Section 508 Word accessibility checker (WCAG 2.0 AA)
The Revised 508 Standards require federal agencies' electronic content, including Word and PowerPoint files, to conform to WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA (E205.4).
Four criteria don't apply to non-web documents
Under the E205.4 exception, non-web documents don't have to meet 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks, 2.4.5 Multiple Ways, 3.2.3 Consistent Navigation and 3.2.4 Consistent Identification. For non-web documents, "Web page" in WCAG 2.0 is read as "document" (E205.4.1).
WCAG 2.0 vs 2.1
Accessmith's rules target WCAG 2.1 AA, which includes every WCAG 2.0 success criterion, so the issues it finds are relevant to WCAG 2.0 AA work too.
What Accessmith checks in Word
- Pictures and objects without alt text, or alt text that is just a file name
- Skipped heading levels and empty headings in Word
- Tables without a header row
- Missing or duplicate slide titles in PowerPoint
- Document title not set
- Text colour contrast below the WCAG 2.1 AA ratio
- Vague link text such as "click here", and bare web addresses
- Empty paragraphs used for spacing, and lists typed with "-" or "•"
A person still has to check what no automatic tool can judge: whether alt text is accurate and useful, reading order on complex slides, meaning carried by colour alone, captions for media, plain language, and anything Accessmith flags as "check by hand".
Section 508 also covers which content is in scope (E205.2 public facing, E205.3 official communications); your agency's 508 program decides how it applies.
Sources (checked 25 October 2026): Revised 508 Standards, E205.4 (U.S. Access Board); WCAG 2.1 (W3C Recommendation).