What Section 508 requires
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (as amended) — the short version.
- 1Enforced since 1998 and modernised by the Revised 508 Standards in 2017, which harmonise with international EN 301 549 and WCAG 2.0 AA.
- 2Applies to every federal agency, department, and the contractors who sell ICT products or services to them.
- 3The GSA's Section508.gov maintains the official VPAT 2.x template for documenting conformance.
- 4Contracting officers may reject bids that lack a current, complete VPAT — effectively making compliance a procurement gate.
How AllyShield maps to Section 508
Section 508 points to Revised 508 Standards → WCAG 2.0 Level AA. Every scan you run produces a jurisdiction-tagged report that separates Section 508 requirements from other frameworks you might also target.
Non-text content
All non-text content has text alternatives that serve the equivalent purpose.
Contrast (Minimum)
Minimum contrast of 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text.
Keyboard
All functionality available from a keyboard.
Focus visible
Any keyboard-operable interface has a visible keyboard focus indicator.
Labels or instructions
Labels or instructions are provided for user input.
Name, role, value
Custom components expose correct role, name, and state to assistive tech.
Download a signed Section 508 compliance certificate.
Every completed scan can produce a PDF certificate containing the scan date, AllyScore, and WCAG target level — HMAC-SHA256 signed and publicly verifiable via QR code. Attach it to vendor questionnaires, legal reviews, or customer RFPs.
Generate a certificateSection 508 compliance FAQ
Do I need Section 508 compliance if I'm not a federal agency?+
Yes if you sell ICT products or services to the federal government — directly, via GSA schedules, or as a subcontractor. Your contracting officer will ask for a VPAT.
What's the difference between Section 508 and the ADA?+
Section 508 applies to federal ICT procurement (WCAG 2.0 AA). The ADA applies to places of public accommodation — which courts have extended to commercial websites — typically at WCAG 2.1 AA. Many organizations target both simultaneously.
Can AllyShield generate a VPAT?+
We're rolling out a VPAT 2.4 Rev generator that pre-fills conformance language from your latest scan results. In the meantime, you can export a detailed Section 508 report and paste findings into the official VPAT template.
Does Section 508 require WCAG 2.1?+
The current Revised 508 Standards (2017) reference WCAG 2.0. The Access Board has proposed updating to WCAG 2.1 but as of now WCAG 2.0 AA is the minimum. AllyShield scans against both so you're future-proof.
Stop wondering. Start scanning.
Get a Section 508-oriented accessibility report in minutes, then run automated monitoring between releases so issues don't regress unnoticed.
Jurisdiction slug: section508 · API: /api/scans/[id]/compliance?jurisdiction=section508