Policy Statement  Virtual Gateway Web Accessibility Policy

Date:	07/01/2006
Referenced Sources:	IT Accessibility Laws and Policies

The Executive Office of Health and Human Services is committed to making the Virtual Gateway accessible to all users. The Virtual Gateway is comprised of multiple business applications that support different user populations. Vendors who provide software development services for Virtual Gateway applications are required to deliver code that is compliant with the Commonwealth’s Web Accessibility Standards 2.0. These standards are compliant with Section 508 Guidelines and several elements of World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) web content accessibility guidelines. Additionally, as specific areas for improvement in the system's usability are discovered, software enhancements to address the most significant of these areas will be undertaken.

Our Activities

EOHHS has taken a variety of activities to improve the system's accessibility for all users:

• EOHHS continues to invest in software testing tools and processes for all Virtual Gateway applications. EOHHS has developed procedures and protocols to insure delivery of software code that is compliant with Section 508 Guidelines.
• All vendors who deliver software development services on behalf of any component of the Virtual Gateway are required to deliver code that is compliant with the current Massachusetts Web Accessibility Standards.
• EOHHS will reserve resources for investment in additional changes beyond those required by the standards in order to address critical accessibility issues.