How Can This Service Help Me?
The EOTSS Accessibility Assessments Service is designed to support executive Department agencies and offices in advancing their digital accessibility program. Assessment services can:
- Support remediation planning
- Support Exception Requests and Mitigation Plan development.
- Inform decisions to decommission and replace
- Inform vendor communications about their accessibility obligations
- Inform purchasing and renewal decisions
What Types of Digital Assets Can Be Tested Using This Service?
At this time, EOTSS Accessibility Assessment Services can perform an assessment on the following types of digital assets:
- Websites
- Web applications
- Mobile apps
- Digital documents
The following types of Digital Assets are not eligible for assessment services at this time:
- Mass.gov pages created using the Mass.gov content management system (CMS)
- SharePoint sites
- Social media content
- Multimedia
What Assessment Services are Available?
The EOTSS Accessibility Assessment Service currently includes the following offerings:
WCAG User Journey
A strategically scoped accessibility assessment of an internal web-application or website currently in production against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2 level A and AA success criteria using automated and manual accessibility testing methods. This assessment can support Digital Accessibility Roadmap and Mitigation Plan development.
Vendor Product Accessibility Screening
A high-level evaluation designed to identify the most impactful accessibility issues in purchased Software as a Service (SaaS), Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS), mobile apps, integrated plugins or tools, and platforms. This assessment includes automated and manual testing methods of a representative sample of pages or functions that can help inform purchasing and renewal decisions, drive vendor communications and demonstrations, or support plans to decommission and replace the purchased asset.
Subdomain Accessibility Screening
A high-level quality check that determines if an Agency has properly applied and completed accessibility requirements in connection with a current subdomain request. This assessment includes automated and manual testing methods of a representative sample of pages or functions. Findings can be used to inform release readiness.
Digital Document Review
An accessibility review of a limited sample of pages in a digital PDF document using automated and manual testing techniques. This service can provide insights into an agency’s remediation efforts or support decisions related to the feasibility of remediation. Additional document formats will be considered for review in the future. Note: This is not a remediation service.
What is Not Included with this Service?
This service does not include:
- Consultation related to assessment findings
- Remediation assistance
- Remediation validation
- Determination of agency risk or guidance related to legal matters
Accessibility Assessment Report
The Accessibility Assessment Report is comprised of the following three documents. Content will vary based on the type of service.
- Report cover page (PDF)
- Itemized list of accessibility issues (MS Excel)
- Screenshots of issues or code, if applicable (PDF)
How it Works
To get started, executive department agencies and offices should contact their respective Secretariat IT Accessibility Officer (SIAO) to discuss their accessibility testing needs. If the SIAO deems assessment services are a good fit, the workflow is as follows:
- The SIAO prioritizes and submits requests using a ServiceNow form.
- The EOTSS Assessment Team Lead will review each request for completeness and suitability.
- If approved, a tester is assigned and the ticket is marked in progress.
- When testing is complete, an Assessment Report is generated.
- The Assessment Report is delivered through the ServiceNow ticket and the ticket is closed.
- The SIAO receives an email with instructions on how to access the Assessment Report and disseminate accordingly.
Note: Changes can be made to this process at any time.
Request an Accessibility Assessment
Executive department agencies and offices should contact their Secretariat IT Accessibility Officer (SIAO) to get started. At this time, this service is not available to non-executive department agencies or municipalities.
Questions
If you have any questions, please email the EOTSS Accessibility Assessment Team at eotss-aat@mass.gov.