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Time is growing short for local governments to design their websites to be accessible to all community members. Starting July 1, governments in Colorado must comply fully with a state web accessibility law, the first of its kind in the U.S. Meanwhile, an incoming Department of Justice rule requires local governments to meet specific standards to make their websites and mobile apps accessible by 2026. 

These upcoming deadlines go beyond mere compliance; they highlight the need to ensure all members of the community can access government services, regardless of ability. According to the CDC, about 29% of adults in the U.S., or one out of every four people, have some form of disability. Regardless of mandates, making sure your website and digital services are accessible to everyone is a good policy because it builds trust and greater engagement with local government and civic life. 

Web accessibility is imperative
Resident interactions like applying for jobs, signing up for sports leagues or paying bills and taxes often require reading text on screens and filling out forms. People may not have the dexterity or visual ability to fill out forms that aren’t fillable without a mouse or legible to assistive technologies like screen readers. Individuals with dyslexia or color blindness might have difficulty reading specific fonts or viewing content. At the same time, people with hearing loss may not be able to access video content or digital town halls unless they have captions. 

As a result, people with disabilities sometimes spend hours seeking help in person because they are unable to navigate the government’s digital platforms. This is time-consuming and unproductive for residents and government employees, whose hours are already stretched thin.

Many local governments seem to recognize that accessibility is important, yet they face obstacles to implementing it. According to recent research, 84% of local government leaders surveyed say that they recognize that web accessibility is crucial to building trust, yet fewer than 30% reported having established accessibility policies for digital platforms. The reported barriers ranged from not having the budget to perceived lack of time or expertise. 

Fortunately, there are several steps every local government can take to prioritize and implement accessibility measures well before impending compliance deadlines. 

Create an accessibility page. The page should allow the public to contact local government agencies by form, email or telephone if they encounter obstacles. 

This is a great way to start building a bridge with residents and improve public trust. If residents can easily convey an accessibility issue, their local agencies can zero in on the problem and make a plan to address it.

Use web accessibility tools. These tools range from free online checkers to more sophisticated software solutions that can scan pages and PDFs and provide automated accessibility remediation.

For example, a not-for-profit company created the WAVE web tool, the gold standard for free, automated web accessibility testing. Agencies simply drop in their URLs and get immediate insights on potential issues. While the tool occasionally returns false positives and doesn’t correct the issues, it can be a good first step. 

Make web accessibility a purchasing priority. Accessibility starts with procurement. If cities and counties don’t define clear accessibility requirements in their requests for proposals (RFP) for digital products and services, they risk leaving parts of their communities behind. That’s why it’s critical to ask every potential vendor about their approach to accessibility, ask follow-up questions and hold them accountable.

Plenty of resources can help with the details. For example, the General Services Administration (GSA) provides sample RFP language for Section 508 compliance and Voluntary Accessibility Templates (VPATs) for vendors to outline their capabilities. However, city and county officials must still ensure that vendors address accessibility in their proposals and then independently test any deliverables.  

Solicit community feedback. Whether testing existing websites or launching new digital resources, it is essential to engage residents directly. Local governments can set up focus groups to ask local community members for feedback about their individual user experiences. Some municipalities in Colorado are even visiting independent living facilities and inviting residents to use their websites to share their experiences. 

People appreciate being engaged; even those without technical expertise can tell you what they can and cannot do on a website. Their perspectives can be invaluable.

Accessibility benefits everyone
Making sure that all digital tools and resources are accessible benefits the entire community, not just those with disabilities. For example, people with normal, age-related vision changes will appreciate expandable text, or the ability to increase page and font sizes while keeping the text properly formatted. 

Websites and resources that can be accessed via just a keyboard benefit all those who face limitations using a mouse — regardless of whether the limit is temporary or due to a mobility issue. To test your community’s website, take the batteries out of your mouse and see if you can still navigate the site and fill out forms. If you can, you’re on the right track when it comes to web accessibility. 

With the state and federal deadlines, local governments have a powerful opportunity to not only meet legal requirements but also take steps to ensure all their residents are included. Web accessibility isn’t just a checkbox. It underscores the importance of empowering every resident to access their government resources and services conveniently and easily. By including everyone, we all benefit. 

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