The guide below showcases supportive, inclusive policies and practices that benefit employers and employees alike. Additionally, it details:

• Key principles and concepts for creating accessible digital content.
• Practical tips and techniques for making your websites, documents, and multimedia more inclusive.
• A curated list of tools and resources to aid your digital accessibility journey

Digital Accessibility: Best Practices and Resources

Overview

According to the Perkins School for the Blind, digital accessibility refers to “how usable a website, app or other digital experience is by all possible users, regardless of their ability or disability.” To increase digital accessibility, organizations should practice inclusivity by removing barriers that may impede access to digital tools, websites, and other technology. Additionally, careful consideration should be given to the user experience.

The World Wide Web Consortium, or W3C for short, developed the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to provide standardized technical specifications to improve digital accessibility across all devices for people with a wide range of disabilities. WCAG has outlined four principles for digital accessibility:

• Perceivable – Web content and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive.
• Operable – Users with disabilities must be able to navigate the user interface components.
• Understandable – Web content and its operation should be easily readable and understandable by web users.
• Robust – Web content must be interpretable by various user agents, including assistive technologies.

Based on our research, the CalHR Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Office has listed five best practices to consider when creating accessible digital tools. For more information, please review the resources provided by leading digital accessibility organizations. As always, all digital products should comply with your departmental Information Technology (IT) policies.

Best Practices

• Practice Inclusive Design: Ensure equal access to services, products, and environments through thoughtful, inclusive planning.
• Keep it simple: Prepare documents and websites with simple features for all types of audiences.
• Seek guidance and use relevant resources: Consult with your departmental Language Access Coordinator while adhering to your current departmental IT policies.
• Provide tools for greater participation: These tools include screen readers, closed captioning, and sign language interpreters.
• Maintain products regularly: Build in time for testing and review. Be prepared to remediate items that are inaccessible.

Resources

• Who is Accessible.com – Digital Inclusion: How It Goes Beyond Web Accessibility?
• Digital.gov Guide – Improving the Accessibility of Social Media in Government
• California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) – DOR Web Accessibility Toolkit
• Digital.gov Guide – An Introduction to Accessibility
• Microsoft Inclusive Design Website – Microsoft Inclusive Design