Section 508 Checker — Free Compliance Testing Tool

AriaProbe Section 508 Checker helps teams identify accessibility issues on web pages without slowing down the review process. Test pages for common accessibility gaps and understand what needs improvement first. Scan public pages, internal pages, and staging environments with clear reporting and organized results. Review issues by severity, category, and violated rule so developers can fix problems faster. Use AriaProbe to support a more reliable and repeatable Section 508 accessibility testing workflow.

Test Your Website for Section 508 Compliance

Enter any URL below and get a detailed Section 508 compliance report in seconds. Our checker scans public pages, internal pages, staging environments, and login-protected flows against WCAG 2.2 Level AA standards — the benchmark for federal accessibility compliance.

What Is a Section 508 Checker?

A Section 508 checker is an automated testing tool that evaluates websites against the accessibility standards required by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act — the US law that mandates federal agencies and organizations receiving federal funding to make their information and communication technology accessible.

What We Check:

Images & Media

Missing or non-descriptive alt text
Decorative images not marked as such
Videos without captions or transcripts

Color & Contrast

Text-to-background contrast ratios below AA/AAA thresholds
Reliance on color alone to convey meaning (e.g., red = error)

Keyboard & Focus

Elements unreachable by keyboard
Missing or invisible focus indicators
Keyboard traps where users can't tab out

Forms

Inputs without associated labels
Missing or unclear error messages
Unclear required-field indicators

Structure & Semantics

Incorrect heading order (H1 → H3 skipping H2)
Missing landmark regions (main, navigation, footer)
Improper use of ARIA roles

Navigation

Missing skip-to-content links
Inconsistent navigation across pages
Unclear link text ("click here" instead of descriptive text)

Why Section 508 Compliance Matters

Legal Requirement

Section 508 requires U.S. federal agencies and organizations that receive federal funding to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities

Who Must Comply?

Federal Agencies — All executive branch agencies must comply
Government Contractors — Organizations doing business with the federal government
Federal Grant Recipients — Organizations receiving federal funding
State & Local Governments — Many states have adopted Section 508 standards

The Standard

Section 508 requires compliance with WCAG 2.0 Level AA. However, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has updated its rule to require WCAG 2.1 Level AA for state and local governments. For federal agencies, the Section 508 Refresh (January 2018) incorporates WCAG 2.0 Level AA by reference.

How the Section 508 Checker Works

Step 1: Enter your URL — any public, staging, or login-protected page.

Step 2: Choose your scan settings and target level.

Step 3: Review your report — see all issues grouped by severity with AI-generated code fixes.

Step 4: Apply the fixes and re-scan to verify compliance.

What Standards Do We Check?

Standard	What It Covers
ADA Title III	US public accommodation requirements
WCAG 2.2 AA	International web accessibility standard
Section 508	US federal government accessibility
EAA (European Accessibility Act)	EU digital accessibility law
AODA	Ontario, Canada accessibility law

Note: Every issue we flag is cross-referenced against these standards. You'll know exactly which regulation applies.

Key Features

80+ Automated Checks

All 87 success criteria mapped. We automate more checks than most scanners — the rest are flagged for manual review with clear guidance.

AI-Powered Fixes

Every issue comes with copy-paste-ready fix code. Cut remediation time from hours to minutes.

Authenticated Scanning

Scan behind login walls with session cookie import. Works with SSO, MFA, CAPTCHA, and magic links.

Enterprise PDF Reports

Professional audit reports with executive summary, grouped issues, and methodology page. Ready for compliance teams.

Compliance Mapping

Every issue is cross-referenced against ADA Title III, WCAG, Section 508, EAA, and AODA.

Who Benefits from the Section 508 Checker?

Federal Agencies	Ensure compliance with Section 508 requirements.
Government Contractors	Meet federal contract accessibility requirements
State & Local Governments	Comply with state-level adoption of Section 508 standards.
Educational Institutions	Meet federal funding accessibility requirements.
Web Developers	Catch accessibility issues during development.
Compliance Teams	Generate audit-ready reports for legal review.

Frequently Asked Questions

A Section 508 checker is an automated tool that scans websites for accessibility violations and tests compliance with Section 508 standards — the US law requiring federal agencies to make technology accessible.

If you are a federal agency, government contractor, or organization receiving federal funding, yes. Section 508 applies to all electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained, or used by federal agencies.

Section 508 applies specifically to federal agencies and organizations receiving federal funding. ADA Title III applies to public accommodations, including private businesses with websites. Both use WCAG as the technical standard.

Section 508 is the US law that requires accessibility. WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is the technical standard used to measure compliance. The Section 508 Refresh incorporates WCAG 2.0 Level AA by reference.

It detects issues like missing alt text, low color contrast, missing form labels, keyboard navigation failures, improper heading structure, incorrect ARIA usage, and more.

Yes. Single-page scans are completely free — no signup, no email, no credit card required.

Section 508 requires WCAG 2.0 Level AA compliance. However, many agencies are moving toward WCAG 2.1/2.2 AA compliance as the new standard.

Federal agencies, government contractors, organizations receiving federal funding, and many state and local governments that have adopted Section 508 standards.

Non-compliance can result in complaints filed with federal agencies, loss of federal funding, legal action, and damage to reputation and business relationships.

Automated testing catches 30-40% of issues. The rest require manual testing for ARIA, keyboard navigation, and screen reader compatibility.

Every time you ship new code. Regular scanning helps maintain compliance and catch new issues early.

Start Your Free ADA Scan Today

Don't risk losing federal contracts or funding due to accessibility issues. Run a free Section 508 compliance scan today and get instant insights into your compliance status.
No signup. No credit card. No commitment.