Section 508 Remediation and Why it is Important

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What is Section 508 remediation?

The process of making electronic and information technology accessible to individuals with disabilities in compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is referred to as "Section 508 remediation." Companies and federal agencies must modify certain aspects of their digital assets, such websites, in order to comply with Section 508.

Businesses and government organizations are required by Section 508 remediation to improve the accessibility of their electronic and information technology (EIT) products and services by adding certain features. It entails altering a digital asset, product, or service's characteristics to ensure compliance with Section 508. It comprises determining which features are missing or incorrectly introduced to a digital asset, product, or service, and fixing the problems.

After Section 508 remediation, the resulting accessible digital asset, product, or service must be fully accessible to those with disabilities. A thorough Section 508 remediation process for EIT services and products guarantees that digital information created using the EIT, acquired, or kept up to date by the entities involved in the remediation is accessible to those with disabilities.

Who needs to comply with Section 508?

While federal entities are subject to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, numerous other agencies and businesses can also benefit by adhering to the 508-compliance checklist.

There will be repercussions if a federal agency disregards Section 508. Because of this, federal agencies need compliance with the relevant 508 compliance checklists when collaborating with businesses to provide services that are accessible to those who are in compliance with the law.

For the government agencies to which these enterprises supply services, it harms their brand when their digital assets or products don't adhere to Section 508. This is the reason that several other organizations and companies, in addition to government agencies, are looking for Section 508 compliance services, especially the remedial services.

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The importance of Section 508 remediation services

Businesses and organizations may find it challenging to determine what steps to take in order to ensure that their EIT goods and services are 508 compliant. Therefore, they choose to use the professional knowledge provided by Section 508 consultants in the form of Section 508 compliance services.

In order to comply with Section 508, a professional Section 508 consultant often follows these steps:

• Using the relevant 508 compliance checklists, the aspects of the digital property, product, or service are examined to identify any shortcomings.
• Using the Section 508 Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, a list of the unique features and the characteristics that are missing is created (VPAT).
• Working together with accessibility specialists to make sure all the elements that are lacking are included.
• Testing for Section 508 compliance following the addition of the new features to see if they adhere to the requirements.

Professional Section 508 remediation services, therefore, assist companies and organizations in ensuring that their EIT goods and services, as well as their digital assets, are accessible.

Some of the key features to be added for 508 remediation

Section 508 includes a number of elements that improve accessibility to EIT products and services as well as digital properties like websites. The following crucial characteristics should be added by businesses and organizations to their digital properties, such as websites and apps:

• To assist those with visual impairments in understanding the meaning of the media content, all plug-ins, photos, and other types of media content should have alt text.
• Proper color contrast while creating websites.
• Captions and subtitles for audio and video files to aid with comprehension for those with hearing impairments.
• A webpage's moving elements shouldn't flash at a pace of two to fifty-five cycles per second.
• Marks identifying each table's row and column.

Reasons why Section 508 remediation is needed

Businesses and organizations will profit greatly from adhering to Section 508. The following are some of the main advantages that Section 508 remediation offers:

1. Increased business outreach

Sizable portions of Americans live with some form of disability. Therefore, businesses and organizations can draw in new clients who are living with disabilities by making their digital properties, like websites, accessible.

2. Better collaboration

Businesses and organizations need to make sure that their websites and other digital properties comply with Section 508 before they can work with a federal agency. It is not, however, limited to federal agencies. Different countries have different codes of accessibility on a worldwide basis.

A significant number of these countries follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which are quite comparable to Section 508. As a result, businesses and organizations can attract clients from abroad by adhering to Section 508 and making their digital properties accessible. Businesses and organizations can comply with Section 508 requirements for their content by using services like Section 508 remediation and general accessibility services.

3. Better User experience

Both individuals with impairments and those without can benefit from the enhanced user experience offered by the new features on the website. In this approach, businesses and organizations can improve search engine rankings while also enhancing the overall performance of their digital properties.

4. Freedom from legal complications

These days, noncompliance with Section 508 exposes an agency or business to lawsuits. Both the volume and quality of accessibility audits will continue to rise in the future. Therefore, companies and organizations that disregard accessibility requirements risk facing a plethora of financial and legal penalties. Therefore, organizations and corporations must adhere to Section 508 in order to prevent such repercussions.

Need help establishing whether your e-commerce store is accessible?

In one way or another, most US organizations and businesses must directly or indirectly abide by Section 508. Numerous advantages stem from this compliance, including enhanced consumer outreach, more cooperation opportunities, and inclusive features.

Numerous organizations and companies require help with Section 508 remediation. Many elements, including auditing, testing, and remediation, are covered by Section 508 remedial services. You need to be sure that your business or organization is 508 compliant and that posting your information online carries no risks. This is possible if you work with a reputable Section 508 consultant in your Section 508 remediation efforts.  Get in touch with us at (626) 486-2201 to discuss your Section 508 compliance testing, audit, and remediation needs, or to schedule a consultation. We constantly offer free consultations.