In recent years, there has been an important shift from focusing on the limitations of disability to solutions for lack of accessibility. Accessibility under Section 508 compliance ensures that persons with disabilities have access to various services, including transportation, healthcare, information, and communications.

But how can accessibility become a reality in our society? For instance, can publishers and creators of content make their products and services relevant for people with disabilities cost-effectively?

In this blog, we deconstruct Section 508 compliance, which offers critical guidelines, and how early investment in the right technology can help businesses build access, grow market share, and reach newer demographics, at the same time.

Table of Contents:

What is Section 508 Compliance?

Section 508 compliance is a section within the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a federal law in the USA, which prohibits discrimination based on disability in federal programs, federal employment, and employment by federal contractors.

Section 508 was added in 1998 to ensure that all forms of communication, from websites to mobile software, must be accessible to people with disabilities.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) recommend how websites can be made accessible. Through Section 508, the law has set a precedent for accessibility standards across all communication and information. More businesses are attempting to build accessibility into their product and services due to the commercial benefits and a chance to drive equal opportunity.

Why Section 508 Compliance Matters?

Section 508 compliance matters for both consumers and businesses. Today, many users have learning, physical, or cognitive disabilities. When websites and products are not Section 508 compliant, users with disabilities lose the opportunity to engage with and benefit from valuable content and services.

Section 508 is necessary to create a more inclusive environment and help businesses reach a wider audience. When businesses fulfil Section 508 requirements, they can drive more traffic and, in turn, conversions for their content.

How to Make Content Compliant with Section 508

Businesses that create content are attempting to shift to accessibility at scale. For instance, K12 publishers are making accessible content a cornerstone of their policies.

Here is a brief guide on shifting to a Section 508-compliant business:

1. Build an Inclusive Policy

Creating inclusive content must be intentional and requires businesses to have the right mindset.

For instance, teams working on content creation will need access to technology solutions available to make content accessible for all.

2. Apply Universal Design to Content Creation

How can Section 508 be applied to content creation for businesses in a cost-effective manner?

This is where the principles of universal design can play a key role. Universal design is an approach where companies need not design different products for people with and without disabilities. People of all profiles can use the same product.

It may seem difficult to imagine. So, here is an example.

Traditional ebooks are PDFs of paper books with text, images, and hyperlinks. It is challenging for a person with visual difficulties to read this book.

On the other hand, contemporary ebooks are completely accessible by design. They come with read-aloud features, audio representations, and the ability to change font size easily.

This makes it easy for learners with visual difficulties to access the content engagingly. By supplementing text content with captioned videos, the content can also be made engaging for learners with hearing challenges.

However, all these features may also be used by learners without any challenges. Hence, Section 508 accessibility can benefit all learners.

Technology to Manage Accessible Content

Advances in technology are helping businesses meet their Section 508 compliance requirements.

A digital publishing platform is a tool that enables businesses to create and distribute accessible content seamlessly. Here are some of its key features:

1. Unified Interface

A digital publishing platform enables businesses to operate the entire content creation and distribution process via a unified interface. They can scale their content production operations with ease.

2. Cloud Capabilities

Various content elements can be stored on the cloud and easily accessed. This makes collaboration a seamless process, bringing efficiency and transparency to projects.

3. Build in Interactivity

Content elements, including videos, audio representations, interactive assessments, and infographics, can be added systematically. These elements cater to a wide range of learning needs, enabling Section 508 accessibility. They encourage engagement and higher consumption of content.

3. Update Content with Ease

Publishers and other businesses may have a massive amount of inaccessible existing content. This content may still be relevant to audiences and can be repurposed for future generations. Companies can leverage digital publishing platforms to easily update existing content to make it accessible to all users.

4. Distribute Content Securely

Businesses can securely distribute content using an in-built digital rights management system. This feature enables them to share content with authorized users, discouraging piracy and duplication, thereby giving more control to businesses.

5. Make Data-Driven Decisions

Through in-depth data analyses, businesses can dive deep into how consumers engage with the content. Dashboards can be customized to offer insights such as consumers by geography and traffic patterns. Access to such data insights can help businesses shape their inclusion policies and do justice to Section 508 compliance.

