ADA Compliance: Additional ADA Resources
Why accessibility matters and what you need to do to comply.
The law that guarantees the rights of the disabled was passed long before school websites even existed. But the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, has been expanded and revised over the years to reflect changing technology.
Basically, the ADA requires any organization that receives federal funds to accommodate people with disabilities. This not only includes access using wheelchair ramps and beeping crosswalks but access to your school’s website. (These are issues covered in Section 504 as well as Title II ADA that apply to online services and programs, both of which apply to schools.)
A simplified explanation is that an accessible website is one that meets the standards specified by law. It means that those with disabilities need to be able to use assistive technology to navigate your website.
Many tools give an automated check of your website's accessibility. However it is well known that those fall far short of the law's expectation. The only way to be sure of your website's accessibility is to actually use a screen reader or other assistive technology successfully. SchoolBlocks has worked with government officials on this endeavor and has tested through actual usage to ensure first-class accessibility.
| There are two resources available to guide web developers, or school personnel managing their websites, and they are Section 508 Standards and the more comprehensive resource called the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). |
Access to information is considered a civil right. Section 508 is the federal law that mandates the use of electronic accessibility while the WCAG develops interoperable technologies to guide the Web to its full potential. Together Section 508 and WCAG promote coherent navigation, legible presentation, complimentary colors, and a consistent layout for websites.
There are compliance benefits for both your school and your shareholders (parents, community members, students) who need information from you. Your website is available 24/7. The information you provide will be reaching everyone, regardless of their ability or disability. Having information available in one format and at one location can also save your staff time, which translates to saving your school money—all while benefiting all of your shareholders.
These links are third party sites that have more information regarding ADA Compliance. Grackle is the add on that we use to find ADA compliance errors on any given document or web page.
Website accessibility and ADA Webinar - https://www.campussuite.com/blog/website-accessibility-and-ada-compliance-webinar-q-a
Web AIM - https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/
How to meet WCAG 2 - https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/quickref/?versions=2.0
Creating Accessible Documents - https://webaccess.msu.edu/Tutorials/google-drive.html
Grackle add on - https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/grackle-docs/ojlgifagodaoojkjjmmhmhklgkcmbgbk?hl=en