WordPress Section 508 Checker

Section 508 for WordPress 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.

WordPress 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 WordPress Section 508 Checker

• Federal agencies running a site or microsite on WordPress.
• Contractors and vendors whose WordPress 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 WordPress 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 WordPress Sites Usually Fail Section 508

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

• Page builder markup. Elementor, Divi and WPBakery generate deeply nested, non-semantic divs and often style text to look like a heading without using a real heading tag, so screen readers cannot find the page structure.
• Contact form errors. Contact Form 7 and similar plugins frequently ship with missing field labels or error messages that are not announced to screen readers when a submission fails.
• WooCommerce galleries and carts. Product image galleries and cart interactions commonly trap keyboard focus, blocking anyone who cannot use a mouse from completing a purchase.
• Cookie banners. Consent banners are a common source of keyboard traps, especially when they load after the page and grab focus without a way to close them by keyboard.
• Decorative icons and sliders. Icon fonts and image sliders frequently expose decorative graphics to screen readers as unlabeled content, and carousels often ignore focus and pause controls.

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

What to Test by Hand on WordPress

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.
• 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.
• Automated vs Manual Accessibility Testing: Where Each FitsWhat automated accessibility testing catches, what needs a human, and how to combine both into a repeatable process for finding and fixing WCAG issues.
• WCAG Success Criteria LibraryLook up any criterion the scan flags, in plain language.

WordPress Section 508 Checker: Frequently Asked Questions