We know how hard it is to understand the details that are in the ADA Section 508 recommendations. You can spend 100’s of hours searching for all of the different rules and regulations so you can become Section 508 Compliant and still not fully understand.
So we did the hard work for you and created an easy to understand interactive Section 508 (WCAG A, AA), Checklist.
The Department Of Justice determines a website’s ADA Section 508 compliance based on the WCAG 2.1 guidelines. If your website or software meets at least Level A and Level AA success criteria for the WCAG guidelines you are in full ADA Section 508 compliance.
This developer checkout list I have created is an interactive list of all Level A and Level AA success criteria as stated in the Wcag 2.1 Guidelines and Standards. If you are able to check off all guideline criteria on this list then your website or software will be in compliance.
This checklist is according to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. These W3C Recommendations were last updated on June 5, 2018, so they are the most recent.
[Level A] 1.1.1 – Provide text alternatives (Alt Text) for images and other non-text content, including user interface components.
[Level A] 1.2.2/1.2.4 – Provide synchronized captioning for ALL videos and multimedia content.
[Level A] 1.2.3/1.2.5 – Provide synchronized audio description for ALL videos and multimedia content.
[Level A] 1.3.1 – Make sure the information, structure, and relationships conveyed visually are also available to users of assistive technology.
[Level A] 1.3.2 – Provide a reasonable and logical reading order when using assistive technology.
[Level A] 1.3.3 – Make sure that instructions are not conveyed only through sound, shape, size, or visual orientation.
[Level AA] 1.3.4 – Make sure the content does not restrict its view or operation to a single display orientation, such as portrait or landscape unless a specific display orientation is essential.
[Level AA] 1.3.5 – Make sure to identify the purpose of an input field in forms or any data collection.
[Level A] 1.4.1 – Make sure that information, prompts or instructions are not conveyed only through color.
[Level A] 1.4.2 – There has to be a way to stop, pause, mute, or adjust the volume to the audio that plays automatically.
[Level AA] 1.4.3 – Meet the minimum specified contrast ratio between the background and the foreground of text and images. [3:1 for links – or – 4.5:1 for everything else]
[Level AA] 1.4.4 – Make sure the text is still readable and functional even if the font is resized to 200 percent.
[Level AA] 1.4.5 – Use actual text and do not use images of text.
[Level A] 2.1.1 – There must be full functionality when using only the keyboard interface.
[Level A] 2.1.2 – Make sure that the keyboard focus is not trapped when the keyboard is used for navigation.
[Level A] 2.2.1 – Provide flexible or adjustable time limits.
[Level A] 2.2.2 – Give user control over moving, blinking, scrolling, or information that updates automatically.
[Level A] 2.3.1 Make sure nothing flashes more than three times per second unless the flash is below the general red flash threshold.
[Level A] 2.4.1 – Must have a skip navigation link or other means to bypass repetitive content.
[Level A] 2.4.2 – Provide descriptive and informative page titles.
[Level A] 2.4.3 – Provide a keyboard-oriented navigation order that is reasonable and logical.
[Level A] 2.4.4 – Make sure that all of your links are descriptive. Ie. do not use “Click Here” as your link description.
[Level AA] 2.4.5 – Include at least 2 or more ways to locate a web page within a set of web pages.
[Level AA] 2.4.6 – Make the headings and labels descriptive.
[Level AA] 2.4.7 – Make sure the keyboard focus is visually apparent when somebody uses the keyboard to navigate.
[Level A] 2.5.1 – Make functions that use multipoint or path-based gestures for operation can be operated with a single pointer without a path-based gesture unless it is essential.
[Level A] 2.5.2 – You have to be able to cancel or reverse an action taken
[Level A] 2.5.3 – User interface components with labels that include text or images, the name must include the text that is presented visually.
[Level A] 2.5.4 – Make sure that functions operated by device/user motion can also be disabled and operated by device/user interface components unless its essential.
[Level A] 3.1.1 – Make sure that the default language of your content is exposed to assistive technology.
[Level AA] 3.1.2 – Make sure that all the changes in language are exposed to assistive technology.
[Level A] 3.2.1 – Make sure that user interface components do not initiate a change of context when receiving focus. Ie. when the mouse scrolls over something.
[Level A] 3.2.2 – When changing the settings of the user interface components, it does not automatically cause a change of context.
[Level AA] 3.2.3 – Make sure that repeated navigational components happen in the same relative order each time they are encountered.
[Level AA] 3.2.4 – Make sure that the components having the same functionality are identified consistently.
[Level A] 3.3.1 – Make sure automatically detected input errors are identified and described in the text to the user.
[Level A] 3.3.2 – Make sure you have labels or instructions when content requires user input.
[Level AA] 3.3.3 – Make sure the system creates and displays suggestions for correction when input errors are automatically detected unless it jeopardizes the security.
[Level AA] 3.3.4 – When legal, financial, or test data can be changed or deleted the changes or deletions can be reversed, verified, or confirmed.
[Level A] 4.1.1 – Make sure your website or software is parsed into a single data structure, making sure elements are nested properly and any IDs are unique.
[Level AA] 4.1.3 – Create status messages that can be presented to the user by assistive technologies without being the focus.
Your conformance level is determined by one of the following levels of conformance is met in full.
For the long official version of the WCAG 2.1 guidelines follow this link – Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1
This checklist is meant to help you in the process of becoming compliant. Ultimately your compliance is up to you maintained on an ongoing basis. St. Pete Design does not take responsibility for your WCAG or ADA Section 508 compliance.