accessible. It has three levels (A, AA, AAA) with Level A being the minimum for accessibility. Both Section 508 and WCAG can be tested using screen readers and tools that check file formats like HTML for compliance.

Uploaded by

Ramesh Bodukani
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Section 508:

 Section 508 refers to an amendment of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that requires
U.S. Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology
accessible to people with disabilities.
 The law includes a set of technical standards that establish requirements for software
applications, operating systems, web-based information and applications,
telecommunications hardware and software, and video and multimedia products.
 The law is regulated by the US Access Board, a federal government agency, not an
international nonprofit association like W3C.
 Section 508 is part of a U.S. law (the Rehabilitation Act of 1973) and therefore only
applies to the United States. Further, the law itself only requires that U.S. Federal
agencies comply.
 The rules outlined in Section 508 are most closely resembles Level A in WCAG,
which represents the minimum suggested accessibility standards for web-based
content.
 Section 508 focuses primarily on HTML accessibility.
 Assistive Technology: JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, ChromeVox, Talkback and
Zoomtext
 The Web Accessibility Toolbar, The Color Contrast Analyser, aViewer, W3C Nu
markup HTML conformance checker, Firebug,Dom Inspector ,
Accprobe,Accessibility Inspector, UI Browser.
 Total Validator (free and commercial):, WAVE (free), SortSite (commercial), Fangs (free),
Functional Accessibility Evaluator 2.0 (free)

 Screen Readers like JAWS and NVDA be used to test for Section 508 Compliance.
 File formats checked for accessibility include: HTML; CSS; JavaScript; PDF; GIF;
and Flash.
 some accessibility issues require human judgement and cannot be tested
automatically
 Free Testing Tools for 508 Compliance - HiSoftware Cynthia Says Portal, Wave v
4.0, FireEyes and Tenon's free checker
 Licensed Testing Tools for 508 Compliance – Total Validator

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG):


 WCAG is not a law and is instead only a set of guidelines. These guidelines,
however, have been agreed upon internationally as the appropriate standard for
ensuring web-based content is accessible to people with disabilities
 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are a technical standard outlining a
set of guidelines and success criteria for making web content more accessible to
people with disabilities.
 It was developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), an international
community where members, staff, and the public work together to develop web
standards. It is the same organization whose members are responsible for the
original HTML, CSS, XML, and other specifications.
 WCAG standards represent a higher level of accessibility than 508
standards. There are three WCAG levels: A, AA, and AAA. Level A represents the
minimum suggested accessibility standards for web-based content and most closely
resembles the rules outlined in Section 508, while levels AA and AAA include more
rigorous guidelines that further improve accessibility. Meeting level AA guidelines
means meeting everything that’s A or AA, while meeting level AAA guidelines means
meeting all guidelines—whether A, AA, or AAA.
 WCAG focuses primarily on HTML accessibility. Furthermore, it attempts to broaden
the scope of the guidelines and to address accessibility as it applies to the full variety
of web technologies with WCAG 2.0 using four broad design principles –
perceivable, perceivable, understandable and robust.
 WCAG accessibility testing can be carried out using both manual and Automation
tools.
 Screen Readers like JAWS and NVDA be used to test for Section 508 Compliance.
 File formats checked for accessibility include: HTML; CSS; JavaScript;
PDF; GIF; and Flash.
 some accessibility issues require human judgment and cannot be tested
automatically
 Total Validator (free and commercial):, WAVE (free), SortSite (commercial), Fangs (free),
Functional Accessibility Evaluator 2.0 (free), TAW (free)

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