Overview
The Executive Office of the Trial Court’s (EOTC’s) website was not fully accessible for all website users. We determined that 21 (35%) webpages out of our sample of 60 were not in accordance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Of these 21 webpages, we determined that 1 (2%) webpage lost functionality when zoomed in to 400%, 18 (30%) webpages contained functional elements that could not be navigated using only keyboard commands, and 3 (5%) webpages contained hyperlinks that did not lead to intended information.22
Possible effects of noncompliance with WCAG 2.1 in the areas discussed above include the following:
- Regarding user accessibility, if webpage content cannot be zoomed in to 400% without losing functionality, then users with visual impairments may be unable to access needed information.
- Regarding keyboard accessibility, if functional elements on a webpage cannot be navigated using only keyboard commands, then users with limited motor abilities may be unable to navigate to needed information.
- Regarding navigation accessibility, broken or faulty hyperlinks negatively impact the user experience and make it difficult to locate specific, sought-after information. They can also limit equitable access to critical information and key online services for some users. Plus, broken or faulty hyperlinks also increase the likelihood that users may access outdated or incorrect information or may be directed to webpages that no longer exist.
Authoritative Guidance
The World Wide Web Consortium’s WCAG 2.1 states,
Success Criterion 1.4.10 Reflow (Level AA)
Content can be presented without loss of information or functionality, and without requiring scrolling in two dimensions for:
- Vertical scrolling content at a width equivalent to 320 [Cascading Style Sheet (CSS)] pixels
- Horizontal scrolling content at a height equivalent to 256 CSS pixels.
Except for parts of the content which require two-dimensional layout for usage or meaning. . . .
Success Criterion 2.1.1 Keyboard (Level A)
All functionality of the content is operable through a keyboard interface without requiring specific timings for individual keystrokes, except where the underlying function requires input that depends on the path of the user’s movement and not just the endpoints. . . .
Success Criterion 2.4.5 Multiple Ways (Level AA)
More than one way is available to locate a web page within a set of web pages except where the web page is the result of, or a step in, a process.
Reasons for Issue
Due to the issues referenced in the “Scope Limitations" section, we were unable to obtain a cause from EOTC as to why these issues occurred.
Recommendations
- EOTC should address the loss of functionality when zoomed to 400%.
- EOTC should work to resolve accessibility barriers that prevent certain features from being used with only keyboard commands.
- EOTC should review its webpages to ensure that all hyperlinks lead to intended information and that they provide equitable access to critical information and services that EOTC offers online.
Auditee’s Response
In a letter to the Office of the State Auditor (OSA) on November 20, 2024 (see Appendix B), EOTC stated that it “respectfully declines to comply with the proposed audit.”
Auditor’s Reply
OSA’s position is that the judiciary is subject to audit as outlined in Section 12 of Chapter 11 of the General Laws. There is a substantial historical record of the OSA auditing the judiciary, including, most recently, the Office of Jury Commissioner (issued September 20, 2024) and the Supreme Judicial Court (issued June 2, 2023). Additionally, OSA last audited the Executive Office of the Trial Court on August 21, 2021. The response received to this audit represents a significant deviation from historical practice. OSA continues to make itself available to EOTC and encourages it to comply with Section 12 of Chapter 11 of the General Laws to help make government work better and bolster public confidence in the government funded by the People’s tax dollars.
| Date published: | August 6, 2025 |
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