[Speaker] The Mass Digital Content Lab team has created this video
series about accessible practices.
This information is for anyone authoring web content.
Government services must be accessible
to everyone in Massachusetts.
As a web author for the state, you should be aware of
who is using your content and what they want to learn
or do when they access it.
Your audiences should be able to perceive, understand,
and interact with your content without barriers.
It might help to think of the Web Accessibility Initiative
slogan, "Accessibility: essential for some, useful for all."
For example, when you include captions with videos,
you increase access for people who are deaf
or hard of hearing, and you also make it possible
for someone to watch a video if they're in a noisy location.
Making content accessible is about removing barriers,
so more people can access information and services.
It means thinking about your constituents and their needs.
According to the CDC, about 26%
of people in Massachusetts have some type of disability.
There are four main categories of disabilities
to consider when building digital products and services.
Visual, hearing, mobility, and cognitive.
Each of these can be permanent, temporary, or situational.
This means disability is something most people will
experience at least some of the time.
Also, web accessibility is the law.
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
Title Two Final Rule published in April 2024,
includes all services, programs, and activities
provided by state and local governments.
This includes the services, programs,
and activities that state
and local governments offer online and through mobile apps.
April 24th, 2026 is the deadline
for ensuring your web content is accessible.
What does this mean for you as a web author?
This video series will show you content practices you can
adopt in your regular web authoring
to increase accessibility.
They address things like using headings correctly,
writing good link text and alt text,
and creating accessible tables.
The more you adopt these practices
and think about accessibility now,
the less you'll have to remediate later.
You also have resources to assist you
as you work on making your content accessible.
You can use Editoria11y as you work in the CMS
to catch accessibility issues and fix them.
Editoria11y won't catch everything,
but it's a good place to start.
And the Mass Digital ACCESS team offers helpful resources
on Mass.gov.
You can attend one of their trainings
or sign up to meet with them during weekly office hours.
Adopting an "accessibility first" mindset will take time
and practice. Working together,
we can make Massachusetts a model in providing web content
that is accessible and welcoming to all.