What is 508 certification?
508 certification is a term used in reference to the assessment by a Section 508 compliance consultant of how an information and communication technology (ICT) product or service is based on the accessibility hardware standards. It involves auditing and documenting how the various aspects of an ICT product or service conform to Section 508 compliance requirements.
Contrary to the norm where a certificate is issued in testimony of a certain certification and the entity receiving the certification is charged by the body issuing the certification, 508 certification does not involve the issuance of certification, and neither is there any awarding entity or organization.
Section 508 certification essentially summarizes an ICT product or service’s level of compliance with the revised Section 508 compliance requirements. A 508 certification could take the form of a Statement of Accessibility, a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) Statement, or a Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Conformance Claim, which are all underpinned by the established and ever-dynamic 508 accessibility standards.
What are Section 508 accessibility standards?
Section 508 accessibility standards are part of the Federal Acquisition Regulations aimed at ensuring access for people with physical, sensory, and cognitive disabilities. The revised 508 standards became effective in 2018 and incorporate WCAG 2.0, which is an international standard.
The standards address cognitive, language, and learning disabilities; are organized by functionality and not product type; include operating systems and authoring systems; and require software and operating systems to interoperate with assistive technologies, such as screen magnification and refreshable Braille displays. The standards adopt WCAG 2.0 at Levels A and AA for websites, electronic content, tools, and apps.
How to get 508 certified
Getting 508 certified begins with ensuring that you meet all the requirements of ADA Section 508 compliance and conducting regular accessibility assessments that enable you to make necessary accessibility adjustments. It is also advisable that you have a clear and well-documented accessibility policy in place and provide accessibility training for your employees, including designers and developers of your products and services.
Here are the trusted ways you can get your ICT product or service certified for ADA Section 508 compliance:
Section 508 compliance testing tools can help you get 508 certified. The tools can be used to scan your product or service, e.g., website or app, for free, identify the present accessibility issues, and provide you with specific, easy-to-understand instructions on how to fix the identified issues. All you need to do is insert the page URL of the product or service you want to scan, and the tool will do the rest for you.
While it is advisable to take advantage of the existing high-volume ADA Section 508 compliance testing tools, you should be aware of their limitations. The tools cannot apply human subjectivity to Hardware accessibility testing and therefore either produce excessive false positives or, when configured to eliminate false positives, test for only a small portion of the Section 508 compliance requirements.
When using 508 compliance-testing tools, ensure that you select tools that test using the document’s native format. That is because a number of these tools often convert files into HTML before testing, which often reduces the fidelity and accuracy of the conformance testing. It may therefore be helpful that you deploy multiple scanning tools to cover multiple content types to enhance the quality of your 508 certification.
You can get 508 certified by contracting an ADA Section 508 compliance expert to perform a manual evaluation of your ICT product or service. That involves looking for potential accessibility barriers in your product or service and making the necessary adjustments.
Professional 508 certification consultants usually document the 508 assessments they perform on products and services and use them to inform any necessary updates to the product or service as well as their development processes, so as to ensure continued compliance with Section 508. 508 certification professionals may decide to conduct user testing with individuals who have disabilities so as to obtain feedback on the accessibility of the product or service.
A quick guide to conforming to 508 accessibility standards
Here is a quick guide to enable you to easily conform to the Section 508 accessibility standards and get 508 certified:
Create a consistent 508-compliance design concept
Ensure that the concept you create as the basis for your ICT product or service is clean, concise, and remains uncluttered. Asking yourself key 508 accessibility questions, such as whether a section of an ICT product or service’s intended customers may struggle to access the product or service described in the concept, can help create or develop products or services that are accessible.
Choose the right colours
Be mindful of the colour contrast you use in your product or service. That is because many of the intended users of the product or service who are colour-blind can see clearly, but colours appear different from what you may see.
Be mindful of font sizes
For 508-compliant products and services, pay attention to the font size of your design. Don’t go too small. You could either add the option for users to change the font size or use a minimum font size of 12pt or above.
Provide easy navigation with keystrokes
Keep in mind that for some users or your product or service, it could be difficult to navigate with a mouse. To achieve 508 compliance, ensure that your product or service can be accessed using a keyboard only.
