Townsend commission flags major website accessibility failures, plans training and state-contracted fixes

The Townsend Commission on Disability on May 28 reviewed a vendor analysis showing the town website failed multiple accessibility checks and agreed to pursue remediation through state IT accessibility contracts and internal staff training.

Bob Garside, Townsend building commissioner and the ADA coordinator, presented the vendor’s compliance report and said the results were “not good,” adding that the findings appeared legitimate and not merely marketing. He advised the commission that much of the website content is created by town employees and that long-term compliance requires training staff as well as technical fixes.

Members asked the ADA coordinator to request itemized quotes from the vendor and to prioritize use of an existing state contract before committing to a private vendor. The group noted the federal compliance deadline had been extended to April 2028 and said that provided time to plan work into a future ADA grant and training schedule.

The commission discussed the scope of remediation, including document structure (headings and accessible formats) and social media content, and resolved to divide responsibilities among members so pages and document types can be monitored. ‘‘We failed in all kinds of areas,’’ Garside said of the analysis, urging practical next steps: ‘‘it’s not just a one-time fix — employees have to know how to keep content accessible.’’

Next steps: the commission will collect vendor quotes, investigate state contract options for site remediation and training, and assign members to specific accessibility tasks before the next meeting. The commission’s ADA coordinator will forward the vendor report and related links to members for review.