Accessibility Compliance
City of Seattle websites and web applications are compliant with current Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) at the AA level. These guidelines focus on four modes of accessibility: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.
For information on how the City of Seattle supports people with disabilities, visit the Americans with Disabilities Act web page. The City also adheres to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. This law protects you from discrimination based on your race, color, or national origin in city programs, services, or activities that receive federal funds.
Accessibility Practices
All City staff working on websites, apps, and other digital communication channels contribute to making these resources accessible. The Digital Engagement team regularly educates staff and invests in digital accessibility training to keep our content editors up to date with accessibility best practices.
View the Accessibility section of the City of Seattle Digital Style Guide for detailed guidance for our staff and vendors.
Design
- Understanding our users and their needs
- Mobile-first focus for mobile experience
- Heuristic evaluations
- Design library leveraging WCAG 2.1 AA components
- New prototypes using vetted patterns
- Usability testing with people with disabilities
Product
- Visual checks for color contrast, layout, and alternative (alt) text
- Accessibility testing for quality assurance
- Communicating errors to content owners and consulting on remediation
Development
- Existing code base appling elements that have been tested for accessibility
- New and existing code leveraging WCAG 2.1 AA
- Use automated accessibility testing on new and existing code to discover and correct accessibility errors
Content
- Creating digital communications using templates and guidance to ensure inclusivity
- Using automated accessibility testing when making website updates
- Consulting the City's accessibility checklist for manual testing
Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) for Seattle.gov
In 2023, Digital Engagement conducted the City’s first Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) for the Seattle.gov website. This global report format is generally used by technology vendors to outline how their product aligns with accessibility standards. The report provides a snapshot of the level of accessibility on the Seattle.gov website.
Overall, the Seattle.gov website supports digital accessibility. We face challenges where maps and data dashboards are embedded in webpages. These types of software applications are not inherently accessible and require additional functionality to provide the information in an inclusive way.
Below is a summary of the findings for nine audience types outlined in the Federal Government's Section 508 Standards:
| Criteria | Conformance Level | Remarks and Explanations |
|---|---|---|
| Without Vision | Partially Supports | Some features of the product, such as the various unlabeled form and widget controls, may not be fully understandable or operable for users without vision. |
| With Limited Vision | Partially Supports | Some content in the site, when zoomed for larger text sizes, may be difficult to perceive for users with limited vision. |
| Without Perception of Color | Partially Supports | Some features of the product, such as the data visualizations and map widgets, may not be fully perceivable or discernable for users without perception of color. |
| Without Hearing | Partially Supports | Some features of the product, such as embedded videos without captions, may not be fully understandable for users without hearing. |
| With Limited Hearing | Supports | The product features do not significantly impact users with limited hearing. |
| Without Speech | Supports | The product features do not significantly impact users without speech. |
| With Limited Manipulation | Partially Supports | Some product features and workflows including maps, data visualization, and complex dashboard widgets may not be fully operable for users with limited manipulation. |
| With Limited Reach and Strength | Supports | The product features do not significantly impact users with limited reach or strength. |
| With Limited Language, Cognitive, and Learning Abilities | Supports | The product features do not significantly impact users with limited language, cognitive, or learning abilities. |
Improvements to Seattle.gov Since 2023
We have made significant improvements based on detailed results of the 2023 report, remediating the remaining Seattle.gov issues that were discovered through the VPAT process but not immediately addressable. Additionally, the Digital Engagement Team began to practice accessible-first development. These efforts include:
- A custom feature in our content management system requiring content editors to include alt text on images.
- A custom feature in our content management system that removes empty HTML tags when publishing a web page.
- Standardization for repeatable patterns and findability.
- While not a strict legal requirement, work to resolve Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 AAA issues on Seattle.gov.
Areas of Improvement for All Digital Properties
- Utilize the Citywide digital accessibility workgroup to cascade ongoing accessibility training and guidance within City departments.
- Continue to leverage automated and manual testing for web applications using assistive technology, which uncovers accessibility errors we would otherwise miss.
- Include digital accessibility evaluation in the technology procurement process to ensure that third-party vendors have delivered an inclusive product.
- Reach out to existing City vendors to bring their web applications into compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and Section 508.
- Work with the City's internal application developers to improve access to tools like maps and data dashboards. The use of an accessible color palette and alternative displays described in our design system will be an improvement.
- Ensure that content editors across the City are creating and evaluating their digital content updates for accessibility.
- Adhere to Citywide standard designs for all web applications to provide a consistent experience for the public.