Digital Accessibility in the Hart District

ADA Title II Requirements and Digital Accessibility

Recent updates to federal regulations require all public entities to deliver digital content in formats that meet recognized accessibility standards.

What is ADA Title II?

Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires all state and local government entities, including public school districts, to ensure that individuals with disabilities have equal access to programs, services and activities.
In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a Final Rule clarifying that public entity websites and mobile applications must conform to WCAG 2.1 Level AA.

This includes the following:

Websites
Internal websites / portals
Social media
Digital forms
PDF documents
Digital course materials
Learning management systems
Mobile apps
Third-party content arranged with a public entity

What is WCAG?

WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. It is the international standard for digital accessibility developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

WCAG has three levels:

Level A (minimum)
Level AA (required standard under Title II)
Level AAA (enhanced, not required)

Districts must meet Level AA

The Four Principles of WCAG, also referred to as POUR, states all digital content must be:

Perceivable - content must be presented to users in ways they can perceive.
Operable - user interface (UI) and navigation must be operable.
Understandable - Information and the operation of the UI must be understandable.
Robust - content must be robust enough to be interpreted through a variety of methods including assistive technologies.

Visit the WCAG Overview page for more information.

Make it Accessible

Whether you are creating content, teaching, or supporting campus operations, you have a responsibility to help meet the District's legal obligation to create and maintain content that is accessible.

This page provides guidance to help you ensure your digital materials, such as websites, documents, and videos, meet accessibility standards.

Create Accessible Content

Create accessible content from the start by following these standards:

Organize content using logical structure so information is presented in a clear order for all users
Use proper heading structure so screen readers can navigate content
Use descriptive hyperlinks that clearly indicate link destinations
Include alternative text (alt text) for images
Avoid posting image-only content that cannot be read by assistive technology
Meet required color contrast standards for readability
Do not rely on color alone to convey meaning
Provide captions for video content
Avoid using tables for formatting purposes
Use accessible tables when presenting data

Helpful resources for creating accessible content:

Fix Non-Accessible Content