Accessibility in Government Websites – An Exploratory Research Paper
Overview
Government websites and e-government are the information gateway for many city, county and state taxpayers. Agencies around the globe make information available, provide forms for electronic filing, give their patrons a digital place to perform transactions and read the viewpoints of their governing bodies. For many, it is simply typing a few characters into a search box and within a couple clicks they have all their information.
Do all visitors have the same access? For the 56.7 million individuals in the United States and more than 550 million worldwide [10] who have some form of disability, these procedures of getting the same information are not so simple. This study will look at the informational accessibility from a local government level and how to make this transparent information more available.
Project Questions
- What requirements influence the accessibility of information on a websites?
- Do government website contain enough material to be ADA compliant?
- What current technologies are used to help developers and administrative staff reach sufficient accessibility goals?
- Which clearly defined elements of government website are typically not accessible (e.g. images, tables, PDFs, etc)?
- Are there best practices for government employees to follow in making more of their visitor’s experience more accessible?
- How has the ADA compliance changed from 2011 to present?
Project Activities
Perform a sampling of current local government website infrastructure and utilize common tools to determine their current accessibility effectiveness.
Future Research
Are government websites becoming more accessible today or are they still lagging behind the requirements which have been set forth by a federal government?
References
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http://library.books24x7.com.ezproxy.depaul.edu/toc.aspx?site=XOBDU&bookid=14675 - Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. 29 U.S.C. § 794d. 2000. Retrieved April 24, 2016, from the General Services Administration on Section 508 Standards: http://www.section508.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2010. “Americans with Disabilities 2010: Household Economic Studies”. Retrieved April 27, 2016, from U.S. Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/p70-131.pdf.
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