Government entities are still struggling to comply with accessibility laws
“Over 1 billion people are estimated to live with some form of disability. This corresponds to about 15% of the world's population, with up to 190 million (3.8%) people aged 15 years and older having significant difficulties”
World Health Organization, December 2020
Accessibility defined
Accessibility involves two key issues
Accessibility matters
26% of adults in the United States have some type of disability. At the same time, statistics about individuals with disabilities may be misleading. As people get older, most face a disability of some kind. So, there’s a significant amount of the population that can be served better if web content is made accessible for all.
According to a study by UsableNet, more than 3,500 digital accessibility lawsuits were filed in 2020, a 23% increase over the prior year
2020 Accessibility Lawsuit Report, UsableNet.
The right thing to do
Accessibility represents an important step towards independence for individuals with disabilities. Accessible web pages provide access to fundamental government services and information, such as tax forms, social programs, and legislative representatives. Accessible web pages also make possible a broader range of employment and educational opportunities by providing added means of communication. In addition, accessibility allows users with disabilities to participate in day-to-day activities many of us take for granted, such as reading a newspaper or buying a gift for a loved one.
As with many improvements intended for individuals with disabilities, the enhancements of accessible design offer benefits for all users of the web. Anyone who has pushed a shopping cart out of a grocery store can attest to the value of automatic doors and ramps cut into curbs. Similarly, accessible web pages are often easier to read, easier to navigate, and faster to download.
ITIF tested the most popular federal websites and found that 30% did not pass an automated accessibility test for their homepage, and nearly half (48%) failed the test on at least 1 of their 3 most popular pages
Improving Accessibility of Federal Government Websites, ITIF, June 2021.
Why governments should be concerned about accessibility
The Section 508 Amendment to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires all federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. The 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act, passed in 2018, reinforces the requirement for federal agencies to take action quickly to ensure websites and web-based forms are accessible in accordance with Section 508.
Similar laws have been enacted at the state level, like Washington State’s Policy 188, which mandates Level AA compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. For virtually all government entities today, accessibility is not just the right thing to do, it is a legal requirement.
However, government entities are still struggling to comply with accessibility laws and better serve visitors with disabilities in need of information and support from government websites. Failure to comply with accessibility requirements can result in negative publicity, costly lawsuits, and dwindling citizen satisfaction.
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“With the plug-in, Adobe Experience Manager editors can easily access the Siteimprove data within the CMS, and act accordingly without switching between systems.
Claus Thor Nielsen, Senior Digital Advisor, Valtech”
Adobe solutions for web accessibility
Adobe is an industry leader in accessibility and supports the creation of outstanding web experiences by encouraging developers and creatives to produce rich, engaging content that is accessible to all.
Adobe Experience Manager Forms is an enterprise form and document management solution that helps entities create end-to-end experiences that deliver digital forms to millions of customers. With the adaptive forms feature, accessible HTML-based forms can be created for citizens. Adobe Experience Manager Forms supports labels for form controls, text equivalents for images, strong color contrast, and keyboard controls to help ensure that forms are accessible.
Adobe Experience Manager Sites allows entities to build accessible content and websites. Adobe Experience Manager integrates with?Siteimprove, via a plug-in, to help joint customers easily analyze websites for SEO, accessibility, and content errors from within the content management system itself.
The plug-in streamlines workflows and enables teams to fix errors and optimize content directly in the editing environment. Once a page is published, any changes made are re-checked instantly, which increases productivity, reduces the time teams spend on manual tasks, and reduces time-to-market.
By leveraging Adobe Experience Manager Sites and Forms, alone or in combination with Adobe Creative Cloud, governments have access to the tools they need to meet accessibility needs of their citizens.
Adobe Consulting – Expert services in the journey for accessibility
Adobe Consulting offers Accessibility Services to help government entities deliver engaging experiences for all users. In addition to implementing accessible websites and forms, Adobe Consulting can partner with government agencies to develop an accessibility strategy, design an accessible foundation, and support ongoing compliance efforts. The following is just a sample of what Adobe Consulting can do:
Ask me for help
Jason Zagami
Enterprise AE for State & Local Government at Adobe
781-929-7946