Celebrating 25 Years of Section 508 Standards

June 21, 2026, marks the 25th anniversary of the original enforcement date of the U.S. Access Board's Section 508 Standards. Over the past quarter century, the standards have played a critical role in helping to ensure that Americans with disabilities have access to federal information and communication technology (ICT).

On August 7, 1998, President Clinton signed the Workforce Investment Act into law, which included the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998. These amendments transformed Section 508 from non-binding guidelines into enforceable standards, which the Access Board developed. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires that ICT created, procured, maintained, or used by federal agencies is accessible to people with disabilities. On December 21, 2000, the Board issued the initial version of the 508 Technical Standards, which became enforceable under law beginning June 21, 2001.

The Workforce Investment Act was later repealed by Congress and replaced by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014.

Later, on January 18, 2017, the Board issued the Revised 508 Standards, a refresh to update the original technical standards. Since then, the Access Board has continued to develop resources to help federal agencies, state and local governments, private businesses, and members of the public ensure that their ICT is accessible. Some of these resources include the bi-monthly Section 508 Best Practices webinar series, the ICT Testing Baseline Portfolio, and various contributions to Section508.gov in partnership with the General Services Administration (GSA).

Additionally, the Access Board provides confidential technical assistance on its ICT accessibility guidelines and standards through its email at [email protected] and through its helpline at 1-202-272-0080, extension 3, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (ET) weekdays. Accessibility specialists are available to answer questions on accessibility as it relates to ICT and various other contexts.

The next installment in the Section 508 Best Practices webinar series is entitled "U.S. Digital Accessibility: Laws, Resources, and Real-World Insights," and will take place on July 14, 2026. Register for this session today and subscribe for email updates so you never miss an upcoming webinar.