SECTION 508 • US

Section 508 and web accessibility

Section 508 requires the information and communication technology that US federal agencies develop, procure and use to be accessible to people with disabilities. For web content the benchmark is WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA. This content is not legal advice.

Updated November 6, 2026
Web benchmark WCAG 2.0 A + AA (38 criteria)
cerez.io Enterprise accessibility plan

What is Section 508?

Section 508 is part of the US Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The standards refreshed by the US Access Board (Revised 508 Standards, 36 CFR Part 1194) have applied since January 18, 2018. Federal agencies apply them to their own websites, software and the products they procure.

For web content the refreshed standards are based on the WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA success criteria. Companies selling to the US public sector are often asked for an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR), usually in VPAT format.

In short: for a website, Section 508 largely means WCAG 2.0 A and AA. On top of that, functional performance criteria (chapter 3) and support documentation and services (chapter 6) are evaluated; these cannot be measured by automated scanning.
Scope

What it requires of web content

The three parts of Revised Section 508 that touch web content.

WCAG 2.0 A and AA

25 Level A and 13 Level AA success criteria: text alternatives, captions, color contrast, keyboard access, focus, form labels, page language and more. Criteria added in WCAG 2.1 and 2.2 (such as reflow or target size) are not in this set.

Functional performance criteria

People with vision, hearing, speech, manipulation and cognitive differences can use the product (302.1-302.9). Evaluated manually with users and assistive technologies.

Support documentation and services

Documentation of accessibility features, accessible document formats and support channels that accommodate communication needs (602, 603). Evaluated manually.

Enterprise

Section 508 with cerez.io

On the Enterprise accessibility plan (including the Enterprise tier of the cookie and accessibility bundle) two things are enabled:

  1. You select "Section 508 (WCAG 2.0 AA)" as the site standard. The score, the findings list and the PDF scan report on the scan screen are calculated only from findings under WCAG 2.0 A and AA criteria.
  2. The Section 508 edition of the VPAT/ACR draft is generated: the WCAG 2.0 A and AA table is filled from the latest scan's automated findings; chapters 3 and 6 are marked "Not Evaluated" (manual review required), and chapters 4 and 5, which do not apply to web content, "Not Applicable".
  3. The draft is shown in the dashboard and downloaded as HTML or PDF; your specialist completes it with a manual audit.
Limits: automated scanning can only evaluate part of the WCAG criteria. A "Supports" result in the draft reflects automated checks only; the draft is not a certified VPAT and does not guarantee conformance. Findings are technical findings.

WCAG 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2

Three standards can be selected in the dashboard; the score is calculated for the selected standard's criteria.

Section 508 (WCAG 2.0 AA)

The web benchmark of the US federal standard. 38 success criteria. Enterprise accessibility plan only.

  • 25 A + 13 AA criteria
  • Includes 4.1.1 Parsing
  • Section 508 edition of the VPAT/ACR draft

WCAG 2.1 AA and 2.2 AA

The current versions referenced around the European Accessibility Act and EN 301 549. Available on all accessibility plans; default WCAG 2.2 AA.

  • New criteria such as reflow, text spacing and target size
  • WCAG 2.2 edition of the VPAT/ACR draft
  • Default: WCAG 2.2 AA

Changing the standard does not change the stored scan; the score and report are recalculated from the same scan's raw findings for the selected standard.

Frequently Asked Questions

Short answer: US federal agencies directly. Companies selling products or services to them are usually asked for an ACR (VPAT); some state regulations also reference 508. Consult your legal advisor for your own obligation.

Short answer: the Enterprise accessibility plan and the Enterprise tier of the cookie and accessibility bundle. Other plans use the WCAG 2.1 AA and WCAG 2.2 AA standards and the WCAG 2.2 edition of the VPAT/ACR draft.

Short answer: no. The draft is based on automated scanning; criteria that need manual evaluation and chapters 3 and 6 come as "Not Evaluated". An accessibility specialist must complete it before you publish it.

Short answer: the score is calculated only from findings under WCAG 2.0 A and AA criteria. Findings under criteria added in WCAG 2.1 and 2.2 (e.g. reflow, target size) do not count toward this standard's score; the stored scan does not change.

Short answer: the site returns to the default standard (WCAG 2.2 AA) and the Section 508 draft is not generated. Your selection is kept; when the plan is Enterprise again, Section 508 becomes active again.

Section 508 on Enterprise

The Section 508 standard and the Section 508 edition of the VPAT/ACR draft are on the Enterprise accessibility plan. Contact us for setup.

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