Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
Requires federal agencies and organizations receiving federal funding to develop, procure, maintain, and use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) that is accessible to people with disabilities.
Technical Scope & Purpose
Under the Section 508 Refresh, the U.S. Access Board harmonized federal ICT standards with WCAG 2.0 Level AA. Vendors seeking to sell software, digital services, or electronic documents to the federal government must supply defensible Accessibility Conformance Reports (ACRs).
Core Requirements & Success Criteria
Software & Web Conformance
Mandatory compliance with WCAG Level A and Level AA success criteria across web and non-web software.
Electronic Documents
All public-facing and agency-distributed electronic documents (PDFs, spreadsheets, presentations) must be accessible.
Authoring Tools & Hardware
Authoring tools must export accessible content, and physical hardware must provide accessible tactile/audio interfaces.
Procurement Due Diligence
Federal contracting officers must evaluate vendor accessibility documentation (VPATs) during bidding.
Applicability & Scope
- U.S. Federal Agencies
- Government Contractors & Vendors
- Higher Education Institutions receiving federal grants
- B2G Software Companies
TaggedWorks Engineering Role
We conduct Section 508 audits, author defensible ACRs based on VPAT 2.5 Section 508 edition, and remediate high-volume federal documents.
Ensure your digital platforms meet global accessibility standards.
Our senior accessibility engineers audit and remediate digital applications against WCAG, Section 508, EN 301 549, and PDF/UA, and document the test evidence.