How Section 508 Impacts Digital Accessibility: What You Need To Know
What is Section 508?
Section 508 is part of the 1998 amendment to the U.S. Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that requires all federal agencies to ensure that their information and communication technology (ICT) is accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. The law applies to federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology (EIT).
All web pages of a federal agency's website, software, applications, intranet sites and tools, and electronic documents are all considered ICT, EIT, or digital assets under Section 508.
What is digital accessibility?
Digital accessibility is the term used to describe how simple it is to navigate and comprehend content on websites, mobile applications, or other electronic-based information that may be made available through different platforms like TVs, laptops, etc.
When applicable, it means having features like closed captioning for movies that may be passively and personally viewed by selecting the CC button beneath each dialogue box, as well as alternative text descriptions for photos, tables, and other elements present throughout online articles.
Digital accessibility helps make online tools accessible to everyone, even those with impairments such as motor function, vision, hearing, and cognition. Digital accessibility is also important for people facing language barriers.
Why digital accessibility?
Digital accessibility is now everyone's responsibility, not simply that of a select few individuals and organizations. You need to make sure that your digital assets comply with the Revised Section 508 Standards of the Rehabilitation Act if they are intended for use by U.S. federal agencies.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires you to make your digital content accessible to everyone, even if it isn't intended for use by federal agencies. The ADA forbids discrimination against people with disabilities in all spheres of public life.
When Congress updated the Rehabilitation Act to mandate that government agencies make their EIT accessible to persons with impairments, the ADA's digital accessibility standards became a standard under Section 508.
Because of this, accessibility professionals like ADACP frequently refer to Section 508 of the ADA when navigating the accessibility terrain for a digital asset in order to ensure the asset strikes the proper accessibility balance and takes cognizance of both the ADA and Section 508 accessibility requirements. As a result, ADA digital accessibility extends the requirements of Section 508 from the public sphere into the commercial sphere.
Given that the ADA applies to publicly accessible businesses as well as state and local governments, while Section 508 applies to federal agencies, ADA Section 508 digital accessibility integrates accessibility considerations so that one does not have to do piecemeal accessibility compliance checks on their digital product or service.
You don't have to worry about pursuing accessibility compliance under Section 508 accessibility standards or ADA guidelines when you have an ADA Section 508. If you concentrate on making sure that your digital asset is ADA and Section 508 compliant, which is a combination of ADA and Section 508 compliance, you will be able to satisfy both the ADA and Section 508 compliance standards.
What is a 508- and ADA-compliant digital asset?
It is useful to note that almost every digital asset made available for public use in the US is subject to the ADA, even if your digital asset is not directly required to fulfill Section 508 ADA compliance criteria.
To be Section 508 compliant, digital assets should be simply designed, easily understood, and clearly navigable. An ADA-compliant digital asset simply means that the asset is accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities.
Impacts of Section 508 on digital accessibility
Section 508 impacts digital accessibility in the following ways:
- Helps to overcome barriers to access for all users.
- Helps to increase the customer base for digital products and services as well as enhance the customer experience.
- Ensures better usability of digital products and services for everyone, not just users with disabilities. That is because many of the improvements aimed at accommodating the needs of users with disabilities actually improve the overall usability of a digital asset for many different types of users.
Need help with ADA Section 508 compliance?
It is both morally and legally correct to comply with ADA Section 508. The world we live in is becoming more digital every day. People with disabilities are given access to the expanding digital lifestyle, and this creates a whole new network of friends and companions from which we can all benefit. Make sure your digital assets are Section 508 ADA compliant and don't fall behind. You can get help with this from the ADACP.
You may reach ADACP at (626) 486-2201 to learn more about how they can assist you in making your IET products and services digitally accessible.
How Section 508 Compliance Certification Impacts Your Business
What is Section 508 compliance?
A good number of people get confused when they hear Section 508 compliance and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Let’s clear the gray areas associated with the two first.
Section 508 compliance refers to the process of ensuring that information and communication technology (ICT) products and services are accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. On the other hand, ADA compliance refers to adherence to the civil law that guarantees equal opportunity for people with disabilities in the public spheres of accommodation.
According to the ADA and Section 508 legislation, every ICT created, acquired, maintained, or utilized by the federal government as well as actors in the private sector must be accessible to people with disabilities. Whereas it is legal to comply with the ADA and Section 508, a lack of compliance can negatively impact a business. On the other hand, ADA Section 508 compliance certification has many positive impacts on a business.
If you are not part of the federal government ecosystem of organizations or a federal contractor, then Section 508 compliance most likely doesn’t directly apply to your business, and if you are a federal organization, the ADA most likely doesn’t directly apply to your business. However, keep in mind that many organizations that you do business with may, by law, be required to adhere to Section 508 of the ADA, thereby affecting how your products and services compare to others. That is why striving to obtain the ADA Section 508 certification is a great thing for your business.
Impacts of Section 508 and ADA compliance certification for a business
In the current digital age, having Section 508 ADA certification is not just a matter of good practice for a business but also a strategic business decision. With the ever-increasing emphasis on digital accessibility, complying with Section 508 and the ADA requirements helps businesses ensure equal access to information and services for all users.
Therefore, the ADA Section 508 certification not only benefits a business’ customers but also brings significant advantages to a business. Some of the impacts of the certification on your business would include the following:
- An expanded customer base
ADA Section 508 compliance certification makes your products or services accessible to people with disabilities, which opens the doors to a broader audience and customer base. The world has over 1.3 billion people who have experienced a disability of one form or another in the course of their lives. When you prioritize accessibility in consideration of these individuals, your products and services become acceptable within this huge market segment, which positively impacts your revenue.
ADA Section 508 certification usually serves as an indicator that your business accommodates the accessibility needs of all users of your ICT products and services and that you provide inclusive experiences. This helps the business attract and retain customers who would have otherwise been unable to engage with your business had you not obtained the certification.
- Enhanced SEO and organic traffic
If your business is online-based, having ADA Section 508 certification enhances search engine optimization (SEO) and organic traffic to your site. That is because ADA Section 508-compliant sites tend to have well-structured and semantically labeled content that search engines favor when ranking search results.
By optimizing your online products and services for accessibility through such ADA Section 508 compliance processes as the ADA Section 508 audit, you inadvertently optimize the offered products and services for SEO as well. Search engines tend to better understand and index content on ADA Section 508-certified sites, which makes it more discoverable to a wider audience. This consequently leads to potential business growth and improved brand recognition.
- Mitigation of legal risks and business losses
ADA and Section 508 compliance is not just a moral obligation but also a legal requirement for businesses. Non-compliance with the legislation can result in lawsuits, costly legal disputes, and the loss of business opportunities. By proactively implementing ADA Section 508 compliance requirements and obtaining the certification, you reduce the risk of legal action, protect your business from potential litigation, and secure your business interests.
Section 508 ADA certification not only safeguards the reputation of your business but also demonstrates your business’ commitment to inclusivity and equality. This impacts positively on your revenues.
Need more information and help with ADA Section 508 certification?
The Section 508 ADA compliance certification you obtain for your business will be as good as the credibility of the ADA Section 508 consultant you work with in conducting your ADA Section 508 audit. Because of the growing regard for the credibility of a given certification, getting to know the consultant you contract for your certification is important.
You can get more information on getting a credible ADA Section 508 consultant or help with any aspect of Section 508 ADA certification by calling (626) 486-2201 to arrange a free consultation. You could alternatively request a quick Section 508 ADA certification quote.