Municipalities: Make your online content accessible

Connecticut residents depend on your website and mobile apps to pay bills, request services, watch meetings, and stay informed. Accessibility means everyone can use those services—including people with disabilities, older adults, and people on phones or with slow internet. It’s the right thing to do, and it’s required by law.

• Follow WCAG 2.1 Level AA for websites, mobile apps, online forms, documents (PDF/Word/PPT/Excel), videos (with captions), audio (with transcripts), and online help. This is the federal technical standard for state and local governments.
• Connecticut’s statewide policy (for state agencies) also sets WCAG 2.1 AA as the minimum. Municipalities are strongly encouraged to align with the same standard.

• The U.S. Department of Justice issued a final rule under ADA Title II. It requires state and local governments to make web content and mobile apps accessible using WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
• Who must comply? Cities, towns, counties, school districts, and special district governments (e.g., water, transit, housing). If you contract with a vendor to provide an online service, you are still responsible for accessibility.
• Compliance deadlines (based on population): 
  • 50,000+ people: by April 24, 2026
  • 0–49,999 people: by April 26, 2027 
  • Special district governments: by April 26, 2027
• There are some exceptions allowed.

After your deadline, you must keep your site and apps accessible going forward (not a one-time task).

• Public-facing pages, portals, and dashboards
• Mobile apps you provide or make available (even if a vendor runs them)
• Online forms and e-commerce
• Posted documents and media (PDFs, agendas, minutes, videos)
• Help centers, knowledge bases, templates, and downloads

• Use these in 10–15 minutes per page:
  • Keyboard only: Tab/Shift+Tab/Enter/Space/Arrows across the page.
    Can you see where you are on the page at all times?
  • axe DevTools (free): Run an automated scan in your browser; fix errors it finds.
  • ANDI: Inspect headings, links, images, and tables.
  • WebAIM Contrast Checker: Verify text and button contrast.
  • NVDA (Windows screen reader):
    • H = headings, D = landmarks, K = links, F = form fields.

• Put WCAG 2.1 AA in your RFPs and contracts.
• Require a current Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) based on the VPAT® for the version you’ll deploy.
• Ask for a short testing summary (tools, assistive tech, browsers/devices) and a remediation plan for any gaps.
• Remember: if a vendor runs your app (e.g., parking, permits), you are still responsible for accessibility.

Step 1 — Assign roles 
Name an Accessibility Lead (often your ADA Coordinator or web lead). Set up a small working group: web/content, IT, communications, records, and procurement.

Step 2 — Inventory and prioritize 
List your websites, sub-sites, online forms, mobile apps, and high-traffic PDFs. Prioritize: home page, top services, payments, emergency info, meeting calendars, and forms.

Step 3 — Fix high-impact issues first 
Focus on the issues that block access:

• Keyboard access and visible focus
• Headings and page structure
• Link names that make sense out of context
• Color contrast
• Image alt text (or mark decorative)
• Form labels, instructions, and clear errors
• Captions/transcripts for media

Step 4 — Make documents accessible (or publish as HTML)

• Use Word/PPT styles (Headings, Lists, Alt Text, Table Headers), then export tagged PDFs.
• Avoid scanned PDFs; if you must scan, run OCR and tag properly.
• For frequently updated information, publish as an HTML page instead of a PDF.

Step 5 — Test, fix, repeat
Adopt a simple cycle for each release: Design → Build → Quick Test → Fix → Publish. Keep a short log of issues and fixes.

• Train staff who post web pages and documents.
• Add accessibility checks to your content workflow (before publishing).
• Schedule periodic scans of top pages and forms.
• Caption videos and post transcripts with audio.
• Track issues and fix them on a regular cadence.

• Find your population (2020 Census) and confirm your deadline.
• Build a 6 to 12-month plan to reach WCAG 2.1 AA on priority content before the deadline.
• Keep improving after you meet the date.
• Deadlines:
• 50,000+ people: April 24, 2026
• 0–49,999 people: April 26, 2027
• Special districts: April 26, 2027