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ADA Title II Compliance

Think POUR

The guidelines and success criteria are organized around the following four principles, which lay the foundation necessary for anyone to access and use web content. Anyone who wants to use the web must have content that is:

  1. Perceivable - Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive.

    • This means that users must be able to perceive the information being presented (it can't be invisible to all of their senses)

  2. Operable - User interface components and navigation must be operable.

    • This means that users must be able to operate the interface (the interface cannot require interaction that a user cannot perform)

  3. Understandable - Information and the operation of user interface must be understandable.

    • This means that users must be able to understand the information as well as the operation of the user interface (the content or operation cannot be beyond their understanding)

  4. Robust - Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.

    • This means that users must be able to access the content as technologies advance (as technologies and user agents evolve, the content should remain accessible)

If any of these are not true, users with disabilities will not be able to use the web.

Under each of the principles are guidelines and success criteria that help to address these principles for people with disabilities. There are many general usability guidelines that make content more usable by all people, including those with disabilities. However, in WCAG 2.2, we only include those guidelines that address problems particular to people with disabilities. This includes issues that block access or interfere with access to the web more severely for people with disabilities.

Resources:

CLICK HERE for the Google for Education Accessibility Resources site

CLICK HERE to read an article from EdTech About this Change

CLICK HERE for information from ADA Action Guide

CLICK HERE to read a tip sheet from WCAG

CLICK GERE to read a fact sheet from ADA.gov

CLICK HERE for Title II FAQ

  • Links in any document should be added to text that is descriptive enough that someone using a screen reader can understand where the link will take them.

    • INSTEAD OF: EMAIL TRY: Email me at THIS LINK
    • INSTEAD OF: chehalisschools.org TRY: CLICK HERE to access the Chehalis School District’s website
    • INSTEAD OF: CLICK HERE TRY: CLICK HERE to check out my classroom web page

    THINK: If I was using a screen reader, would I understand where this link is taking me?

  • If you use videos in classroom instruction, they need to include captions for people who are deaf or Hard of Hearing.

    • If using a video off YouTube, click on the CC (Closed Captioning) icon at the bottom of the page when starting
    • Most televisions have a Closed Captioning mode under “Settings”
    • If you cannot add closed captioning to a video you normally use, consider finding a similar video is or can be made accessible

  • Make sure the colors you use on posters, banners, flyers or other physical signage are accessible by ensuring a high enough contrast between the background and the words.

    • Normal Text: Requires a contrast ratio of 4.5:1 (Level AA).
    • Large Text (Bold 14pt+ or regular 18pt+): Requires a contrast ratio of 3:1 (Level AA).
    • UI Components & Icons: Meaningful graphics and interactive elements (like buttons) must have a contrast ratio of 

      3:1 against the background.

    Color contrast is measured using a formula that gives a ratio ranging from 1:1 (no contrast, e.g., white on white) to 21:1 (maximum contrast, e.g., black on white)

     

    You can find a color contrast checker at THIS LINK

     

    THINK: Does the bacground color make the words harder or easier to read?

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    Accessible Google Docs & Content Tips

    • Use Proper Headings: Use styles (Heading 1, Heading 2) to create a logical document outline, rather than just bolding text.
    • Add Alt Text: Right-click images to add descriptive alternative text.
    • Descriptive Links: Avoid "click here." Use descriptive text for links.
    • Color Contrast: Ensure text has high contrast with the background (minimum 4.5:1 ratio). Do not rely on color alone to convey meaning.
    • Layout & Formatting: Left-align text and use sans-serif fonts for better readability.
    • Lists: Use built-in numbered or bulleted list tools, not manually typed dashes. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]

  •  

    • Unique Titles: Give every slide a unique title.
    • Use Layouts: Use pre-defined slide layouts to ensure proper reading order.
    • Captions: Enable automatic captions to display speaker words in real time. [1, 2]

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    Key Requirements for Accessible PDFs

    • Tags: Tags act as a hidden structure for screen readers to interpret content, identifying headings, paragraphs, and tables.
    • Alternative Text (Alt Text): Meaningful images must have descriptive alt text; decorative images should be marked as background.
    • Searchable Text: Scanned PDFs are images, not text. Use OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to make text readable.
    • Logical Reading Order: Ensure the text follows a logical flow (usually top-to-bottom, left-to-right).
    • Bookmarking: For documents longer than 9 pages, include bookmarks for navigation.
    • Color Contrast: Text must have a contrast ratio of at least \(4.5:1\) against the background.
    • Document Language: Set the document language so screen readers can read it correctly.
    • Forms: Interactive form fields must have descriptions and logical tab order. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]

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    Have you ever posted a flyer to social media? They're jam-packed with important information about events, programs, and services—but they create barriers to access for people with disabilities and multilingual communities. On social media, the content of your flyer gets locked inside an image that screen readers can't read and translation tools can't reach.

    What should I do instead? Include links, dates, and more directly in your caption (or have a link in bio for Instagram users). Skip QR codes, too. More than 80% of people use social media on a cell phone or tablet—and it's nearly impossible to scan a QR code on your cell phone, with your cell phone.

    Learn more about social media accessibility at THIS LINK

  •  

    Alternative or alt text is a short description you add to every image you post. Assistive technology uses it to tell people with low or no vision what the image shows or conveys. This includes communicating what text is written on a graphic! For example, the alt text used for this graphic is "Social media accessibility 101: Every photo needs alt text."

    Some creators include image descriptions to convey the content of an image to everyone who interacts with their content. These descriptions appear right in the body of each post and are especially helpful for audiences who rely on translation. 

    Every graphic you post needs alt text or an image description—every time. Learn more about creating alt text at THIS LINK