Accessibility FAQs

Digital accessibility is the practice of ensuring that websites, software, documents, videos, and other online content can be accessed and used by people with disabilities. This includes making digital experiences inclusive for individuals with vision, hearing, cognitive, and motor impairments.

The four main principles of digital accessibility, known as POUR, are:

• Perceivable: Content can be perceived through at least one sense.
• Operable: Interactive elements can be used by all users.
• Understandable: Content and navigation are clear, predictable, and easy to understand.
• Robust: Content can be accessed using various technologies and devices, including assistive devices like screen readers.

Digital accessibility benefits everyone, including:

• Mobile device users with small screens
• Older adults with changing abilities
• People with temporary disabilities (e.g., broken arm)
• Those with slow internet connections

Check out the following resources for more specific guidelines on topics such as plain language, linking, alt text for images, writing for the web, and accessible documents:

 Internal ASTHO Resources

• Tips & Tricks: Improving Digital Accessibility
• Accessibility Training Sessions
• Accessible Word Documents
• Accessible PDFs
• Web Content Guidelines
• Alt Text and Long Description Techniques for Image Accessibility

External Resources

• plainlanguage.gov
• Shorter, simpler words by King County
• January Accessibility Focus: Links and Text by Pope Tech

The Americans with Disabilities Act is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against, and requires equitable access for, people with disabilities. ADA’s connection to digital accessibility may not be immediately obvious, but digital accessibility is considered covered under the large umbrella of equal access to public areas that ADA guarantees. However, there is no language in the law explicitly dedicated to digital content because it was written in 1990 — well before the rise of the digital era.

Section 504 of the of the 1973 (Vocational) Rehabilitation Act requires any entity that gets federal funding to provide equal access to electronic information technologies for people with disabilities.

Section 508 of the 1973 (Vocational) Rehabilitation Act requires federal agencies provide equal access to electronic information technologies for people with disabilities. It was originally written in 1998, and then updated in 2018 ("508 Refresh") to include standards for mobile technology.

Accessibility refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people with disabilities. It ensures that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can access and use a website or application. Usability, on the other hand, is about the ease of use and efficiency with which a user can achieve their goals on a website or application. While accessibility focuses on removing barriers for people with disabilities, usability focuses on improving the overall user experience for everyone.

Accessibility and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) often go hand in hand. Features like alt text for images, proper heading structures, and descriptive link text not only help users with disabilities but also improve a website's search engine ranking. This means that making website content accessible can also enhance its visibility and reach in search engine results.

Descriptive link text is important because it provides clear information about the link's destination or purpose, which is essential for users who rely on screen readers. Instead of using generic phrases like "click here" or "read more," descriptive link text helps users understand what to expect when they follow the link. This improves accessibility and usability overall.

Check out Tips & Tricks: Improving Digital Accessibility to learn more about links and link text.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, or WCAG, are a series of web accessibility guidelines published by the Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), an international organization dedicated to establishing open web standards.

WCAG 2.0

The original version of WCAG was released in 1999 and focused on how to make existing technologies more accessible, however the pace of technology quickly overtook the guidelines. To remedy that, W3C went back to the drawing board and came up with WCAG 2.0 in 2008. 2.0 changed the emphasis of the guidelines from specific technologies to a principle-based approach. Now, rather than requiring that all web browsers meet a specific technical standard, WCAG requires that digital products, including content, adhere to four basic principles: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust (or POUR).

Version 2.0 also introduced the concept of conformance levels. There are now three different levels of WCAG compliance: A (lowest), AA (middle), AAA (greatest).

WCAG 2.0 AA is the accepted standard for government compliance, even though it does not include mobile technology.

WCAG 2.1

In 2018 W3C released WCAG 2.1, which updated the existing iteration by addressing the rise of mobile technology. It’s important to note that all WCAG versions are backwards compatible, so being 2.1 compliant means that you are also 1.0 and 2.0 compliant.

ASTHO has adopted WCAG 2.1 AA as the organization’s standard.

WCAG 2.2

WCAG 2.2 was officially adopted by W3C in October 2023 and is currently being examined by the ASTHO web team for implementation. It is likely that updates to this and other ASTHO accessibility documents are on the horizon as we get a better feel for this newest set of recommendations.

Future WCAG Versions?

WCAG 3.0 is currently in development but is considered an incomplete draft. While changes between 2.1 and 2.2 are minor, 3.0 is expected to be a major paradigm shift.

