508 Website Accessibility

What is Section 508?

Section 508 refers to the 1998 Congressional amendment made to the 1973 Workforce Rehabilitation Act of 1973; the amendment required all government and government-associated organizations to have websites that are fully accessible for people with varying disabilities, such as impaired vision, hearing, or motor skills.

Why is Section 508 important?

The Internet is one of the most adaptable and fast-paced mediums in today's world. That not only means with the proper connections, you can find what you're looking for in a jiffy, but when something in the world changes, the Internet is usually quick to change along with it.

This is good news, considering the frequent changes in what people want, how they want to find it, and most importantly, what kind of people are surfing the web.

Simply put: every site visitors should be able to equally benefit from the incredible supply of information on the web; every site owner should be sensitive to the obstacles people with disabilities encounter when using the Internet.

What parts of my website might be inaccessible for people with disabilities?

If you have a warm, welcoming audio clip on your webpage, persons with hearing impairments may not be able to hear it. If you have a helpful video tutorial embedded on your site, persons with vision impairments may not be able to see it. And persons with motor skill deficiencies may not be able to click through the different fields on your member registration form.

These elements of your website may be essential to a user's experience - and you'll really frustrate visitors if they can't use them.

Now that you know what Section 508 entails, check out simple ways you can make your site more accessible with Section 508 compliance.