508 Compliance Testing: What It Is And How It Works | Compliant

In an effort to alleviate discrimination on the basis of disability in programs conducted by federal agencies, legislation was passed by Congress in 1973. This piece of legislation is known as the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

In 1990, another piece of civil rights legislation, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), was passed to prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life.

Accessibility for those with disabilities was the goal of both pieces of legislation. However, as technology advanced, new accessibility issues emerged, specifically web accessibility. In order to address the concerns brought about by information technology, an amendment to the Rehabilitation Act was made in 1998.

The Section 508 amendment to the Rehabilitation Act sought to address the issues of accessibility within information and communications technology (ICT) for those with disabilities. Web content accessibility guidelines were set in place for both federal and private entities.

About Section 508

In brief, Section 508 requires all federal government agencies to make their information and communication technology accessible to people with disabilities; this includes employees and the public. The law applies to how federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use these technologies.

This applies to anything that could be deemed information and communication technology, from web pages to PDF documents to desktop software to mobile apps. Other examples of ICT include, but are not limited to:

Online training
Webinars and teleconferencing
Technical support centers
Remote access websites and tools
Software and operating systems
Copiers, fax machines, printers

Providing accessible websites is generally the most common element.

Why Section 508 is Important

Having equal access to information is important; this is especially true in the digital age of information. Unfortunately, web accessibility errors (e.g., lack of alternative texts, low contrast texts, etc.) are still common. This can be limiting for those with disabilities.

Disabilities that limit equal access to information technology could include visual, hearing, ambulatory, and cognitive disabilities. According to statistics, more than 13 million people in the United States have at least one disability that could limit their access to information.

Section 508 Accessibility Guidelines

The U.S. Access Board is responsible for developing ICT accessibility standards. The Office of Accessible Systems and Technology (OAST), which is part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), guides and supports federal departments in removing barriers to information technology for those with disabilities.

OAST provides federal agencies with strategic direction, technical support, governance, and training to ensure all individuals (employees or customers) with disabilities have equal access to information.

The accessibility guidelines and requirements for Section 508 were updated in January of 2017 to accommodate the innovations in technology better. It was refreshed again in January of 2018; this refresh aligned the web components with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

These website accessibility standards rely on four principles; website accessibility must be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. Each principle seeks to break down barriers for those with disabilities to make web content, design, and technologies more accessible.

Section 508 Compliance

Although Section 508 applies to federal agencies, the provision also affects any company that does business with federal agencies. Since the federal government relies heavily on technologies, this can include many private entities, from private contractors to healthcare.

Those responsible for Section 508 compliance include, but are not limited to:

Web managers – Those managing or developing websites.
Contract and procurement officers – It applies to those who write documentation for contracts and those who purchase software and equipment for online use.
Vendors – 508 compliance also applies to vendors of information technology products who work with federal agencies.

WCAG and Conformance

As mentioned, the guidelines developed by the W3C are known as the web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG). These have been adopted as the standard per the 2018 update of Section 508. These provide entities with guidance and best practices as it relates to information and communication technologies.

WCAG provides three-tiered success criteria for accessibility conformance:

Level A – These are the basic requirements and minimum standards for accessibility that all applicable entities must adopt to ensure accessibility for those with disabilities.

Level AA – The next tier addresses the most common issues to accessibility and the level most sought to remove barriers to information and communication technology accessibilities.

Level AAA – The highest tier that can be achieved per the WCAG is Level AAA. Although it is the most desired level, it is also the most difficult to obtain.

Compliance testing is recommended to help federal agencies and entities achieve the desired levels of accessibility. The W3C provides numerous recommendations and resources for selecting web accessibility testing tools.

508 Compliance Testing

In short, Section 508 compliance testing affords organizations the opportunity to test their digital content’s compliance with the web content accessibility guidelines. Again, this applies to all federal agencies; they must comply with Section 508. However, all federally-funded institutions and government contractors and vendors must also conform to 508 standards.

Regardless, conformity to Section 508 information and communication accessibility standards is good practice for everyone. It must be remembered that the Americans with Disabilities Act makes provisions for all people with disabilities; this applies to both federal and private institutions and organizations.

How Section 508 Compliance Testing Works

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) uses the following testing processes to validate Section 508 conformance:

ICT Testing Baseline

Baselines tests are used to evaluate web-based electronic content. These baseline tests are the foundation for ensuring technologies are aligned with WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA success criteria. They help evaluate test processes and test tools for alignment by providing a common set of unified tests to measure conformance to 508 requirements.

Accessibility Tests for Web – Trusted Tester

The DHS also uses Trusted Tester Conformance Test (Version 5.0) to check for web-based electronic content conformance. This helps to promote a common understanding of 508 standards, unifies the testing processes and sets of test tools, and unifies test results reporting.

Accessibility Tests for Software

At present, the DHS does not offer a comprehensive test process to validate software for 508 conformances. However, the Trusted Tester Conformance Test (Version 4.0) does provide partial test coverage by reporting test results for software applications.

Accessibility Tests for Documents

The DHS also uses guidelines for testing, authoring, and remediating Microsoft Office and Adobe PDF documents. It offers step-by-step instructions for validating document conformance to 508 standards.

Accessibility Tests for Mobile Apps

The DHS also has test processes for evaluating 508 compliance for iOS and Android applications. This includes native and hybrid applications that integrate web content. However, browser content still falls under the Trusted Tester Process (5.0) mentioned above.

Testing Methods and Tools

As we have seen, there are several ways to check 508 compliance. There are essentially three testing methods — automated, manual, and hybrid.

Automated testing methods use testing tools that automatically scan and test electronic content. This is most common for high-volume testing. For example, testing tools may cover multiple content types, including HTML, Word, Excel, PDF, etc.

Manual testing for 508 compliance would simply involve checking web technologies for functionality and navigation. This could involve keyboard functionality, font sizes and color contrasts, and other web components such as links and screen readers (e.g., Windows's JAWS).

Hybrid testing may involve a combination of both forms mentioned above. It is also helpful for high-volume electronic content.

Web testing tools, such as Trusted Tester (5.0) uses Accessible Name and Description Inspector (ANDI); it is applicable with most browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari. However, it is not applicable as a software tool. Software testing tools could include Microsoft Inspector or AccEvent and Java AccessInspector for JavaScript.

Is Section 508 Compliance Mandatory?

As discussed, 508 compliance is mandatory for all federal agencies and entities that receive federal funding or information and communication technology companies that work in partnership with federal agencies.

But remember, even when Section 508 accessibility standards do not apply to non-federal websites and ICT entities, non-discrimination provisions still apply to accessibility under other laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Conclusion

The Section 508 amendment to the Rehabilitation Act seeks to remove the accessibility barriers within information and communications technology (ICT) for those with disabilities.

It applies to all federal government agencies and how they develop, procure, maintain, or use technologies. Compliance testing ensures standards are met.

Section 508 standards and the guidelines outlined by the WCAG are good practices for all involved in information and communication technologies as these seek to provide equal access for all.