Document accessibility refers to the practice of creating documents that can be easily read and understood by everyone, including people with disabilities. This involves ensuring that documents are compatible with assistive technologies like screen readers, have clear and logical structure, and use accessible formats and features.

Making documents accessible is important because it ensures that all individuals, regardless of their abilities, can access and understand the information. This promotes inclusivity and equal access to information, which is not only a legal requirement in many places but also a moral and ethical responsibility. Accessible documents also improve the overall user experience and can be beneficial for everyone, not just those with disabilities.

Word documents are the backbone of many ASTHO deliverables, from notes and outlines to a CB product’s finished PDF, which is why using best practices is so important for accessibility.

Check out the following ASTHO resources:

• Accessible Word Documents
• Accessibility Training Session 3: Word Documents and PDFs

For almost every Word document at ASTHO, there’s a finished PDF (Portable Document Format). PDFs are not accessible by default, but there are a couple of easy things you can do to help make them better.

Check out the following ASTHO resources:

• Accessible PDFs
• Accessibility Training Session 3: Word Documents and PDFs

Multimedia accessibility refers to the practice of making audio, video, and other multimedia content accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. This involves providing alternative formats and features such as captions, transcripts, audio descriptions, and accessible media players to ensure that everyone can access and understand the content.

Making multimedia content accessible is important because it ensures that all individuals, regardless of their abilities, can access and benefit from the information. This promotes inclusivity and equal access, which is not only a legal requirement in many places but also a moral and ethical responsibility. Accessible multimedia content also enhances the overall user experience and can reach a wider audience, including those who may have temporary disabilities or prefer alternative formats.

Captions are synchronized text representations of spoken dialogue and relevant sound effects in a video, displayed on-screen as the audio plays.

They benefit:

• People who are deaf or hard of hearing.
• Viewers in noisy environments.
• People watching content in a non-native language.

Transcripts are complete written records of all spoken content from an audio or video source, presented as plain text without time codes.

They benefit:

• Users using assistive technology, such as screen readers
• People with cognitive or learning disabilities
• Individuals searching for specific information

Common accessibility issues in multimedia content include:

• Lack of captions for videos, which can exclude users who are deaf or hard of hearing.
• No transcripts for audio content, making it inaccessible to those who cannot hear.
• Absence of audio descriptions for visual content, which can be problematic for users who are blind or have low vision.
• Poor color contrast in visual elements, making it difficult for users with visual impairments to see.

Many people with disabilities use specialized technologies, broadly called “assistive technology,” to make navigating the world easier and more equitable. What is assistive technology? It includes a wide range of devices, like screen readers, speech-to-text software, and head or eye trackers. Not all assistive technologies are digital, though — wheelchairs and hearing aids are some of the best-known products in this field.

In the context of digital accessibility, individuals with disabilities are generally grouped into four overarching categories: visual, hearing, physical/mobility, and cognitive. There are specialized techniques and devices that are designed to help users across all of these disability types. And it is important to remember that there is a huge range within each category — visual, for example, includes many disparate conditions, such as colorblindness, low vision, and total loss of vision.

Note that the following examples are not comprehensive — there are many other technologies and techniques that are not covered here.

Visual

This is perhaps the best-represented category when discussing digital accessibility. Assistive technologies and techniques include:

• Screen readers (check out a screen reader demo!)
• High color contrast ratios
• Screen magnifiers

Hearing

Assistive technologies and techniques include:

• Captions on videos
• Transcripts for videos or podcast episodes
• Comprehensive text (supplemented by speaker notes) on slides

Physical/Mobility

Assistive technologies and techniques include:

• Using the keyboard to navigate
• Adaptive switches
• Voice recognition software

Cognitive

Assistive technologies and techniques include:

• Reader mode on webpages
• Simple design (e.g., no flashing images or pop-ups)
• Progress indicators as the user moves through a series of pages

There’s a lot of overlap in assistive technologies, as well. For example, many users with visual impairments will also use a keyboard to navigate through a page or document, and voice recognition software can be helpful for users with visual or cognitive disabilities.

A screen reader is an assistive technology that converts text and other elements on a screen into speech or braille output. It allows users who are blind or have low vision to navigate and interact with digital content. Screen readers work by interpreting the information on the screen, including text, images (via alt text), and interface elements, and then reading it aloud or displaying it on a connected braille device. Popular screen readers include Job Access With Speech (JAWS), NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA), and VoiceOver (for Apple devices).

Check out a screen reader demo where we explore two versions of the same ASTHO product to see this assistive technology in action!