Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
Section 508 requires US federal agencies — and the companies that sell to them — to make their technology accessible, measured against WCAG 2.0 Level AA.
Section 508 applies to electronic and information technology bought, built or used by the federal government. The "Revised 508 Standards" (in force since 2018) adopt WCAG 2.0 Level AA and align with Europe's EN 301 549, so the same work largely satisfies both.
Federal agencies, and any vendor selling software, websites, documents or hardware to them. If you bid for US government contracts, Section 508 is a hard gate, not a nice-to-have.
Conformance with WCAG 2.0 AA across your product, documented in a VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template). Buyers read the VPAT before they purchase.
Already in force. Conformance is expected at the point of procurement.
The practical penalty is lost business — a weak or missing VPAT gets you removed from consideration. Agencies can also face complaints for buying inaccessible technology.
Not sure whether Section 508 applies to you, or where you stand against it? We\'ll audit your site and tell you plainly.
Check Your Compliance