ITI Recommends Robust, Inclusive Approach to Website Accessibility for Government Sites
WASHINGTON – Today, global tech trade association ITI recommended that the U.S. government regulations regarding website accessibility provide flexibility to ensure access to government sites for users with all abilities.
In a submission (opens in a new tab) to the Department of Justice’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for website accessibility, ITI wrote: “As strong advocates for accessibility generally, ITI commends the Department for advancing work on the Title II website accessibility regulations in recognition of the need to provide public sector entities clear and meaningful guidelines to enable them to serve constituents with disabilities. Private sector entities can also benefit from such guidance[…]. ITI notes that the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) offer the best technical standard for web content subject to this proposed rulemaking and recommends that the Department adopt WCAG 2.2 Level AA in the final rule. We also note that disability is not a monolith and cannot be addressed by a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Any regulations should provide the flexibility needed to support users with diverse needs, including the need to depart from WCAG or provide information in alternative formats when necessary.”
ITI’s members (opens in a new tab) are pioneers and leaders in accessibility and are actively involved in the development and implementation of accessible technologies for users with disabilities, including web accessibility. Many of ITI’s members are active in global accessibility standards bodies such as the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) – part of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) – which develops web accessibility standards and educational resources to help make the web accessible to people with disabilities, including the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Through these bodies, ITI’s members work closely with individuals, consumer organizations, and governments around the world with the goal of establishing a single global standard for web content accessibility.
Employees of ITI member companies created and maintain the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT), a free resource that assists global governments and private industry in identifying commercially available information and communications technology (ICT) with accessible features. The VPAT includes the leading ICT accessibility standards (opens in a new tab): Section 508 (United States), EN 301 549 (European Union), and W3C/WAI WCAG.
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ITI Recommends Robust, Inclusive Approach to Website Accessibility for Government Sites
