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

SurveyMonkey is now the only online survey application whose surveys are Section 508 Certified. We ensure that by using our standard survey designs, your survey will meet all current US Federal Section 508 certification guidelines. Our developers have updated our SurveyMonkey survey design system across the board in all accounts. All standard survey designs are accessible and 508 certified and compliant for respondents with disabilities. This has all been accomplished without changing the appealing look or function of your survey.

• You do not need to add any special settings or change anything within your survey design.
• 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 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 outline details of section 508 standards and includes links to resources.

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

• 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?

It doesn’t! Surveys created by SurveyMonkey include the necessary labeling for screen readers to easily relay page content to users. 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. 

To learn more about setting up your surveys for accessibility, please review the following Tutorial: Section 508