The design of websites and digital media should avoid creating barriers for people with physical and cognitive disabilities. Every student, staff member, and parent should be able to utilize digital content fully.
Effective 8/1/2022, House Bill 26 states that 3rd party curriculum content must be Level AA accessible according to the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (W3C WCAG).
No additional legal requirements directly address K-12 technology accessibility. However, it is best practice to adhere to the following acts that address accessibility in other contexts:
The W3C “At a Glance” and “cheat sheet” resources provide an overview. There is also free online course material and a free validator tool that will aid in checking compliance.
The detailed guide, “How to meet WCAG Quick Reference,” has descriptions of each of the characteristics required. We recommend educators and administrators review this reference to answer, “Is this Level AA accessible?”
District leaders need to create a vendor review process to review existing contracts with 3rd parties and determine if the product meets AA compliance. There are tools online to run tests or professional audits may be used (see below). Any new vendors who are added will need to be reviewed for compliance prior to signing new contracts.
Resources:
Public-facing electronic communications such as:
Private-facing communications such as:
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines or WCAG 2.0 provides a list of guidelines for accessibility. The following guidelines reference the WCAG. A complete and up-to-date list of best practices is available on the WCAG website.