Section 508
Revised Section 508 (ICT Refresh) for federal agencies and contractors. Every Supports / Partially / Does Not Support claim is mapped to the underlying success criterion and backed by evidence.
Methodology
Accessibility Testing Methodology
Evidence-backed accessibility testing for Section 508, WCAG 2.2, VPAT/ACR support, and ADA Title II readiness, tailored to the agreed scope.
Methodology overview
Rigorous, evidence-based, and reviewable
Each engagement identifies the applicable standard, assigned roles, testing methods, assistive technologies, review responsibilities, and reporting requirements. Automated tooling supports rather than replaces expert manual review.
Standards mapped
Section 508, WCAG, VPAT/ACR, and ADA Title II requirements
WCAG 2.2
WCAG 2.2 Level A and AA is applied when a contract, organizational policy, product roadmap, or engagement scope requires it. Federal Section 508 work is mapped to the Revised Section 508 Standards and the WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA requirements they incorporate; ADA Title II web and mobile engagements are evaluated against WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
VPAT / ACR
VPAT 2.5 Rev 508, Rev EU (EN 301 549), and Rev INT (WCAG) preparation, review, and OpenACR YAML twins for procurement-grade machine-readable conformance.
ADA Title II Readiness
DOJ Title II digital accessibility rule readiness for state and local government and higher education — inventory, baseline, and roadmap to the April 2027 and April 2028 compliance dates.
Testing inputs
What we test against.
We define scope around the artifacts a reviewer can audit: user flows, page templates, documents, forms, and applications — sampled to be representative of the in-scope ICT.
- Critical user flows (apply, register, transact, search, contact)
- Page templates and design-system components
- Electronic documents (PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
- Forms, validation, and error-handling patterns
- Web, SaaS, and mobile applications
- Representative samples across in-scope ICT
Testing approach
How we evaluate conformance.
Manual expert review
Code-level inspection of semantics, ARIA, focus order, heading structure, and link purpose by a qualified accessibility specialist assigned in the statement of work.
Automated scan support
axe-core, Lighthouse, and Pa11y across in-scope pages — used as a floor, never as the deliverable.
Keyboard & screen reader
Keyboard-only navigation and the screen-reader and browser combinations identified in the statement of work.
Color contrast & reflow
WCAG color-contrast review, 200% / 400% zoom, reflow, and reduced-motion checks across the responsive range.
Forms & error handling
Label and instruction association, error identification, suggestion, prevention, and recovery patterns evaluated end-to-end.
Document accessibility
PDF/UA, Section 508, and WCAG 2.2 AA review of tagged PDFs, Word, and Excel — including reading order, alt text, and form fields.
Findings model
What a documented finding can include
Severity
Critical / Major / Minor — calibrated to user impact and procurement risk, not just count.
WCAG criterion
Each finding is mapped to the specific success criterion (e.g., 1.3.1, 2.4.7, 4.1.2).
User impact
Plain-language description of who is affected and how — assistive-tech users, keyboard users, low-vision, cognitive.
Remediation recommendation
Concrete fix guidance with code patterns, ARIA usage, or content / structural change — not just a citation.
Validation status
Open / Fixed / Verified — tracked through retest, with evidence captured on closure.
Deliverables
What you receive.
- Issue log mapped to WCAG success criteria with severity and remediation guidance
- Executive summary for program leadership, COR/COTRs, and Section 508 program offices
- Remediation roadmap sequenced by severity and user impact
- VPAT / ACR preparation and review, with OpenACR YAML twin on request
- Retest results and validation memo on closure
Evidence-backed documentation for accountable review
The agreed report can document the applicable criterion, observed evidence, remediation guidance, limitations, and responsible review or sign-off role.