Beyond the moral imperative of digital inclusion, non-compliance carries significant risks:
: Vendors must often provide a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) to prove their products meet these standards before a federal agency can purchase them.
: Ensuring all functions are operable via a keyboard alone, without requiring a mouse. : Ensuring digital assets work seamlessly with assistive
: Providing alt-text for images and transcripts for audio/video content.
: Ensuring digital assets work seamlessly with assistive technologies like screen readers and speech recognition software. Who Must Comply? Section 508 applies to a specific range of organizations: Key technical requirements include: : Maintaining a minimum
Compliance is primarily measured against the , which is the current federal benchmark for digital accessibility. Key technical requirements include:
: Maintaining a minimum color contrast ratio (typically 4.5:1) to assist users with low vision or color blindness. : Ensuring digital assets work seamlessly with assistive
: Private companies providing IT products or services to federal agencies.