Aligning Public Infrastructure with Modern Standards
With the 2024 DOJ Title II mandate requiring all public web portals to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance, local school districts, municipalities, and utility cooperatives must review their digital properties.
To help your teams navigate these compliance audits, we define the key accessibility terms used in web remediation:
Essential Accessibility Glossary
1. WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)
The international technical standard for web accessibility, structured into three conformance levels: Level A (minimum), Level AA (standard compliance), and Level AAA (advanced).
2. Screen Reader
Software (such as JAWS, NVDA, or Apple VoiceOver) that reads page content aloud to blind or visually impaired users. Websites must use clean semantic HTML to ensure screen readers can read content accurately.
3. Alt Text (Alternative Text)
A short text description added to image elements in the HTML code. Screen readers read alt text aloud to describe images for users who cannot see them.
4. Keyboard Navigation Compatibility
A design standard ensuring that users can navigate all interactive menus, buttons, forms, and links using only standard keyboard controls (such as the Tab and Enter keys).
5. Color Contrast Ratio
The difference in brightness between text and its background. To meet Level AA standards, normal body text must maintain a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1.
Keep Public Systems Accessible
Understanding these core terms helps public agencies, educators, and utility administrators plan and execute accessibility audits, ensuring digital portals remain open and accessible to all Alaskans.