Section 508
Also known as: Rehabilitation Act Section 508
Section 508 is a US law that requires federal agencies — and companies selling to them — to make their technology accessible, using WCAG as the standard.
In plain terms
If you build or sell software, websites or documents to the US government, Section 508 applies. The current rules point to WCAG 2.0 Level AA (and align with the European EN 301 549 standard), which is why buyers ask for a VPAT before purchasing.
Why it matters
Section 508 is often the reason accessibility becomes a hard requirement rather than a nice-to-have: no accessible product, no government contract.
A software vendor bidding for a federal contract must supply a VPAT showing Section 508 / WCAG 2.0 AA conformance.
Related terms
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