ADA Best Practices Tool Kit for State and Local Governments

Chapter 5

Website Accessibility Under Title II of the ADA

In this chapter, you will learn how the nondiscrimination requirements of Title II of the ADA apply to state and local government websites.1 Chapter 5 answers the following questions:
  • Which provisions of Title II of the ADA apply to websites?

  • What technologies do people with disabilities use to access the Internet?

  • How do poorly designed websites pose barriers to people with disabilities?

  • What steps can state and local government agencies take to ensure website accessibility for people with disabilities?

A.   Why Should Websites Be Accessible?

The Internet has dramatically changed the way state and local governments do business. Today, government agencies routinely make much more information about their programs, activities, and services available to the public by posting it on their websites. As a result, many people can easily access this information seven days a week, 24 hours a day.



1  In 2003, the Department of Justice issued a technical assistance document addressing website accessibility entitled, “Accessibility of State and Local Government Websites to People with Disabilities.” This technical assistance document can be accessed on the ADA Home Page at

2  28 C.F.R. §§ 35.149, 2 35.164.

Example: Accessing Online Tax Forms


As you will see, making a website accessible means following a few relatively simple steps.

A Few Basic Terms



website – a collection of webpages that is hierarchically organized around a homepage.

web browser – a computer program that downloads webpages. It is the program installed on your computer that you use to access webpages on the Internet.

HTML – short for “hypertext mark-up language,” a common mark-up language used to present webpages. It tells the web browser how information should be structured and accessed.

screen reader – a computer program that speaks written text. It allows a person to listen to the written text on a webpage or in a computer program. Screen readers read only text; they cannot describe pictures or other images, even if the images are pictures of text.




B. Online Barriers Faced by People with Disabilities



1. Common Problems and Solutions in Website Accessibility

Let’s look at several common problems and solutions. This is a small sample of relatively basic problems with web design. Resources providing more detailed information on accessible website design are provided at the end of this Chapter.

a. Problem: Images Without Text Equivalents



Solution: Add a Text Equivalent to Every Image

Adding a line of simple HTML code to provide text for each image and graphic will enable a user with a vision disability to understand what it is. Add a type of HTML tag, such as an “alt” tag for brief amounts of text or a “longdesc” tag for large amounts, to each image and graphic on your agency’s website.



b. Problem: Documents Are Not Posted In an Accessible Format


Solution: Post Documents in a Text-Based Format


c. Problem: Specifying Colors and Font Sizes


Users need to be able to manipulate color and font settings in their web browsers and operating systems in order to make pages readable. Some webpages, however, are designed so that changing the color and font settings is impossible.

Solution: Avoid Dictating Colors and Font Settings

Websites should be designed so they can be viewed with the color and font sizes set in users’ web browsers and operating systems. Users with low vision must be able to specify the text and background colors as well as the font sizes needed to see webpage content.

d. Problem: Videos and Other Multimedia Lack Accessible Features

Due to increasing bandwidth and connection speeds, videos and other multimedia are becoming more common on the websites of state and local governments. Today, some government entities use their websites to post training videos for their employees, feature automated slide shows of recent public events, and offer video tours of local attractions.


Solution: Include Audio Descriptions and Captions


2. Other considerations when developing websites:


  • minimize blinking, flashing, or other distracting features;



  • include visual notification and transcripts if sounds automatically play;


  • use titles, context, and other heading structures to help users navigate complex pages or elements (such as webpages that use frames).

3. Identifying other barriers to access


C. Developing an Action Plan For Providing Accessible Websites


A well-designed action plan would include the following steps:

  1. Establish, implement, and post online a policy that your webpages will be accessible and create a process for implementation.

  2. Ensure that all new and modified webpages and content are accessible.

    • Check the HTML of all new webpages. Make sure that accessible coding is used.

    • Make sure that websites are designed so they can be displayed using the color and font settings of each visitor’s browser and operating system.

    • If images are used, including photos, graphics, scanned images, or image maps, make sure to include a text equivalent, by adding “alt” tags or long descriptions, for each.

    • If you use online forms and tables, make those elements accessible by labeling each control (including buttons, check boxes, drop-down menus, and text fields) with a descriptive HTML tag.



  4. When updating webpages, remember to ensure that updates are accessible. For example, when images change, the text equivalents in “alt” tags and long descriptions need to be changed so they match the new images.


  6. Provide a way for visitors to request accessible information or services by posting a telephone number or email address on your home page. Establish procedures that ensure a quick response to users with disabilities who are trying to obtain information or services in this way.

  7. Periodically enlist disability groups to test your pages for ease of use; use the feedback they provide to increase the accessibility of your website.

  8. Ensure that there are alternative ways for people with disabilities to access the information and services that are provided on your website. Remember, some people may not have, or be able to use, a computer.

D. Resources

Following are a few of the many resources available to assist state and local governments in making their websites accessible:

  • Accessibility of State and Local Government Websites to People with Disabilities,” a technical assistance document released by the Department of Justice in 2003

  •, the website of the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (known as “the Access Board”), which establishes the standards used by the federal government to ensure that its electronic and information technology is accessible to people with disabilities;

  •, the website of the Federal Information Technology Accessibility Initiative;

  •, the website of the Information Technology and Technical Assistance Training Center;

  •, the website for the Center for Applied Special Technology, a nonprofit, educational organization working to expand educational opportunities for all, including individuals with disabilities, through technology;

  • 1-800-949-4232 (voice and TTY), the ADA and IT Technical Assistance Centers (

ADA Tool Kit for State and Local Governments


May 7, 2007