Accessibility and Inclusivity

What is accessibility?

All documents and web content should be easy for everyone to access. PDFs can be hard to access. Screen readers struggle with them, and navigation is tricky. PDFs are also harder to search and find with search engines like Google. Web accessibility is about making websites and tools easy for people with disabilities to use.

Creating accessible content

To plan and create your content, check out the Accessibility Checklist for Content Creation. It has helpful tips to get you started.

Why is accessibility important for this project?

Our goal is to make our content accessible and inclusive to all readers. The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative says that web accessibility means designing websites, tools, and technologies that people with disabilities can use. It ensures that people can:

• See, understand, navigate, and use the web.
• Contribute to the web.

This includes things like good color contrast, captions for videos, the ability to use a keyboard to navigate a website, and more.

Standards

As of October 2023, the websites on the DX Platform meet these accessibility standards:

• WCAG 2.1 Level A/AA
• WAI-ARIA 1.2
• ATAG 2.0.
• Revised Section 508

Accessibility guidance: Contractor/consultant vs public information/notice

When you make content for your site, whether from your team, public info, or an outside contractor, ensure it is accessible.

MNIT offers resources like the Digital Accessibility Quick Cards to help you check your content for accessibility.

Accessibility also means writing content at an 8th-grade reading level using plain language.

Write in plain language

The State of Iowa Voice, Tone, and Style Guide can help you write content that is easy to understand. You can also learn more about the plain language in government initiative.

As you write, ask yourself these questions:

• Can someone easily translate this into their preferred language?
• If someone is using a screen reader, will the order of the content make sense?
• Can someone on a small device, like a smartphone, quickly understand the page?

Learn more about writing for all people in our style guide.

PDF editorial guidance

• Always make sure your PDFs are accessible before uploading them to the platform.
• Only use PDFs when necessary, such as for long documents that need to be shared.

Document naming conventions for accessibility

Naming files correctly is important for accessibility. Clear, consistent names help people with disabilities find and organize files.

Here’s why naming files properly matters:

• Screen reader compatibility: Screen readers use file names to help users understand what the file is. Clear names make this easier.
• Organization and findability: Using consistent naming conventions helps everyone find files quickly, especially people with disabilities.
• Search engine optimization (SEO): Descriptive file names can help improve your website’s search engine ranking.

Best practices for naming files:

• Use descriptive names: Clearly describe what’s in the file.
• Avoid abbreviations and acronyms: Use full words so the file name is clear.
• Use dashes: Separate words in file names to make them easier to read.
• Be consistent: Use the same naming rules across your website.
• Prioritize important information: Put the most important words first.
• Date: Use the format YYYYMMDD to keep files in order.
• Example of a good document name:
• "ProjectName-DocumentType-Date" (e.g., "CohortPlan-Schedule-Jan2024")

For more details, check our Naming Convention Guide.

Run Acquia Optimize scans for accessibility

Acquia Optimize (formerly Monsido) helps you find and fix accessibility issues, such as broken links and missing alt text. It also offers a Chrome extension to help you quickly identify problems on your website. Fixing these issues helps make your site more accessible and improves the user experience for everyone.

When to use Acquia Optimize  

• Weekly audits to make sure all pages stay accessible.
• After updates to the website that might affect accessibility (e.g., new images or changes to navigation).
• When issues are flagged, like broken links or missing alt text, that affect accessibility.
• For routine checks to find problems that may affect users with assistive technologies.

Understanding what impacts your site’s accessibility

The accessibility score shows how accessible your website is for all users.

• Broken links: Broken links can stop users from accessing content. Screen readers may skip over them or read them incorrectly. After fixing a broken link, be sure to mark it as "Fixed" in the Acquia Optimize report.

  Learn more about creating good internal and external links.

• Image alt text: Alt text helps screen readers describe images for users with visual impairments. Missing or unclear alt text makes images harder to understand. Add clear alt text for all images and mark purely decorative images as "decorative."

  Learn how to use the media library.

• Nondescriptive link text: Links with text like "click here" or "read more" are confusing. Use clear and specific links, like "Read more about accessibility best practices." This helps users who rely on assistive technology.

  Learn more about how to run an accessibility and policy scan for your site.

Making maps accessible and easier to understand 

Use at least 10-point font. This helps make sure the text is as large as possible. When designing for accessibility, something to keep in mind is that larger is always better. 

This is especially important for users with low vision or those viewing your content on mobile devices. You'll want to make sure that you choose the right type of font like Sans Serif fonts like Aptos, Calibri, or Arial. 

These fonts usually work best. They're clean, easy to read, and lack decorative strokes. Those extra details can make text harder to read or blend into the background.

Map and data visualization color contrast

For color contrast, make sure your text color stands out against the background color. WCAG guidelines say normal text must have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5 to 1. This helps ensure legibility. 

To achieve this, you can use tools like the Color Contrast Analyzer or Web AIMS. These tools help you check if your colors meet accessibility standards. 

Here are some tips for color contrast: Avoid light text on light backgrounds and dark text on dark backgrounds. Low contrast makes reading difficult. 

Watch out for color overlays and transparency effects. They can weaken contrast.

Being intentional about scale, text, and contrast helps make reading easier. It also makes your content more inclusive for everyone, no matter how they access it.