When a federal agency buys software, builds a website, publishes documents or procures hardware, it generally must make sure the technology is accessible to people with disabilities. That obligation comes from Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, and it shapes many federal contracts for information and communication technology. For contractors, accessibility is not an extra feature; it is often a requirement of the work.
A brief history
Section 508 was added to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 in 1986 and significantly strengthened by amendments in 1998, which required federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to employees and members of the public with disabilities. The U.S. Access Board publishes the accessibility standards. In 2017, a major refresh of the standards took effect, aligning them with the internationally recognized Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 at Level AA for web content and many electronic documents.
What it covers
Section 508 applies broadly to information and communication technology that agencies develop, procure, maintain or use. That can include:
- Websites and web applications
- Software and mobile apps
- Electronic documents, such as PDFs, word processing files, spreadsheets and presentations
- Videos and multimedia, including captioning and audio description needs
- Hardware such as kiosks and telecommunications products
There are exceptions in the law and standards, but they are limited. Contractors should assume accessibility applies unless the contract clearly says otherwise.
How it shows up in contracts
Agencies may include accessibility requirements in statements of work, evaluation criteria and acceptance criteria. Some solicitations ask offerors to describe their accessibility approach or to provide documentation, such as an Accessibility Conformance Report based on the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT), describing how a product conforms to the standards. Deliverables may be tested for conformance before acceptance.
Claims in these reports should be accurate. Overstating conformance can lead to rejected deliverables, rework and damaged credibility with the customer.
Building accessibility into your work
Accessibility is much easier to build in than to fix later. Practical steps include:
- Training designers, developers and content creators on accessibility basics
- Using accessible templates for documents and presentations
- Including keyboard navigation, text alternatives, sufficient color contrast and proper headings from the start
- Testing with automated tools and manual review, including screen readers
- Involving people with disabilities in testing where possible
Automated tools catch many issues but not all. Manual testing remains important for usability and for issues tools cannot detect.
Why it matters beyond compliance
Federal services reach millions of people, including employees and members of the public with disabilities. Accessible technology helps them do their jobs and access services on equal terms. For contractors, a strong accessibility practice can also be a genuine differentiator in proposals, especially for digital services work.
The official government resource at section508.gov provides guidance, training and testing resources for agencies and vendors. It is a good place to start for anyone building technology for federal customers.