Need help getting your product or service 508 certified?
Don’t let 508 certification be an afterthought in your business or operations. Embrace the ideas in this article to make a difference for all users of your ICT products or services while fulfilling your ADA Section 508 compliance obligations. You can get help to make your products and services accessible and inclusive right from the start.
If you have any questions or would like to see a demo of how to get 508 certified, please feel free to reach out to ADACP by calling (626) 486-2201 today to schedule a free consultation on how to get 508 certified.
What is Section 508 compliance?
Section 508 compliance is the legal requirement that federal agencies and federally funded organizations ensure that the information and communication technology (ICT) they create, acquire, maintain, or use allows people with disabilities to access information and data.
Section 508 compliance versus ADA compliance
Understanding the essentials of Section 508 compliance requires some background knowledge about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA is a civil rights law that was signed into law on July 26, 1990, and prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities.
The ADA is divided into three titles: the first one concerns employment, the second one concerns state and local governments, and the third one refers to public accommodations and commercial facilities. More generally, the ADA sets out rules prohibiting discrimination in all areas of public life. It aims to ensure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else.
The ADA was enacted after people with disabilities began to challenge the societal barriers that cause them to be excluded from society because of their disabilities and when parents of children with disabilities started fighting against the exclusion of their children. As a ground-breaking civil rights law, the ADA sets rules to help guarantee that people with disabilities enjoy the same guarantees as everyone else in terms of employee rights, but also establishes rules regarding the responsibilities of employers.
Section 508 applies to federal agencies and any organization that receives funding from the federal government, including suppliers and contractors. It mandates organizations to ensure that all of their digital communications meet Section 508’s compliance levels, which in practice means that they must conform to Level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
While the ADA and Section 508 exist to ensure equal rights for people with disabilities, they are not the same legislation. The most important distinction between the ADA and Section 508 is that the ADA applies to businesses open to the public as well as state and local governments, whereas Section 508 applies to federal organizations.
Though both pieces of legislation apply to accessibility, being Section 508-compliant does not automatically mean your product or service is ADA-compliant, and vice versa. That is why, as a business owner or leader of a federal organization or entity that receives federal funding, you need to know about meeting compliance requirements for both the ADA and Section 508.
How to achieve Section 508 compliance
Unlike the ADA, Section 508 has a clear standard for compliance. For example, if you want your business or organization to comply with Section 508, you should ensure that your ICT products or services conform to WCAG 2.0 Level AA. It is noteworthy to point out that under Section 508, organizations are required to document their ICT products or services’ level of conformance by completing a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT).
Many businesses and organizations strive to achieve ADA compliance as well as conform to Section 508 accessibility requirements. ADA compliance 508 consciousness ensures an organization or business does not get caught up with the risks associated with a lack of compliance with any of the legislation.
Working with accessibility consultants who understand how to deliver the Americans with Disabilities Act Section 508 compliance intricacies can help you avoid the legal consequences of not conforming to the ADA while enhancing your opportunities for working with federal organizations because of conformance with Section 508.
Do we have ADA Section 508 web accessibility requirements?
While the ADA does not have its own web accessibility guidelines outlined in law, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has suggested that the WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the gold standard websites should reach in order to be considered accessible. Unlike the ADA, which uses the most recent WCAG 2.1 standards, Section 508 requires websites to meet Level AA from the earlier WCAG 2.0 version.
With the exception of federal government websites or websites of government contractors, most organizations do not have to meet Section 508 web accessibility requirements. However, the good news is that if your website is meeting WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards as recommended by the ADA, you are already meeting Section 508 standards as well. That is because the WCAG 2.1 standards are built upon the WCAG 2.0 standards.
Need help testing your product or service for ADA compliance 508?
You can test your website or any of your ICT products or services for ADA compliance or for Section 508 compliance using appropriate approaches drawn from three categories: manual, automated, or hybrid.
If your product or service is online, you can use an ADA Section 508 compliance checker that your peers have favorably rated and by relying on expert service providers, like ADACP. Begin the discussion about ADA Section 508 compliance needs by calling ADACP at (626) 486-2201 today so as to schedule a free consultation on the same.