What is a 508 Compliance Checklist?
A 508 Compliance checklist is a list of requirements for website functionality that satisfies regulations detailed in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires federal agencies and any organization that receives federal funding to make their website and/or app equally accessible for individuals with disabilities.
More on 508 Website Compliance
508 Compliance Checklist
With changing interpretations in law, it is difficult to create a comprehensive 508 compliance checklist.
Below are known 508 compliance concerns for a website or app that must be addressed to make a website or app 508 compliant.
508 Compliance Checklist:
- The website/app must not contain content that flashes more than 3 times per second,
- Text on the website/app must be able to be resized up to 200% without diminishing quality or understandability,
- There must be more than one way to find a web page,
- There must be a consistent order for navigational elements sitewide (for example, a navigation menu that does not change from page to page),
- Automatically updated content, content that moves, blinks or scrolls must be able to be paused or adjusted,
- Alternative versions of PDFs, Word documents and similar downloadable documents must be fully accessible,
- Time limits on interacting with content must be able to be turned off, modified or lengthened,
- The website/app must not use instructions that appeal to sensory characteristics, such as prompting a user to click a button that is a certain shape or color,
- The website/app must not have pages that redirect upon timing out,
- Elements that share the same functional purpose must be consistently identified from one page to the next,
- Headings must accurately describe corresponding content,
- A default language for a page must be configured,
- Language must be properly configured for foreign language words or phrases,
- Major errors identifiable by an HTML validator must not be present,
- Duplicate ID values on a shared page cannot be present,
- The reading order of content must be logical when styles are disabled,
- Frames must have a title attribute that defines content,
- Pages must have a title attribute that defines content,
- Content that is intended to be accessed by assistive technology must not use "display:none" or "aria-hidden=true?" code,
- Any ARIA coding on a website/app must meet ARIA specifications while also providing an accurate representation of content,
- Fieldset tags must only be used for form fields,
- All parts of a website/app which can be controlled by a mouse must also be controllable by a keyboard,
- All parts of a page must include clear visual indications of a focus when the page is tabbed through,
- Keyboard traps must not exist when a user tabs through a page,
- Pages must include a tab order that is logical,
- Pages must not include changes of context when a part of the page is focused on via tabbing through a page,
- The website/app must have means to bypass repetitive content (such as "Skip navigation" links),
- Information cannot be communicated via color only,
- All text must have a contrast ratio of 4.5:1 or greater, regardless of font size,
- Links cannot be identifiable through color alone,
- Link text must be understandable out of context, or with sufficient content for generic link text,
- Linked images must include link text with no ALT text, or ALT text with no link text,
- All images must have ALT text,
- All images that communicate information must include ALT text that effectively communicates the same information as the image,
- Decorative images must have empty ALT text, or must be included through CSS,
- CSS of a website/app must not include images that communicate information without a text alternative,
- Complex images must include alternate means for individuals with disabilities to understand what is being conveyed,
- Web pages must not include images of text, such as screenshots of text from another location,
- Audio or video content must include accurate transcripts and synchronized captions,
- Videos that require sound must include an audio version for individuals with visual disabilities,
- Audio that automatically plays for more than 3 seconds must include means to turn off the audio,
- When layout tables are used on a site or app, the data table must not use data table markup, such as Summary, TH, ID or Headers,
- Layout tables must include the table content in the intended order,
- Data tables must be integrated with data table coding,
- All header cells in a table must utilize the TH tag,
- All data cells in a table must use the TD tag,
- All header cells in a table must contain text,
- All data tables that feature a set of column and row headers must associate data cells with appropriate scope,
- Data tables with more than 1 set of column and row headers must appropriately use id/headers that associate data cells,
- All bulleted lists or numbered lists must be correctly coded with HTML list tags,
- All visual headings must be correctly coded with HTML heading tags, such as H1 or H2,
- All heading tags must include a logical hierarchical progression,
- Heading tags must only be applied to text that defines a section of content,
- All emphasized or special text must be correctly coded with HTML tags, such as <em> or <strong>,
- All form fields must be correctly coded and feature descriptive and accurate labels,
- All grouped form fields must include proper coding for fieldset and legend tags,
- All form validation errors must be clearly and accurately identified through text,
- All forms must not force a selection of a form field when the user attempts to navigate to other options,
- All forms must not include Orphan label tags,
- All elements must be appropriately defined and communicate with assistive technology,
- The state of all elements, such as expanded or collapsed, must be properly defined and communicate with assistive technology,
- Modal dialogues must be usable solely through keyboard use or through assistive technology,
- All carousel sliders must be usable with keyboards or assistive technology,
- All menus must be usable with keyboards or assistive technology,
- All expandable or collapsible accordion content must be usable with keyboards or assistive technology,
- All Tabbed Interfaces must be usable with keyboards or assistive technology,
- All CAPTCHAs must be usable with keyboards or assistive technology,
- User actions that result in a change on the page must communicate this change to the user
Hire the 508 Compliance Professionals to Make Your Website Compliant
As detailed above, the 508 compliance checklist is exhaustive, with attention to detail and a combination of development skills and website design skills being necessary to create a website or app that satisfies compliance.
The team at ACS Web Design and SEO includes experienced website developers and website designers. For years, our developers and designers have created websites and apps that satisfy 508 compliance checklist requirements.
Let's talk about how we can help your website or app satisfy 508 compliance checklist requirements.