Requirements and Guidelines

There are two sets of rules governing website accessibility: the U.S. Government's Section 508 requirements, and the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 1.0. Section 508 applies to websites and software purchased and used by employees of the Federal Government. WCAG 1.0 is a voluntary standard that has been widely adopted both in and outside of the United States. The standard has three levels of compliance: Priority One, which websites must meet to ensure accessibility, Priority Two, which websites should meet, and Priority Three, which websites may meet.

List of Section 508 Requirements

(or go to the Federal Government's Section 508 site: http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Content&ID=3)

Summary of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0

(or see the details about WCAG 1.0 on the W3C website: http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/)

Comparison of Section 508 and WCAG 1.0