Section 508 Compliance
Section 508 compliance verifies that technology meets the accessibility standards required under Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act, which mandates federal agencies (and often their contractors and vendors) make electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities.
Section 508's technical standards were revised to align closely with WCAG 2.0 Level AA, meaning most WCAG-focused accessibility testing effort already substantially covers Section 508 requirements — the two aren't identical, but the overlap is large enough that testing against WCAG AA is the practical default starting point.
It matters specifically for any vendor selling software to U.S. federal agencies, where Section 508 compliance is often a contractual and procurement requirement, not just a best practice — a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) documenting compliance is frequently required as part of a federal sales process.
