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Training · Lesson 2

What does Section 508 mean for my website and documents?

It means people with disabilities can use them as fully as everyone else. Section 508 is a U.S. law that requires this of federal agencies, for the technology they build, buy, keep up and use. In practice, you meet it by following a published set of rules called the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), Level AA.

Video coming soon. The full lesson is written out below.

The four plain ideas

The rules come down to four ideas. People must be able to:

  1. Take it in, whatever their senses. Pictures have text descriptions. Videos have captions. Text stands out clearly from its background.
  2. Work it, however they move. Everything works with a keyboard alone. Nothing rushes them or flashes.
  3. Understand it. Plain words, clear labels, the same layout from page to page, and error messages that say how to fix the problem.
  4. Use it with their own tools. Screen readers and other assistive tools can read it, because headings, labels and document tags are set up properly.

Does it cover documents too?

Yes. Word files, Portable Document Format (PDF) files, slides and spreadsheets that agencies share are covered, not just web pages. They follow the same WCAG rules.

Which version of WCAG?

  • Section 508 uses WCAG 2.0, Level AA. These are the Revised 508 Standards, in force since January 18, 2018.
  • WCAG 2.2 is the newest version. Content that meets 2.2 Level AA also meets 2.0 and 2.1. (The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which writes WCAG, designed WCAG 2.2 to be backward compatible.) Building to 2.2 covers all three.

Who has to follow it?

  • Federal agencies, for the technology they build, buy, keep up and use.
  • Companies that sell to federal agencies are asked to show their products meet it.

What about state and local governments?

They have a similar rule under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Title II. It uses WCAG 2.1, Level AA.

  • Governments serving 50,000 or more people: comply by April 26, 2027.
  • Smaller governments and special districts: by April 26, 2028.

These dates were moved back one year on April 20, 2026. The standard did not change, and the duty to serve people with disabilities never paused.

What about health and human services?

Organizations that get money from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), such as hospitals and clinics, have a similar rule under Section 504. It also uses WCAG 2.1, Level AA.

  • 15 or more employees: comply by May 11, 2027.
  • Fewer than 15: by May 10, 2028.

It helps far more people than you think

Captions help in a noisy room. Keyboard shortcuts help people who work fast. Clear writing helps everyone.

Sources (checked 2026-11-01)