Section 508 compliance

When you hear about Section 508 compliance, especially when you have to be compliant on your own dime, you may think that this is just one of those requirements that your company has to pay big bucks for. Maybe you even thought about checking the box, and see what you can get away with if you don't worry about it. Maybe you thought that you are paying, and others are benefiting. In this article, I would like to show where your company can majorly benefit from Section 508 compliance.

Skip navigation refers to a link in a web page that lets users go directly to the main content of the page. Here, we will take a look at the factors concerning skip navigation and how to do it properly in your pages.

Also, you might find it useful:

• Creating skip navigation links in WordPress
• Creating a skip navigation link in Drupal

Throughout my accessibility consulting work, Section 508 certification is one of the first questions I get.
many of my clients asked me at the beginning of a Section 508 remediation, if I will provide them with a Section 508 certificate, which states the compliance of their product. In this article, I would like to answer this question, and dissolve misconceptions about Section 508 certification.

One way to expose accessibility features of your product is to create a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) to detail how you comply with the federal Section 508 standards. This way, you save valuable research time for interested agencies, and get much closer to sell your product to companies and government agencies who require accessibility. While VPATs are currently used to describe Section 508 compliance, any accessibility standards and guidelines, such as WCAG can be applied in a similar format to the VPAT.

Often times we hear the phrase "Section 508" in connection with accessibility or disabilities. In this article I would like to briefly explain what it is, who should pay attention to it, provide some information about compliance, and the Future of Section 508. At the end of the article you will find links if you are looking for further information.