Section 508 Compliance

Section 508 is a U.S. accessibility requirement that applies to electronic and information technology used by federal agencies and certain organizations that work with them.

Documents such as PDFs, Word files, and presentations must meet accessibility requirements to ensure they are usable by people with disabilities.

This article explains what Section 508 compliance means and how it affects digital documents.

What is Section 508

Section 508 refers to an amendment to the U.S. Rehabilitation Act that requires federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible.

The goal of Section 508 is to ensure that people with disabilities have comparable access to information and services provided by the federal government.

Section 508 applies to websites, software, and digital documents, including PDFs.

Who must comply with Section 508

Section 508 applies directly to:

• U.S. federal agencies

• Departments and programs receiving federal funding

• Contractors and vendors providing digital products or services to federal agencies

Organizations outside the federal government may also be required to meet Section 508 standards as part of contracts, procurement requirements, or accessibility policies.

How Section 508 applies to documents

Section 508 requires that digital documents be accessible to users with disabilities.

For PDFs and other document formats, this means:

• Content must be readable by screen readers

• Documents must be navigable using a keyboard

• Structure and reading order must be logical

• Images must have meaningful text alternatives

• Tables and forms must be usable and understandable

Documents that appear visually correct may still fail Section 508 if they are not properly structured.

Section 508 and WCAG

Modern Section 508 requirements are closely aligned with WCAG.

In practice, Section 508 compliance is commonly evaluated using WCAG success criteria as the technical benchmark for accessibility.

However, WCAG does not define how accessibility must be implemented in specific file formats such as PDFs. This is where additional standards and testing methods are used.

Section 508 and PDFs

PDFs present unique accessibility challenges because they rely on internal structure rather than visible formatting.

For PDFs to meet Section 508 requirements, they typically must include:

• Proper tagging

• Logical reading order

• Correct use of headings and lists

• Accessible tables and forms

• Complete document metadata

PDFs that lack structure or contain tagging errors frequently fail Section 508 reviews.

Common Section 508 failures in documents

During accessibility evaluations, common Section 508 failures include:

• Untagged or poorly tagged PDFs

• Incorrect reading order

• Missing alternative text

• Improper heading structure

• Inaccessible tables or form fields

• Missing document language or metadata

These issues can prevent users from accessing or understanding document content.

How Section 508 compliance is evaluated

Section 508 compliance is typically evaluated through a combination of automated checks and manual testing.

Automated tools can identify technical issues, but manual review is required to confirm usability and assistive technology compatibility.

This is especially important for complex documents such as long reports, forms, and instructional materials.

Conclusion

Section 508 compliance requires that digital documents be accessible to people with disabilities. For PDFs and other document formats, this means more than visual formatting.

Organizations subject to Section 508 should ensure that documents are properly structured, tested, and reviewed to confirm accessibility.

Accessibility Testing Note

Section 508 compliance for documents is commonly verified through accessibility testing that includes both technical review and assistive technology testing.