New web accessibility law

TLDR 💥

• A new federal law mandates local government digital content be accessible to everyone.
• This includes websites, mobile apps, forms, PDFs, social media, and more.

Why it matters 🚨

• 1 in 4 Americans live with some type of disability.
• Over 12% of adults have a cognitive disability, like autism, attention deficit, and dyslexia.
• Non-compliance puts your agency at risk for lawsuits.
• People don’t like PDFs.

What they say 💬

U.S. Department of Justice:

• “For far too long, people with disabilities have been left behind as we’ve witnessed more services and government activity increasingly move online.”
• “The rule, which clarifies the standards for making mobile apps and websites accessible, is vital to people’s ability to use and benefit from public programs and services.”

Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice:

• “Sometimes, inaccessible websites and mobile apps can keep people with disabilities from joining or fully participating in civic or other community events like town meetings or programs at their child’s school.”

What is web accessibility? 🤔

• Online content that everyone, including people with disabilities, can use and understand.
• Includes people with visual, auditory, physical, cognitive, and neurological disabilities.

4 key principles (aka POUR)

Perceivable

Users must be able to perceive the information.

Examples:

• Text descriptions for images so screen readers can convey what’s shown.
• Captioning on videos for people with hearing impairments.

Operable

Users should be able to navigate and interact with content.

This includes:

• Keyboard-friendly navigation for users who can’t use a mouse.
• Clear and consistent navigation to make finding information easier.

Understandable

Content should be readable and intuitive.

This can involve:

• Simple, plain language and clear instructions.
• Predictable website layouts to reduce confusion.

Robust

Content must work with various technologies, including assistive devices.

Examples:

• Code that’s compatible with screen readers, voice recognition, and other tools.
• Regular updates to ensure compatibility with evolving tech standards.

WCAG: the web accessibility acronym 🤓

The new law requires websites and digital content to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA guidelines.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is an international standard. Versions evolve over time. Each guideline has 3 levels of success criteria: A, AA, and AAA.

Elephant in the new law: PDFs 🐘

The new law includes making sure PDFs (and other documents) are accessible.

Most governments have thousands of PDFs online. It’s time consuming and expensive to make them accessible.

Governments should:

• Default to web text, wherever possible.
• Set standards for when an accessible PDF is allowed.

What makes a PDF accessible

• Selectable and resizable text
• Sequential headings
• Tags
• Logical reading order
• Alt text for images and graphics
• Fillable form fields
• Properly formatted tables
• Sufficient color contrast

Tools of the trade ⚒️

• Web accessibility evaluation tool (WebAIM)
• PDF accessibility tools and resources (Digital AY11)
• Accessibility training, tools, and events (General Services Agency)

Federal digital accessibility 🏛️

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires federal agencies make their online information accessible to people with disabilities. They help agencies meet accessibility laws with:

• Policies
• Purchasing
• Content
• Design and development
• Testing
• Trainings

Go deeper ⛏️

Reading:

• Fact sheet: New rule on the accessibility of web content and mobile apps provided by state and local governments
• What local governments need to know about the new accessibility law

Orgs:

• WebAIM: Web Accessibility In Mind
• AY11 Project