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Disclaimer: FHWA is committed to making its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) accessible by meeting the 

requirements of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The tools, resources, criteria and other items provided herein are for 

internal use by FHWA for ICT it procures, develops, maintains, and utilizes. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use by 

third parties of the information contained in this document. 

Section 508 101 – Five Things Anyone Can Do to Get Started Right 

FHWA-HAD-21-010 

The checklist below covers five areas to incorporate accessibility into products, which may include a Word 

file, email, or GovDelivery Bulletin. These five things establish the groundwork for accessibility and are 

the foundation to making a Section 508 conformant version as easy and frustration-free as possible. This 

assumes a working knowledge of authoring tools options. See other documentation for detailed discussion 

on any area or bullet point. 

Structure 

Use built-in options for structuring the product.

• Title – Use the “Title” style once. This is based on the Normal Paragraph style. 

• Headings – Style all visual headings and subheadings. Start with “Heading 1” and work down in 

hierarchal order. 

• Paragraph – Use the “Normal Paragraph.”

• Lists – Use the “List” Tool to create lists. 

• Tables – Use the “Table” Tool to insert tables. 

• Links – Use unique and descriptive terms for linked words. Do not use ‘click here,’ ‘read more,’ 

etc. 

• Space between elements – Adjust the space before and after an element by editing the 

element’s style. Do not create a blank paragraph by pressing enter twice. 

• Note on Styles – Pick the correct style for the content. Do not select a style for the look. 

Graphics 

• Add alt text to images. Use as few words as possible to convey the meaning of the image. 

• Provide alt text in a separate file for equations and other objects that do not have alt text 

option. Add the file to the final conformant version. 

• Do not repeat the caption as alt text. 

• Avoid text as graphics. This applies to content copied from another source. Acceptable uses of 

text as a graphic include logos, infographics, and flow charts. 

Sensory Characteristics 

• Avoid references to shape, size sound, color, or location. 

• Do not use color alone to convey information. 

o Recommend using underlines only for links. 

o If changing color for a reason, (i.e., green text for updates or highlight for new items) 

that information also needs to be conveyed in a different way. 
Section 508 101 – Five Things You Can Do to Get Started Right

FHWA-HAD-21-010 December 2020 2

o On graphs and charts, provide category/series labels (not the value of the point or 

segment), unique markers or line styles, or some other non-color visual way to 

distinguish lines/segments.

• Ensure minimum color contrast between font color and the background. This includes graphics 

where an image of text is unavoidable.

• Avoid text on a patterned or image background.

• Avoid flashing, blinking, or any other movement.

Tables

• Avoid tables for layout. If unavoidable, tab through content to confirm correct reading order.

• Ensure table is rectangular and that there are no missing cells in any row. Blank data cells are 

acceptable.

• Ensure each column and row has a header(s). 

• Ensure the data in each column or row belongs to that header(s). Avoid visually structuring a 

table by placing a row header above its associated data. 

• Avoid putting two or more tables together either side by side or top to bottom.

• Ensure that only data is in the table. Do not use a table cell to caption the table or add

footnotes/endnotes.

Saving 

• If the product can be saved, save as an accessible version (e.g., docx for Word and pptx for 

PowerPoint).