Boost Accessibility: Your Guide to Section 508 Compliance

What Is Section 508?

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires U.S. federal agencies, government contractors and organizations that get federal funding, to make their websites and multimedia accessible to people with disabilities. The government has recently amended it to strengthen its requirements and enforceability. 

The primary goals of Section 508 center on promoting inclusivity and ensuring all individuals, regardless of disability, can access and use federal electronic and information technology resources effectively.

The Relationship Between Section 508 and WCAG

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), provide internationally recognized guidelines to improve web accessibility. In 2017, Section 508 was refreshed to incorporate WCAG 2.0 Level AA as its standard. 

The possible future addition of WCAG 3.0 will show how accessibility standards are constantly changing. These guidelines make it easier for organizations to follow the rules by setting a single, easy-to-understand standard. Following these rules guarantees a uniform and thorough way to make digital content accessible, which helps both the organization and its users by promoting inclusivity and improving user experience.

What Are the Consequences of Non-Compliance With Section 508?

Non-compliance can trigger a range of adverse outcomes, including legal action, financial losses, reputational harm and poor user experience. Understanding these potential consequences highlights the importance of adhering to accessibility standards to create inclusivity and protect an organization’s interests:

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• Legal Action: Non-compliance with Section 508 can lead to civil lawsuits and complaints filed with the Office for Civil Rights. 
• Loss of Federal Funding: Organizations that fail to meet Section 508 requirements risk losing federal funding or contracts, which can significantly impact their operations and financial stability.
• Reputation Damage: Non-compliance can tarnish an organization's reputation, as people may perceive it as neglecting the needs of individuals with disabilities. This can lead to a loss of trust and credibility.
• User Experience: Failure to comply with Section 508 can result in a poor user experience for individuals with disabilities, leading to decreased engagement and satisfaction. This can alienate a segment of users and diminish the organization’s digital impact.

Common Accessibility Issues Online

Creating an accessible website ensures that all users, including those with disabilities, can navigate and interact with your content. Here are some of the most common accessibility issues and practical ways for you to identify and resolve them.

Lack of Proper Alt Text for Images

When images on your site lack alt text, users who rely on screen readers cannot understand the content of these images, significantly impacting their experience. Here are some helpful ways to make sure your visual assets are accessible:

• Always include descriptive alt text: Make sure every image on your site has alt text that accurately describes the image.
• Keep it concise but meaningful: Your alt text should be brief yet detailed enough to explain your asset’s purpose to users who cannot see it.

Poor Color Contrast

Inadequate color contrast can make text difficult to read for users with visual impairments, including color blindness, creating a significant barrier to accessing your content. To ensure your text is accessible, consider these practical tips:

• Follow WCAG Guidelines: Aim for a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text to meet accessibility standards.
• Use Online Tools: Use online contrast checkers (such as WebAIM Contrast Checker) to validate and adjust your color choices, ensuring they are easy to read for all users.

Keyboard Navigation

Many users with motor disabilities depend on a keyboard instead of a mouse to navigate websites. Enabling your site’s navigation with a keyboard is essential. Here are some helpful practices to do this:

• Ensure all interactive elements are keyboard accessible: Ensure links, buttons, forms and other interactive elements can be accessed and used with a keyboard.
• Implement focus indicators: Use visible focus indicators to help users keep track of their position on the page as they navigate.

Inaccessible Forms

Inaccessible forms can prevent users with disabilities from completing essential tasks, such as signing up for services or making purchases, significantly limiting their ability to interact with your site. Here are some helpful practices to make your forms more accessible:

• Clearly label all form fields: Make sure every form field has a clear, descriptive label that is programmatically linked to its corresponding input field. 
• Provide accessible error messages and instructions: Make sure error messages and instructions can be read by screen readers, guiding users through the form completion process.

Inadequate Text Alternatives for Non-Text Content

Non-text content without text alternatives, such as videos and audio files, can exclude users with hearing or visual impairments. To make your multimedia assets accessible, think about adding these helpful practices:

• Provide captions and transcripts: Ensure all audio and video content includes captions for deaf users and transcripts for those who prefer or require text.
• Include descriptive text alternatives: Ensure all multimedia elements have descriptive text alternatives to convey the content to visually impaired users.

Complex Navigation Structures

Complex navigation structures can be confusing, especially for those with cognitive disabilities. Simplified navigation helps users find what they need faster. Here are some tips:

• Keep navigation simple and consistent: Make sure the navigation structure is straightforward and consistent across all site pages.
• Use clear and descriptive labels: Label navigation links clearly and descriptively to help users understand where each link will take them.

Combining Automated and Manual Testing Methods for Comprehensive Assessment

Ensuring your website is fully accessible requires a combination of automated and manual testing methods. Each approach has its strengths and using them together provides a more comprehensive assessment of your site's accessibility.

Automated tools quickly identify common accessibility issues such as missing alt text, improper heading structures and color contrast problems. Popular automated testing tools include WAVE, Axe and Lighthouse. However, these tools have limitations; they need help understanding context and handling complex interactions, often missing subtler issues that affect user experience.

Manual testing uncovers issues that automated tools might miss, such as keyboard navigation and screen reader compatibility. Involving real users, including those with disabilities, ensures a more accurate assessment of your site's accessibility. Examples of manual testing techniques include keyboard-only navigation and screen reader testing. You could also consider partnering with organizations specializing in accessibility that can offer expert guidance and support for thorough manual testing.

By using both automated and manual testing, you can thoroughly evaluate how accessible your website is. Follow these steps to incorporate both methods into your testing process:

1. Initial automated scan: Use automated tools like WAVE or Axe to perform an initial scan of your website, identifying and fixing common issues.
2. Manual testing: Conduct manual tests focusing on areas automated tools can't adequately assess, such as interactive elements and dynamic content.
3. User testing: Invite disabled users to perform real-world testing and provide feedback on their experience.
4. Review and fix: Address the issues uncovered in both automated and manual tests.
5. Continuous monitoring: Regularly perform both automated and manual tests to ensure ongoing compliance and accessibility.

Prioritize Section 508 Compliance To Secure Your Organization's Future

U.S. federal agencies, government contractors and organizations that get federal funding are required to follow Section 508. Not complying can result in legal action, penalties and losing contracts, all of which can adversely impact your organization.

However, it’s crucial to approach Section 508 as being necessary for inclusivity. Meeting its standards enhances user experience for everyone, expanding your audience and boosting your organization’s reputation. Compliance also shows a commitment to accessibility, a cause that ultimately benefits all users.

Pantheon is committed to accessibility as a core principle. We designed our platform to promote collaborative work among multiple users, making it ideal for the continuous efforts needed to improve accessibility. Rather than overhauling everything at once, organizations can make incremental changes to a more accessible site using Pantheon's easy-to-navigate platform.

Ready to make your site more accessible and streamline your workflows? Watch our demo to see how Pantheon can help!