DHS Trusted Tester Certification: What is Section 508? Functional Performance Criteria, Web Standards & Testing Tools
Source: Dev.to
Study Group Announcement
Together with the Google Developer Group Vienna, I am hosting a study group for the DHS Trusted Tester certification. You can watch the previous session recordings on YouTube and access the presentation and transcript.
- Next session: Friday, March 6, 4 PM CET (GDG Vienna)
Topics: testing auto‑playing and auto‑updating content, flashing content.
The study group is free and 100 % online. We meet every other Friday for about six months to cover testing topics and examples from the Trusted Tester course. To receive a certification, you must enroll in and complete the DHS Trusted Tester course.
Section 508 Overview
Section 508 is part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. It requires any ICT (information and communication technology) developed, procured, maintained, or used by the U.S. federal government to be accessible to people with disabilities. This guarantees that federal employees and the public can use government‑provided software, websites, hardware, and documents.
DHS Trusted Tester Program
The DHS Trusted Tester program is a manual‑testing methodology created by the Department of Homeland Security. It follows the ICT Testing Baseline, produces repeatable, reliable conformance results, and provides an audit‑ready way to prove that a product meets Section 508—far more trustworthy than relying only on automated tools.
Session 1 Covered
Vision
- No‑vision (screen reader)
- Limited vision (magnification)
- No colour perception (color contrast)
Hearing
- No‑hearing (captions, transcripts)
- Limited hearing (visual alerts)
Speech
- No‑speech
Manipulation
- Limited fine motor control (keyboard‑only navigation)
Reach & Strength
- Ability to press large targets, use assistive switches
Language / Cognitive
- Simple language, clear instructions, consistent navigation
These topics map directly to the POUR principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust) that appear throughout the course.
Key Insight
“Electronic content” is a catch‑all term that includes PDFs, e‑books, emergency alerts, automated emails, survey forms, and kiosk interfaces. The same accessibility principles that govern HTML also apply to these formats, though testing techniques differ.
- PDFs: proper tagging, logical reading order, descriptive alt text for images.
- E‑books: structural markup enabling screen readers to navigate chapters, tables of contents, and footnotes.
Mastering the core concepts allows you to transfer them to virtually any digital artifact.
Homework (Until Next Session)
Complete the first three modules covered in the DHS CX Directive:
- What is Section 508? – Theory & History
- Standards for Web – POUR, WCAG, Functional Performance Criteria
- Testing Tools – ANDI, autoplay settings, and contrast checker
- Explore the ANDI bookmarklet on a few of your own sites and familiarize yourself with the contrast‑checker.
- If you encounter any broken links in the official course, let me know—I’ve saved copies of the older resources.
Recordings & Materials
- Recordings: [YouTube playlist]
- Slides & Transcripts: [Link to slides]
- GDG Vienna: [Event page]
- Previous Accessibility Webinar Series: [Archive]