Are your surveys 508 compliant and accessible?

Your SurveyMonkey survey designs are now Section 508 compliant and accessible!

We ensure that, by using our standard survey designs, your survey will meet Section 508 accessibility standards (otherwise known as Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973). Our developers have updated our SurveyMonkey survey design system so that almost all question types are Section 508 compliant.  All standard survey designs are 508 compliant for respondents with disabilities. This has all been accomplished without changing the appealing look or functionality of your survey. The only question type that is not 508 compliant is our ranking question type.

• You do not need to add any special settings or change anything within your survey design, except to avoid the ranking question type.
• If you are using a standard survey theme in your survey design, it is automatically 508 compliant.

What is Section 508?

Section 508 is a US federal law that outlines standards that make online information and services accessible to users with disabilities. Please view the Section 508 government web site to access a government page that outlines details of section 508 standards and includes links to resources.

In order to become certified as 508 compliant, we had to comply with the following set of standards used to evaluate our site:

• Keyboard access for mobility impaired users
• Color contrast for users with low vision
• Alternative content for visual aspects of the site so that assistive products, such as screen readers, can easily access and translate information to users.

Benefits of Web Accessibility:

We believe that it is important for our customers to be able to reach the broadest range of potential respondents possible to provide you with the most accurate results.

• It is estimated that there are 54 million people in America living with a disability.
• Federal standards require that 508 certified software and technologies must be used if they are available.
• Being able to access feedback from this demographic will allow you to more effectively address the concerns and views of a more representative population. 

RampWEB Web Accessibility Consulting:

To achieve compliancy we worked closely with the RampWEB Web Accessibility Consulting  group who certified us as Section 508 compliant on June 5, 2008. RampWEB is the industry leader in web accessibility and is one of the most trusted names in accessibility certification. For more information please visit the RampWEB Web Accessibility Consulting site.

We were fortunate enough to be able to collaborate with one of RampWEB’s top accessibility consultants, Jim Thatcher, a pioneer in accessibility whose efforts have helped create many of the 508 standards in use today. With their help in design, consultation and implementation of the latest web accessibility standards, we have created user-friendly survey formats accessible with a broad range of disability software. 

Voluntary Product Accessibility Template: 

The purpose of the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, or VPAT, is to assist Federal contracting officials and other buyers in making preliminary assessments regarding the availability of commercial "Electronic and Information Technology" products and services with features that support accessibility.The VPAT was developed by the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) in partnership with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA).

How does this affect setting up my survey?

Surveys created by SurveyMonkey include the necessary labeling for screen readers to easily relay page content to users with the one exception of the . You do not have to change anything in your basic survey design in order to allow those users with disabilities to be able to access your survey except to omit this ranking question type from your survey design.

To learn more about how to use your keyboard to navigate through a survey, click here.