Digital Accessibility Guidelines
1. General Guidelines /Accessibility Statement
Washoe County is committed to making its information and communications universal in design and accessible to all individuals, including individuals with disabilities. In the event this is technically infeasible or imposes undue burden, the County strives to provide an equally effective accessible alternative. Information and communications will attempt to meet the applicable accessibility standards set forth in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended (Sec. 508), the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Title II as amended (ADA), provided there is not undue hardship to the organization. Additional information can be found at the website www.section508.gov.
2. Authority & Responsibility
Washoe County has an ADA coordinator. If you have feedback related to the accessibility of any digital content on the County’s website, please contact webteam@washoecounty.gov. If you would like to file a complaint, please use the File a Complaint webpage.
3. Scope
These guidelines apply to employees of the County or anyone who makes, shares, or produces digital content and/or communications for the County. These guidelines also apply to all digital content, whether internal or external, which should meet the County’s digital accessibility standards. Examples are included in addendum 1.
When purchasing third party content, Washoe County will prioritize purchase options including digital accessibility.
4. Design Guidelines
Our website is continually undergoing design updates for accessibility. Washoe County works to comply with Section 508, WCAG 2.0 A and AA, and Title II of ADA referring to website accessibility standards.
5. Training
- Washoe County has a required Accessibility Training Program for digital content
- Washoe County maintains a certified digital accessibility
Addendum 1 - Scope
Digital Accessibility Technology Tools / Equipment and Software
- Telecommunications products (such as telephones)
- Information kiosks
- Transaction machines (such as payment terminals)
- Computers
- Equipment maintained and services operated by third-party vendors, and related resources
- Internet and Intranet websites
Services
- Consistent with Washoe County’s Language Accessibility Plan
Content
- Audio, image, and video
- Electronic documents
- Library resources
- Washoe County outreach (per the Washoe County Communication Policy)
Addendum 2 - Training
General Onboarding Training
In January 2024, Accessibility training will be released to employees that will cover general digital accessibility guidelines and expectations, facility accessibility and language access at Washoe County. This training will become part of the new employee onboarding training materials.
Content Editor Training
Washoe County digital content editor training will align with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which are internationally recognized best practices for public facing web sites. The materials include guidance on document and asset publishing.
Certified Digital Accessibility Training
Members of Communications team as well as members of Technology Services are required to complete certified digital accessibility training through W3.org. The training covers the following areas of accessibility:
- What is Web Accessibility (2 sections) — challenges the way you may approach
- People and Digital Technology (5 sections) — gives you the “why” behind what you need to do for
- Business Case and Benefits (2 sections) — explains how accessibility can expand market reach, demonstrate social responsibility, drive innovation, and minimize legal
- Principles, Standards, and Checks (5 sections) — guides you through understanding accessibility requirements and checking for accessibility barriers (also called evaluating or testing for errors or bugs) — with non-technical and technical guidance; provides optional material for learning more about coding accessibly.
- Getting Started with Accessibility (2 sections) — explains approaches for integrating accessibility into your design and development processes; provides tips for getting started with accessibility right away.