Joomla Section 508 Checker

Section 508 for Joomla Sites

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires federal agencies to make the information and communication technology they develop, buy, maintain or use accessible. The Revised 508 Standards, in effect since January 2018, incorporate WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA for web content, electronic documents and software.

Private businesses are not directly covered, but agencies must buy accessible technology, so vendors are often asked for an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) based on the VPAT. This checker runs the scan with the WCAG 2.0 AA preset that Section 508 uses.

Joomla is often used for agency and university sites. Under Section 508, the theme, plugins and every PDF you publish are in scope, so scan the templates and check documents with a PDF accessibility checker.

Who Should Run the Joomla Section 508 Checker

• Federal agencies running a site or microsite on Joomla.
• Contractors and vendors whose Joomla site or portal is part of a federal contract.
• Agencies and vendors preparing a VPAT or Accessibility Conformance Report.
• State bodies and universities whose policies adopt Section 508.

Section 508 Checks That Matter for Joomla Sites

• 1.1.1 Non-text Content

  Every image, icon and chart needs a text alternative, or must be marked as decorative.

• 1.3.1 Info and Relationships

  Headings, lists, tables and form labels must be marked up so assistive technology can read the structure.

• 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum)

  Text needs a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1, or 3:1 for large text.

• 2.1.1 Keyboard

  Every function must work with a keyboard alone.

• 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks

  Provide a way to skip repeated navigation, such as a skip link.

• 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value

  Custom controls need a name, role and state that assistive technology can read.

Where Joomla Sites Usually Fail Section 508

These problems come up again and again on Joomla sites, and each one fails Section 508. The Joomla accessibility checker explains how to fix them in Joomla.

• Template overrides. Overrides in the template’s html folder replace core output, and they can quietly drop labels, ARIA attributes and heading levels that Joomla would have produced.
• Module titles and positions. Modules output their titles as headings, so a module placed in the sidebar can break the heading order, and empty modules leave empty landmarks.
• Articles edited in the editor. Images inserted in the editor often go in without alt text, and text styled to look like a heading is a bold paragraph to a screen reader.
• Contact and form extensions. The core contact form and form extensions such as RSForm or ChronoForms can ship fields with placeholders instead of labels and errors that are not announced.
• Page builders, sliders and galleries. Commercial page builders and slider extensions generate nested markup, auto-advancing slides with no pause control and images without text alternatives.

Worried about ADA claims as well? The Joomla ADA compliance checker covers the Joomla risks behind most complaints.

What to Test by Hand on Joomla

Automated testing finds many, but not all, Section 508 failures. Check these yourself after the scan:

1. Test every page with a keyboard only, including menus and dialogs (2.1.1).
2. Check documents and PDFs separately, since Section 508 covers them too.
3. Record results per criterion if you need to complete a VPAT or ACR.
4. Rescan after each fix. Continuous monitoring rescans up to 500 URLs per domain daily and keeps a dated record in the Compliance Vault.

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Related Guides

• Section 508 CheckerThe Section 508 standard in full, for any website.
• WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content Explained in Plain EnglishWCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content explained simply: how to write alt text for every kind of image, icon, chart and CAPTCHA, with code examples and a test routine.
• WCAG 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide Explained in Plain EnglishWCAG 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide explained simply: what moving and auto-updating content needs, the 5-second rule, carousel fixes and how to test your pages.
• Free Tools to Check Website Accessibility: 6 Best Options ComparedCompare the best free tools to check website accessibility: AccessBell, WAVE, axe DevTools, Accessibility Insights, Lighthouse and ANDI, and when to use each.
• WCAG Success Criteria LibraryLook up any criterion the scan flags, in plain language.

Joomla Section 508 Checker: Frequently Asked Questions