For federal contractors & agencies

Section 508 Compliance Checker
for Government Contractors

Test your site against the WCAG 2.1 AA baseline that Section 508 reviewers use. Get the technical findings you need for your VPAT and procurement.

Run Section 508 audit — $499

What is Section 508?

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (as amended in 1998 and refreshed in 2017) requires federal agencies to make electronic and information technology (EIT) accessible to people with disabilities. The rule applies to federal websites, software, hardware, multimedia, and digital documents.

The 2017 Section 508 Refresh adopted WCAG 2.0 Level AA as the technical standard for web content, and current procurement guidance aligns with WCAG 2.1 AA. Passing a WCAG 2.1 AA audit means you meet the technical baseline reviewers will check.

Section 508 flows down contractually to vendors. If you sell SaaS, websites, training platforms, or digital documents to any federal agency, your product will be reviewed against 508 criteria — typically via a VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) / ACR (Accessibility Conformance Report) during procurement.

Who must comply with Section 508

Federal agencies

All US federal executive branch agencies. Section 508 applies directly to any EIT they develop, procure, maintain, or use.

Federal contractors

Any vendor selling software, websites, cloud services, or digital content to a federal agency. 508 conformance is part of the procurement requirements.

Grant recipients

Organizations receiving federal funding for technology projects are typically required to meet 508 through grant terms and conditions.

State agencies (many)

Most US states have adopted Section 508 or an equivalent standard for their own procurement. Check your state's specific rule.

Higher education (federal funds)

Universities receiving federal funding must meet accessibility standards comparable to 508, often reinforced by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Subcontractors

If you supply a covered product to a prime contractor working with a federal agency, 508 typically flows down to you.

How to pass a Section 508 review

  1. 1Test your web content against all 50 WCAG 2.1 AA Success Criteria. This is the core technical baseline.
  2. 2Verify keyboard-only operation of every interactive element (navigation, forms, modals, menus, carousels).
  3. 3Confirm screen reader compatibility with NVDA, JAWS, and VoiceOver on critical flows.
  4. 4Audit any PDFs and Office documents published on the site for tagged structure and alt text.
  5. 5Caption all video content and provide transcripts or audio descriptions where appropriate.
  6. 6Complete a VPAT / ACR describing conformance for each relevant 508 chapter (web content, software, hardware, documentation).
  7. 7Document remediation actions and re-test after fixes. Keep dated records.

Common Section 508 violations

XMissing alt text on informative images
XColor contrast below 4.5:1 on body text
XForm fields without programmatic labels
XNavigation not operable by keyboard alone
XMissing or incorrect heading hierarchy
XVideo content without captions
XUntagged PDFs published as downloads
XDynamic ARIA widgets without focus management
XMissing document language attribute
XNon-unique or missing page titles

Frequently asked questions

What is Section 508 and who must comply?
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (as amended) requires federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. It applies directly to federal agencies and indirectly — but very strictly — to contractors and vendors supplying software, websites, or digital services to the federal government. If you want to sell to the US federal government, Section 508 conformance is typically non-negotiable.
How does Section 508 relate to WCAG?
The 2017 Section 508 Refresh explicitly adopted WCAG 2.0 Level AA as the technical standard for web content, and recent updates align with WCAG 2.1 AA. In practice, if you pass a WCAG 2.1 AA audit, you meet the technical portion of Section 508 for your web content. Scrutia tests all 50 WCAG 2.1 AA Success Criteria, which is the same technical baseline Section 508 reviewers use.
What is a VPAT and do I need one?
A VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) is a standardized document that describes how a product conforms to Section 508 and WCAG. Federal buyers increasingly require a completed VPAT / Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) during procurement. Scrutia's audit findings give you the technical evidence needed to fill out the relevant VPAT sections accurately.
What are the most common Section 508 violations?
The most common issues mirror WCAG findings: missing alt text, poor color contrast, unlabeled form fields, keyboard traps, missing document structure (headings, lists, landmarks), missing video captions, and inaccessible PDFs. Government reviewers also scrutinize ARIA usage, focus management, and accurate VPAT documentation.
Can a Scrutia audit replace a full Section 508 review?
Scrutia covers the automated technical portion — the 50 WCAG 2.1 AA Success Criteria that make up the bulk of any Section 508 web content review. Full Section 508 conformance additionally requires manual testing of assistive technology workflows, document accessibility (PDFs, Office files), and a formal VPAT. Scrutia is the fastest way to establish the technical baseline and find the issues that will block procurement.

Related resources

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Run the WCAG 2.1 AA technical audit that underpins Section 508. Get the evidence your VPAT needs.

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Scrutia provides technical accessibility audits. This is not legal advice. For Section 508 legal matters, consult an attorney.