Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Website Accessibility topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Worcester staff say new DOJ accessibility standard requires a document-by-document website overhaul
Summary
City staff told the commission a new Department of Justice accessibility standard (transcript reference to 'WCAG 2.2') requires a department-by-department audit of public-facing documents and web pages; the city has begun work, removed an overlay found harmful to users with disabilities, and is drafting a 'digital playbook.'
Patricia, a city staff member, briefed the commission on a recent federal accessibility development and how the city is responding.
"So there's a new DOJ ruling, w c W 2.2, which is going to require the city do an enormous undertaking and assessment of public facing documents, websites, postings," Patricia said, describing a department-by-department review of PDFs and other posted materials. She said the city has already begun an initial analysis and has formed an internal working group including IT staff and the newly introduced staff member to work on technical compliance.
Patricia said the city removed a previously installed overlay intended for visually impaired users after testing showed it performed poorly: "We actually just took those down because the analysis essentially said that those are terrible for people with disabilities," she said. The city plans to create a "digital playbook" that employees must follow before posting materials publicly.
Why it matters: The change could affect how the city posts agendas, forms and published documents; staff warned the effort could be expensive because maintaining accessible content and storage is resource-intensive and may require vendor work.
What happens next: Patricia said the working group will continue assessments, add Justo to the team, and report progress to the commission as the city implements the playbook and addresses technical needs.
