Section 508 is a part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which was amended in 1998 to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology (EIT) accessible to people with disabilities. This legal mandate ensures that individuals with disabilities have equal access to the use of information and data, unless an undue burden is imposed on the agency. The standards set forth by Section 508 address various aspects of electronic and information technology, including software applications, websites, multimedia content, hardware devices, and computer-based telecommunications. Compliance with Section 508 requires that all federal websites, electronic documents, and software are accessible, meaning they must be usable by people with a wide range of disabilities, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological disabilities. To comply with Section 508, developers and content creators must follow specific guidelines for accessibility, which may include providing text alternatives for non-text content, ensuring that all interactive elements are navigable and usable with a keyboard, making software compatible with assistive technologies like screen readers, and ensuring that users can access and use all content and navigation elements without reliance on a single sense, such as sight or hearing. Section 508 compliance is critical for federal agencies and contractors, as it not only ensures legal compliance but also promotes inclusivity and accessibility, allowing all individuals, despite any potential disabilities, to access and benefit from government information and services.

ADA compliance refers to adherence to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the ADA is to ensure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. In the context of digital accessibility, ADA compliance often pertains to ensuring that websites, mobile apps, and other digital platforms are accessible to individuals with a variety of disabilities. This includes making digital content usable for people with visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological disabilities. While the ADA does not explicitly mention digital accessibility, Title III of the ADA, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in "places of public accommodation," has been interpreted by U.S. courts and the Department of Justice to apply to websites and online platforms operated by businesses and organizations that fall into this category. Ensuring ADA compliance for digital content typically involves adhering to established web accessibility guidelines, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which provide a set of recommendations for making web content more accessible. Key principles include ensuring that websites are perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. This means that information and user interface components must be presented in ways that users can perceive, users must be able to operate the interface, content and controls must be understandable, and content must be robust enough to work reliably with various assistive technologies and browsers. ADA compliance is not only a legal requirement for many organizations but also a best practice for inclusivity, ensuring that digital platforms and services are accessible to all users, regardless of their abilities.

Accessibility refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. The goal is to ensure that everyone, regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities, has equal access to use and benefit from these resources. In the context of digital accessibility, this pertains to making websites, applications, and other digital content usable by people with a wide range of disabilities, including visual, auditory, motor, speech, cognitive, and neurological impairments. Accessibility involves a variety of practices and principles designed to remove barriers that might prevent individuals with disabilities from interacting with or accessing information. This includes providing text alternatives for non-text content, ensuring that interactive elements are navigable and usable with keyboards and assistive technologies, designing content that can be presented in different ways without losing information or structure (such as with screen readers), and ensuring that websites and applications can be used without causing seizures due to flashing lights or rapidly changing visuals. Accessibility is not only about supporting users with disabilities, it's also about creating flexible and inclusive environments that can accommodate a wide range of users. This range includes older individuals with changing abilities, people with temporary injuries, and those in challenging environments like bright sunlight or spaces where audio cannot be used. Incorporating accessibility principles improves the overall user experience and ensures that digital content is more inclusive, reaching a wider audience.

An accessibility audit is a comprehensive evaluation of how well a digital product, such as a website or application, complies with accessibility standards and guidelines, ensuring that it can be used by people with a variety of disabilities. This audit involves a detailed examination of the product's features, content, and interactive elements to identify any barriers that might prevent users with disabilities from fully accessing or interacting with the product. The process typically includes both automated testing tools and manual testing by accessibility experts, and may also involve user testing with individuals who have disabilities to provide real-world insights into the usability of the product. Auditors check against established accessibility guidelines, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), to ensure that the product meets various success criteria related to visibility, operability, understandability, and robustness. Key aspects of an accessibility audit might include assessing the product for proper use of HTML semantics, ensuring that all interactive elements are keyboard navigable, verifying that alternative text is provided for non-text content, checking color contrast ratios, and ensuring that the product is compatible with screen readers and other assistive technologies. As your accessibility agency, Agency 39A conducts accessibility audits providing insights into your high-level accessibility goals through full site audits, UX and SEO audits, initial budget guidance, and a portfolio of successful case studies. Agency 39A delivers an unmatched level of industry-specific B2B expertise across automotive, banking, biotech, chemicals, consumer goods and services, healthcare, industrial, insurance, life sciences, public sector, and retail.