Does Section 508 apply to private companies?

Section 508 applies to private companies only when they are contracting with or selling to the US federal government. If your software, web application, or digital service is used by a federal agency or is part of a federal contract, it must comply with Section 508. Private companies with no federal contracts are not directly covered — they may still be subject to the ADA.

What is a VPAT and do I need one?

A VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) — formally called an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) — is a document that describes how your product meets each Section 508 requirement. Federal contracting officers use VPATs to evaluate accessibility before awarding contracts. If you sell to the federal government, you should have a current VPAT for your product. ADAGuard generates the WCAG 2.2 AA conformance data you need to complete your VPAT.

What is the difference between Section 508 and the ADA?

Section 508 applies to federal agencies and their contractors — it's a procurement standard enforced through contracting. The ADA (Title III) applies to private businesses serving the public — it's enforced through private lawsuits and DOJ action. The technical standards are nearly identical: Section 508 references WCAG 2.0 AA, and ADA litigation uses WCAG 2.1 AA. If your product meets WCAG 2.1 AA, it satisfies both.

How do I test for Section 508 compliance?

Section 508 testing follows the same process as WCAG 2.0/2.1 AA testing. Start with ADAGuard's automated scan, which covers all WCAG 2.2 AA criteria (a superset of Section 508's WCAG 2.0 AA). Then conduct manual testing: keyboard navigation, screen reader testing with NVDA (Windows), and document accessibility checks using PDF Accessibility Checker. A passing ADAGuard report is the foundation of a credible VPAT.

Section 508 Compliance Guide

Is your website
Section 508 compliant?

Section 508 requires US federal agencies — and every company that sells software or services to them — to make technology accessible. WCAG 2.0 AA is the technical standard.

Free · No account required · Results in 60 seconds

Compliance Score

example.com

Passing

85/100

Critical issues2

Warnings5

Passed checks47

View full report

WCAG 2.2 AA

4,800+ADA lawsuits filed in 2024

$35KAverage ADA lawsuit settlement

June 2025Section 508 took full effect

78%WCAG issues detected automatically

Overview

What is the Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act?

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was amended in 1998 to require federal agencies to procure, develop, and maintain accessible information and communication technology (ICT). The Revised 508 Standards (effective January 2018) updated the technical requirements to reference WCAG 2.0 Level AA for web content and software. If your company has a federal contract, sells SaaS to government agencies, or provides any digital product or service to a federal client, Section 508 compliance is a procurement requirement — not optional.

Technical standard

WCAG 2.2 Level AA

Scope

Any organization covered by the Section 508

Enforcement

Complaints, audits, civil litigation

ADAGuard covers

WCAG 2.2 AA — 22 check categories

Scope

Who does the Section 508 apply to?

If your organization matches any category below, you are legally required to comply.

All US federal agencies and departments

All internal systems, websites, and employee-facing technology

Federal agency public websites

WCAG 2.0 AA minimum (WCAG 2.1 recommended)

Software vendors with federal contracts

Any SaaS, web app, or desktop software sold to federal agencies

Web development firms building agency sites

All deliverables must meet Section 508 / WCAG 2.0 AA

Document and content vendors

PDFs, Word docs, presentations must be tagged and accessible

IT staffing and services companies

Technology used by or delivered to federal clients

Technical checklist

What does Section 508 compliance require?

These are the specific technical obligations your website must meet. ADAGuard automatically checks most of these on every scan.

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WCAG 2.0 Level AA — all 38 A and AA success criteria

Alternative text for all meaningful images (1.1.1)

Color contrast 4.5:1 for normal text (1.4.3)

Full keyboard accessibility — no mouse required (2.1.1)

Captions for prerecorded video content (1.2.2)

All form fields must have visible labels (1.3.1)

Electronic documents (PDFs, Word, PowerPoint) must be tagged for accessibility

Hardware (kiosks, ATMs, copiers) must meet Section 508 hardware provisions

Vendors must provide Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR / VPAT) on request

Software with user interfaces must meet the same WCAG 2.0 AA criteria as web content

Risk

The cost of
non-compliance

Section 508 enforcement is primarily administrative — through procurement requirements and federal employee complaints — rather than private litigation.

Non-compliant products can be rejected during federal contract evaluation — loss of contract

Federal employees can file accessibility complaints with their agency's Section 508 coordinator

Federal court: employees or applicants may file suit under the Rehabilitation Act

Vendors who misrepresent VPAT compliance can face contract penalties and debarment

The Access Board provides guidance and informal dispute resolution

Your path to compliance

How to become Section 508 compliant

Run your free scan

Paste your URL and run a free WCAG 2.2 AA scan. ADAGuard checks 22 categories of Section 508 requirements in under 60 seconds.

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Review violations

Get a prioritized list of every violation with the failing element, the WCAG criterion, and before/after code examples to fix it.

Fix & document

Fix violations with your dev team, re-scan to verify, and download a dated audit report as evidence of your compliance effort.

Why ADAGuard

Everything you need for Section 508 compliance

One platform to scan, fix, document, and monitor your accessibility compliance.

WCAG 2.2 AA scanning

22 check categories. Real browser rendering. Not a simulated or partial test.

Element-level guidance

Every issue includes the failing HTML, the WCAG criterion, and a before/after code fix.

Compliance reports

Dated PDF audit reports to show regulators, clients, or your legal team.

Continuous monitoring

Scheduled rescans alert you when new issues appear after deploys or content updates.

Start your free Section 508 scan

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FAQ

Common questions about Section 508 compliance

Don't wait for a lawsuit.
Find out where you stand today.

Scan your site free. Get a full Section 508 violation report in 60 seconds — with WCAG criterion, failing element, and how to fix it.

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Is your websiteSection 508 compliant?