Building a Section 508 Testing Process with the Right Tools
A robust Section 508 testing program requires more than running a single automated scanner. Research consistently shows automated tools catch between 30 and 40 percent of accessibility issues — the majority of barriers can only be found through manual inspection and assistive technology testing. For federal agencies and contractors, testing must be systematic, documented, and repeatable.
Automated Testing Tools for Section 508 Compliance
axe by Deque Systems
axe-core is the open-source accessibility testing engine embedded in browser developer tools, browser extensions, and dozens of testing frameworks. Its rule set maps explicitly to WCAG 2.1 AA and Section 508 criteria. Integration with Jest, Cypress, Playwright, and Selenium enables accessibility regression testing in automated pipelines.
WAVE by WebAIM
WAVE provides a visual overlay directly on web pages highlighting errors, alerts, and structural elements. Available as a free browser extension and API for automated batch scanning. Particularly useful for identifying missing form labels, empty links, missing alt text, and low color contrast.
ANDI by SSA
ANDI (Accessible Name and Description Inspector) is a free bookmarklet developed by the Social Security Administration for Section 508 testing. It is the recommended tool in many federal agency 508 testing guides and is used in the DHS Trusted Tester methodology.
PAC (PDF Accessibility Checker)
PAC evaluates PDF documents for conformance with ISO 14289 (PDF/UA) and WCAG criteria. PDFs are a major source of 508 noncompliance in federal properties. PAC 2024 is the current version, available free as a Windows desktop application.
Manual Testing Methods for Section 508 Compliance
- Keyboard-only navigation of all interactive elements and user flows
- Color contrast checking with Colour Contrast Analyser at 4.5:1 for normal text
- Review of all form error messages for clarity and programmatic association
- Verification that captions are accurate for video content
- Inspection of all ARIA landmarks, roles, and properties for correctness
Assistive Technologies for Section 508 Testing
- JAWS with Chrome or Edge on Windows — primary federal reference AT
- NVDA with Firefox or Chrome on Windows — widely used free screen reader
- VoiceOver with Safari on macOS — required for Apple platform conformance
- VoiceOver with Safari on iOS — essential for mobile Section 508 testing
- TalkBack with Chrome on Android — covers Android mobile user base
- Dragon NaturallySpeaking for voice control and speech recognition testing
Marcus Reed
Accessibility Engineer
A certified accessibility consultant at BuildWithAccess helping organizations achieve WCAG compliance and build more inclusive digital experiences.
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