Section 508 Compliant Web Development
ThatDeveloperGuy builds and audits web properties to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, using WCAG 2.2 Level AA as the operational standard. This page covers how we operationalize accessibility on federal engagements, not just claim it.
What Section 508 actually requires
Section 508 Revised aligns with WCAG 2.0 Level AA at a baseline, with WCAG 2.1 AA as the practical bar federal agencies hold contractors to in 2026. WCAG 2.2 introduces additional success criteria around focus appearance, dragging, and target size; we treat the 2.2 criteria as the operational target so we exceed the legal requirement.
How we operationalize accessibility
- axe core in CI on every commit, blocking the build on violations
- Pa11y nightly crawl across the full site, reporting drift over time
- Manual screen reader walkthrough (NVDA on Windows, VoiceOver on macOS) before milestone delivery
- Keyboard-only navigation test on every interactive component
- Color contrast verified at 4.5:1 for body text, 3:1 for large text, with no exceptions for brand colors
- Focus appearance meets WCAG 2.2 SC 2.4.11 with visible indicators on every focusable element
- Form labels, ARIA landmarks, and live regions implemented per ARIA APG patterns, not invented
What our deliverables include
For federal engagements with explicit Section 508 scope, our deliverable package includes:
- VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) for the delivered site or application
- Accessibility statement page at /accessibility/ disclosing conformance level and contact
- Automated audit report (axe + Pa11y output) as a baseline
- Manual remediation log documenting any deviations and their rationale
- Section 508 trusted tester compliant ACR (Accessibility Conformance Report) when required
Remediation of inherited sites
Many federal engagements start with an existing site that does not pass current Section 508 standards. We remediate by working through the violation list by impact: blockers first (missing alt text, broken keyboard navigation, missing form labels), then degraded experience (color contrast, focus appearance, target size), then advanced criteria (animation control, reduced motion respect).
Remediation budget depends on the size of the existing site and the severity of violations. We quote remediation as a fixed scope engagement after running an initial audit.
Section 508 FAQ
- Do you produce VPATs?
- Yes. For applications and procurements that require a VPAT, we produce one against the current ITI VPAT template, mapping our implementation to each criterion with conformance level.
- What about Section 508 for content management systems?
- CMS engagements require accessibility on both the published surface and the admin surface. We build both. Admins with disabilities have the same right to manage the site as any other authorized user.
- Do you handle PDF accessibility?
- Yes, but selectively. We tag and verify accessibility on PDFs we produce. For inherited PDF archives at scale, we recommend converting to HTML where the agency mission permits.