Eight Key Features That Make Your Website Compliant With Section 508

To know more about how to make a website 508 compliant, it should include the following key features:

Users with various motor disabilities or those who use screen readers heavily depend on keyboard-only visual indicators. This makes it essential for websites to enable interactions with assistive technology.

For instance, buttons, links, or input fields should be easily controlled with the arrow, tab, or other keys to increase accessibility rather than needing a mouse click. Users should also be able to use navigation simply by jumping through page sections, headers, paragraphs, and other page elements.

Therefore, websites need to allow users to navigate the platform using a keyboard and make each site element accessible through the keyboard.

2. Alternative Text for Images

Alternative (Alt) text is a crucial part of 508 website compliance that describes what is depicted in the image. Since screen readers can easily read this text, people with visual disabilities know what the picture is about. Alternative image text gives a certain context to the images on the page that users cannot see.

508 compliance requires the Alt description to be accurate, descriptive, and helpful if links are added to the image, such that the user clicks on the image and opens a new webpage. The link destination must also be mentioned in the Alt text.

3. Transcript or Captions for Videos/Audio

Transcripts and captions are primarily used to represent the spoken content from audio and videos in text format. Also known as closed captioning, it is simply the text included for the hearing impaired.

While a transcript is a text version of the content presented in a separate document, captions typically appear simultaneously with the spoken words in the video.

Manually creating captions is generally very time-intensive, and auto-generated captioning is usually error-prone. However, many companies today offer closed captioning transcript services for videos or podcasts.

4. Screen Reader Capability

Ensure that the site is fully accessible with screen readers, the accessibility technology most visually impaired users employ. Screen readers rely heavily on HTML elements and attributes to interpret content and convey information accurately.

  • Logical Structure with HTML: Use HTML headings, lists, and paragraphs to create a logical structure, which is easy to navigate for screen readers.
  • Meaningful Link Text: Use descriptive link text that clearly explains what one can expect to find at that link. Avoid generic phrases such as “click here” or “learn more.”

5. Alternative Text for Videos

Likewise, for Alt text for images, a video embedded in a webpage should include alternative descriptions to allow a screen reader to describe the video to those who are not sighted easily. Alternatives can be in the form of:

  • Captions: Text overlays on the video that contain a transcription of dialogue and sound effects.
  • Audio Descriptions: This involves descriptions, narration, and audio of visual elements that a person sees in the video, including events, expressions, and on-screen text.
  • Transcripts: A written transcript of the video’s audio content, including dialogue, sound effects, and music.

With these formats, your video content can be accessed by larger audiences with visual, hearing, or even cognitive disabilities.

6. No Time Limits

To comply with 508, you must not set time limits on the website. This is simply because some users might require more time to perform a particular action, and completing tasks within a time limit can be challenging for them. This timeout feature is often found in forms where personal information is required.

Either give the user ample time or add a warning to delay a timeout. If a timed response is still necessary, it is important to allow users to return to the action after the session has timed out.

7. Color and Contrast

Color and contrast can present unique challenges for users with visual impairments. Adding color-coded fields, labels, or icons is an easy and convenient way to resolve color-based accessibility issues.

Therefore, websites need to be color-savvy to comply with Section 508 guidelines. For instance, in an online form, use the color green to show that everything was entered correctly and the color red to highlight an error.

8. Avoid Flickering Objects on the Screen

Certain color schemes and screen flickers can cause seizures in some people. For this reason, websites must avoid causing the screen to flicker with a frequency higher than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz.

With a considerable chunk of users with learning or cognitive disabilities, it can be challenging if an organization’s website is not accessible. Whether your organization is legally required to be 508 compliant or not, having a fully accessible and 508-compliant website is certainly a best practice to follow.

Closing Thoughts

508 compliance requirements are essential for ensuring your inclusivity for all the users of your website. By integrating the eight key features essential for 508 compliance into your website design, you not only fulfill legal obligations but also demonstrate a commitment to accessibility and user satisfaction.

Embracing 508 compliance enhances usability, expands audience reach, and reflects a dedication to inclusivity, ultimately fostering a more equitable online environment for everyone.

Hurix Digital can help you ensure that your website’s accessibility allows users worldwide to navigate seamlessly for an enhanced user experience.

Our experts can provide excellent guidance on revamping or modifying your website to maximize readership regardless of disabilities.