Preserve Accessibility Expertise: DHS Trusted Tester Study Group
A collaborative effort to keep Section 508 training alive amid shifting DEI landscapes.
Part 3 of What I am looking forward to in 2026: Taking the DHS Trusted Tester exam. Actually, my plans go beyond just taking it. I want to motivate others to take it too.
What is the DHS Section 508 Trusted Tester?
And why is its name so long?
DHS: The United States Department of Homeland Security is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security (roughly comparable to the interior, home, or public security ministries in other countries). Within its Customer Experience Directorate sits the Accessibility and Language Services Devision which developed the Trusted Tester.
Section 508: In long “Section 508 Amendment to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973”, requires federal US agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. Think ICT procurement for federal agencies + friends.
Trusted Tester: Because that’s what it’s about! Building up the skills needed to test accessibility according to Section 508 standards. And one could argue that the official course leading up to the exam is so detailed that after successful completion, you can be trusted to know what you are doing.
Why now?
For over a year, I told myself I would enroll in the Trusted Tester course. Soon. As soon as I have time. Definitely. What finally tipped me over was the fear that the materials may cease to exist soon.
Since the great DEI purge started in 2025, more and more resources have disappeared from the internet. The call to copy, download and self-host as much as possible spread through networks. That’s when I started thinking, “Shit, if I want to take the Trusted Tester, I'd better do it fast.”
But I kept procrastinating it. Maybe because a part of me was afraid that it could really disappear from right under my nose. While it is worrying to follow the news about DEI scalebacks in the US, it still feels very detached from my own reality here in the EU. It’s different from experiencing it yourself.
And then the DEI purge hit me, all the way in Austria, in the most unexpected place: The Women Techmakers meetup we had just started! Formerly called “Women Techmakers by Google”, it was suddenly transferred to Technovation.
The end of Women Techmakers served as another sign the search giant is unwinding its diversity programs as such initiatives face increasing political pressure. […]
Google told employees that it would no longer set diversity hiring targets and would evaluate its other diversity programs. The company said as a federal contractor, it needed to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order on diversity, equity and inclusion programs for government agencies and contractors.
Hadas Gold for CNN Business, on 25 October 2025
Scary! Soon procrastination would turn into regret.
If you are interested in learning more about the international intricacies of U.S. withdrawal, I highly recommend subscribing to Curious Constructs by Sara Minkara:
For decades, the U.S. has been a major funder and shaper of disability-specific and disability-inclusive policies and programs worldwide. The erosion of that leadership and funding risks immediate and structural damage: programs shrink, coordination weakens, and accountability mechanisms disappear.
Teamwork makes the dream work!
What started as the pursuit of another certification turned into a preservation agenda: The study group sessions and materials will be recorded. Should the certification training course be discontinued, at least the knowledge will still be here.
For everyone who is also a bit intimidated by a 100% self-study course, you are warmly invited to join the study group. Share it with anyone who works in Customer Experience, ICT and especially QA.
Session 1: What is Section 508? Functional Performance Criteria, and Testing Tools
This will set the foundation for understanding the Conformance Test Process, an essential skill for ensuring that digital services and content meet accessibility standards.
We will go over what Section 508 is, how the certification process and exam are structured, which deadlines to keep in mind, and recap WCAG and POUR Principles before we start with practical accessibility testing.
This series builds on our previous Accessibility Webinar Series. If you are new to accessibility auditing, review the recordings in advance or in between sessions, as we won’t go into the details of WCAG and POUR principles.
Session 1: What is Section 508? Functional performance criteria and standards, getting familiar with testing tools and how they work (the long but important theory part)
Session 2: Auto-Playing and Auto-Updating Content + Flashing
Session 3: Keyboard Access and Focus
Session 4: Forms
Session 5: Links + Images + Adjustable Time Limits
Session 6: Repetitive Content + Content Structure
Session 7: Language + Page Titles, Frames, and iFrames
Session 8: Sensory Characteristics and Contrast + Tables
Session 9: CSS Positioning + Pre-Recorded Audio-Only, Video-Only, and Animations
Session 10: Synchronized Media
Session 11: Resize Text + Multiple Ways + Parsing
Session 12: Conforming Alternate Version and Non-Interference + Conformance Reporting + Q&A
The study group will run over the course of 6 months, allowing you to complete the free prep track in parallel. Visit the DHS Customer Experience Directorate (CXD) Training Portal to create your free account and access courses on accessibility, customer experience (CX), and usability testing.
See you on February 6!