City of Tacoma and Tacoma Public Utilities

Policy #  
Department owner/sponsor:
Information Technology Department  
Effective:  January 1, 2013

Policy: ADA Web Policy and Accessibility Statement

 

Policy Statement
The City of Tacoma is committed to ensuring all City websites are accessible for all people regardless of ability or access method.  As of April 1, 2012, any new or updated website produced or sponsored by the City of Tacoma will be accessible and conform to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative’s (WAI) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Level A.  Conformance with higher level guidelines (e.g. WCAG 2.0, level AA) is encouraged.

To affirm our commitment, employees designated as website content editors will be trained in the functions of web accessibility tools and techniques. Periodic compliance scans of existing websites will be conducted to detect Section 508 and WCAG 2.0 violations. Violations will be corrected to the best of our ability.  Upon request, all information contained on City websites can be made available in an alternative format, or arrangements can be made by City staff to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities.

Purpose
Our goal is to ensure that everyone has equal access to information and can fully participate in government.  City websites are assessed for ADA compliance by simulating methods employed by people with various disabilities and by using validators to indicate potential accessibility issues.  The City of Tacoma has created ADA Web Accessibility Standards based on our assessment process and compliance with WCAG 2.0 Level A.  We are committed to upholding our legal obligations to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) web accessibility directives.

Accessibility Features
City of Tacoma websites make use of industry-standard techniques and preferred practices to provide the highest possible level of ADA website accessibility for our users.  These include, but are not limited to, the characteristics of usability for screen reader users, keyboard-only users, users with low/impaired vision, users who are deaf and users who are color blind.

Accessibility Challenges 

• The City of Tacoma is committed to assessing, prioritizing, and updating all City websites that are determined to be non-ADA compliant. As a result, we are in varying stages of progress toward our accessibility goal.
• Some of our content is in PDF format only. We are working on a process to ensure all PDFs are accessible.
• Due to current technology constraints, there are some instances where we are unable to provide information in an accessible format (e.g. mapping information). We will be monitoring these sections and will develop accessible solutions as technology improves.

Help Us Make Our Websites More Accessible
We welcome your feedback and suggestions. If you have any difficulty accessing information on our websites, please contact us using the information provided at the bottom of each webpage.

Background
This is a new policy.

Reference
WCAG 2.0 Level A and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Department of Justice (DOJ) web accessibility directives.

Contact Info
Daniel Key
Information Technology Department, Director
(253) 382-2600

Policy History
This is a new policy.

Approval
T.C. Broadnax, City Manager

Effective Date
January 1, 2013