Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
Authoring Alternative Text
Alternative Text, also known as alt text, is descriptive text that conveys the meaning of an image in digital content. It’s designed to make visual content accessible to people with vision disabilities.
Learn about the purpose of alternative text, the general guidelines for writing it, and common mistakes to avoid.
Authoring Meaningful Alternative TextOur Mission
On January 18, 2017, the U.S. Access Board published a final rule updating accessibility requirements for information and communication technology (ICT) covered by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and Section 255 of the Communications Act.
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Office of Government-wide Policy (OGP) is tasked under this law to provide technical assistance to help Federal agencies comply with these requirements, and ensure that covered ICT is accessible to, and usable by, individuals with disabilities.
![A portion of a computer keyboard with shining Accessibility text and symbol in place of the enter key](/assets/images/mission.png)