What It Means to Have an Accessible Website
An accessible website is one that works for everyone — including people with disabilities, people using assistive technology, and people navigating with different devices or environments. Accessibility removes barriers, supports independence, and creates a smoother experience for all users.
Section 508 — The Legal Foundation
Section 508 is a U.S. federal law requiring government agencies and contractors to make their digital content accessible. This includes websites, documents, software, and multimedia. The goal is simple: people with disabilities must be able to access electronic information with the same independence and ease as everyone else.
Section 508 currently aligns with WCAG 2.0 Level AA, meaning federal websites must meet those standards to be compliant.
WCAG — The Global Accessibility Standard
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the international standards for building accessible digital experiences. WCAG is organized around four core principles known as POUR:
- Perceivable — Users must be able to see or hear the content.
- Operable — Users must be able to navigate and interact with the interface.
- Understandable — Content should be clear, predictable, and readable.
- Robust — Content must work with current and future assistive technologies.
WCAG includes three levels of conformance: Level A (basic), Level AA (industry standard), and Level AAA (highest level). Most organizations aim for Level AA.
Additional Accessibility Guidelines
Beyond Section 508 and WCAG, several best practices help create a genuinely usable and inclusive website:
- Use semantic HTML to give structure and meaning to content
- Provide alt text for images and non-text content
- Maintain strong color contrast between text and background
- Ensure all functionality is available using a keyboard
- Use descriptive, meaningful link text
- Label form fields clearly and provide helpful instructions
- Include captions and transcripts for multimedia
- Design layouts that adapt well to zoom and mobile screens
Why Accessibility Matters
Accessibility supports people with visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive disabilities, older adults, mobile users, and anyone in challenging environments. It makes websites more inclusive, more usable, and more professional. Accessible design benefits everyone — not just people with disabilities.