{
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    "title" : "An introduction to accessibility |Digital.gov",
    "description": "An introduction to accessibility",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/cms/news/2024/07/2024-07-02-case-study-increasing-access-to-required-bankruptcy-meetings/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/cms/news/2024/07/2024-07-02-case-study-increasing-access-to-required-bankruptcy-meetings/resources/an-introduction-to-accessibility/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"An introduction to accessibility","deck" : "Understand how to approach accessibility for all","summary" : "An overview of how to design and deliver accessible digital products and services in the federal government","date" : "2023-10-27T15:06:00-05:00","date_modified" : "2024-07-05T22:14:24-04:00","authors" : {"rflagg" : "Rachel Flagg"},"topics" : {
        
            "accessibility" : "Accessibility",
            "digital-service-delivery" : "Digital Service Delivery",
            "diversity-equity-and-inclusion" : "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion"
            },"primary_image" : { "uid" : "accessibility-101-title-card", "alt" :
  "A title card, with a dark blue background and small circles in various colors along the right edge, has three lines of text on the left. At the top, in small, bold white text, it says, Technology Transformation Services (TTS) Accessibility Guild. The title line, Introduction to Accessibility, is in large yellow text. A short summary in white text says, Be it permanent, temporary, or situational, everyone experiences some form of disability—and the work of correcting our environments to be more accessible, benefits everyone. The white Digital.gov logo appears below the text.", "width" :
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  "png" },"branch" : "cms/news/2024/07/2024-07-02-case-study-increasing-access-to-required-bankruptcy-meetings",
      "filename" :"an-introduction-to-accessibility.md",
      
      "filepath" :"resources/an-introduction-to-accessibility.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/cms/news/2024/07/2024-07-02-case-study-increasing-access-to-required-bankruptcy-meetings/content/resources/an-introduction-to-accessibility.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/cms/news/2024/07/2024-07-02-case-study-increasing-access-to-required-bankruptcy-meetings/content/resources/an-introduction-to-accessibility.md","slug" : "an-introduction-to-accessibility","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/cms/news/2024/07/2024-07-02-case-study-increasing-access-to-required-bankruptcy-meetings/resources/an-introduction-to-accessibility/","weight" : "2","content" :"\u003ch2 id=\"what-is-accessibility\"\u003eWhat is accessibility?\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the federal government, accessibility means that agencies must give disabled employees and members of the public access to information comparable to the access available to others.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFamiliarize yourself with \u003ca href=\"https://www.section508.gov/\"\u003eSection508,gov\u003c/a\u003e, and read this deeper dive on \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/resources/an-advanced-approach-to-accessibility/\"\u003eunderstanding accessibility in government\u003c/a\u003e to gain a solid foundation on accessibility in the federal space.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccessibility must be considered throughout design, development, content creation, and maintenance of digital assets. It’s much easier to build accessibility in from the start, than to remediate something after it’s already built. Some of the most common accessibility issues we see on federal websites include:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMissing ALT text\u003c/strong\u003e - Always add descriptive ALT (alternative) text to images, so screen reader software can convey the meaning of an image, even if someone can’t see it.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLack of structure\u003c/strong\u003e - When creating content, use document styles to organize content and properly tag headings, which will make it easier for screen reader software to navigate through a document or web page.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInsufficient color contrast\u003c/strong\u003e - Follow the \u003ca href=\"https://designsystem.digital.gov/utilities/color/\"\u003eU.S. Web Design System (USWDS) guidance on color\u003c/a\u003e to ensure sufficient contrast between text and background colors.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eContent quality\u003c/strong\u003e - Write concisely and clearly using \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/resources/an-introduction-to-plain-language\"\u003eplain language\u003c/a\u003e, and put the most important information at the top of the page.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAutomated testing can find some accessibility issues, but only manual testing will catch everything, so use your agency’s standard testing tool and follow the \u003ca href=\"https://ictbaseline.access-board.gov/\"\u003eSection 508 ICT Testing Baseline\u003c/a\u003e to test all code and content before publication. Using this testing baseline ensures you address access to information and communication technology (ICT) under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and Section 255 of the Communications Act.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"why-is-accessibility-important\"\u003eWhy is accessibility important?\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo meet our mission and serve the public, we must provide accessible resources, both physical and digital. Section508.gov offers many \u003ca href=\"https://www.section508.gov/manage/benefits-of-accessibility/\"\u003epractical reasons for digital accessibility\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccessibility is not only the right thing to do, it’s also the law. Under \u003ca href=\"https://www.section508.gov/manage/laws-and-policies/\"\u003eSection 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973\u003c/a\u003e, as amended in (29 U.S.C § 794d), federal agencies must build websites and digital services that conform to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh/final-rule/text-of-the-standards-and-guidelines\"\u003eRevised 508 Standards\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFollowing accessibility guidelines often also leads to improvements in \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/topics/usability/\"\u003eusability\u003c/a\u003e as well. This means your websites and digital services will work better, not only for those with disabilities, but for everyone. Promote accessibility at your agency by:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDesigning accessible experiences\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFollowing accessibility standards\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTesting against the \u003ca href=\"https://ictbaseline.access-board.gov/\"\u003eSection 508 ICT Testing Baseline\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eConducting inclusive \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/topics/research/\"\u003eresearch\u003c/a\u003e and welcoming feedback\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLearning more about accessibility by watching \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLd9b-GuOJ3nFHykZgRBZ7_bzwfZ526rxm\"\u003eDigital.gov videos\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"https://www.section508.gov/training/\"\u003eattending training\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"what-can-i-do-next\"\u003eWhat can I do next?\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFederal agencies are required to provide an accessibility statement. GSA’s Government-wide IT Accessibility Program also encourages all digital product owners to include information about an organization’s commitment towards providing equal access to information.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVisit Section508.gov to learn how to \u003ca href=\"https://www.section508.gov/manage/laws-and-policies/website-accessibility-statement/\"\u003edevelop a website accessibility statement\u003c/a\u003e, including why you should publish a statement, what to include, and where to publish it.\u003c/p\u003e\n"}
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}