Digital Accessibility

What Does Accessibility Mean?

Web accessibility is a set of standards and design guidelines developed to ensure that people with disabilities area able to use websites and online tools.  Accessibility ensures that all residents have equal access to the services that a municipality is providing online.

Ensuring that your website and online tools are accessible is important in ensuring that all residents have equal access to the online information and services that a municipality is providing. Adding accessibility features and keeping best practies in mind when creating content is beneficial for residents with vision impairments, those using a screen reader, users with cognitive disabilities, those that do not use traditional keyboard navigation, color blindness, ADHD, dyslexia, and more. If you provide tools and access to documents online that are not accessible, those using assistive technologies or with other disabilities may not have access to the same tools that others within your municipality are able to access.

Who Accessbility Benefits

• Visually impaired individuals: Including those with low vision, the blind, and color blindness.
• Deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals: These individuals will need transcripts and closed captioning on videos and auditory pieces.
• Physical/Motor issues: Some conditions make it difficult to use a mouse.
• Cognitive/Learning: Such as dyslexia or ADHD.
• Seizure safe displays.
• Senior citizens with declining vision.

Examples of Assistive Technologies

• Screen readers.
• Braille displays.
• Text-to-speech readers.
• Eye gaze trackers.

New Guidelines Published for Local Governments

In April 2024, the Department of Justice published a ruling for local governments establishing a timeline for them comply with WCAG 2.1 AA standards. (A checklist of standards,helpful in breaking down the 2.1 AA standards.

WCAG is an internationally recognized set of standards focused on helping web developers ensure that content is accessible to those with disabilities. Compliance dates within the ruling are dictated by a muncipality's population size.

Department of Justice Ruling

Fact Sheet: New Rule on the Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps Provided by State and Local Governments

Compliance Dates

• April 24, 2026: Public entities with populations greater than 50,000 people.
• April 26, 2027: Public entities with populations less than 50,000 people and special district governments.

American's with Disabilities Act

Applicable laws include the American's with Disabilities Act, Section 504 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.