New accessibility rule is around the corner
May 18 commemorates the 12th anniversary of the Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), which focuses on getting people talking, thinking, and learning about digital access and inclusion. Among other things, GAAD gives us an opportunity to reflect on the distance between our accessibility goals and our current state.
There is a beautiful quote by Maya Angelou: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.” Though Ms. Angelou’s quote can be applied to many things, I believe it is especially fitting to help frame the way we think about accessibility.
An estimated 13.1% of Washingtonians report having a condition that affects their vision, hearing, cognition, mobility, or ability to live independently. That equals approximately one in every eight people — nearly 1 million statewide — who need us to be mindful that it is the ways that we design our government, not the ranges of their abilities, that causes barriers to access.
Our benchmark for digital accessibility has been the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.0, published in 2008 and then updated to version 2.1 in 2018. Over the past several years, state agencies and other entities across the enterprise have worked to do better by incorporating the guidelines into their digital spaces and documents. Some have developed robust solutions, including internal standards, procedures, and staff training. Others are in the earlier stages of structuring their accessibility programs. As a whole, this means that Washingtonians experience a variety of accessibility features, as well as barriers, when they interact with our state’s programs, services, and activities.
This month, the Department of Justice (DOJ) intends to release a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which applies to state and local governments. After the public comment period ends in July and the final rule is issued, it will become the standard by which digital accessibility is measured for public entities.
Because the DOJ has enforcement authority for the ADA, the final rule will serve to ensure that state and local governments all meet a prescribed minimum standard for digital accessibility. This will, in turn, bring us closer to fulfilling the intent of the ADA — that everyone can access, engage with, and participate in all aspects of civic life, regardless of their abilities.
JARROD IRVIN is Accessibility Manager at the Department of Enterprise Services. He provides leadership and strategic guidance for accessibility at the agency, which includes the built-in environment, digital environment, and language access.
