Introduction
In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted to provide federal protections for individuals with disabilities. It requires compliance with Title II (government) and Title III (businesses). To do this, stores and governments are required to include features such as accessible formatting, large font sizes, Braille options, and documents compatible with screen readers. These requirements ensure easy use for people with cognitive, visual, or auditory impairments.
Additionally, as public communication systems shift to digital platforms, accessibility guidelines established by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) help ensure that PDFs, online alerts, and websites are accessible. For small towns with older populations, such as Mountain Lakes, these standards are essential. Understanding how effectively a community implements these accessibility practices is central to evaluating whether local governmental systems truly serve all residents. It also encourages future policies that offer a step in the right direction for access.
ML Town Website
There are a few metrics for measuring website accessibility. To narrow it down, these guidelines include: page structure, navigation, alt text, labels and landmarks, reading order, contrast and fonts, links and buttons, keyboard navigation, cognitive clarity, PDF accessibility, online forms, video accessibility, live stream accessibility, alerts and notices, mobile site design, mobile PDFs, translation availability, and feedback channels.
Going down the list, we can make a few key observations. Most of the website complies with these requirements. Notably, you can navigate the entire website with the keyboard, and there are no keyboard traps (meaning you cannot get stuck on a pop-up tab or on a specific page). This is incredibly important because many low-vision or blind individuals use specialized devices called screen readers that must be able to access the website solely through text. Additionally, the website includes the ability to narrate text when clicked. Most downloadable PDFs are fully functional and readily accessible.
However, there are a few areas where the website could be improved to enhance accessibility. First, the page structure is slightly busy with lots of images and text everywhere. Moreover, navigation is lacking since there is no search bar. Second, every image should have alt text. Functionally, alt text helps low-vision or blind people understand what an image is. Third, the website breaks when zoomed to 200%. Although the formatting is slightly off, it could affect the user experience when they need to read the text clearly. Fourth, the website lacks translations. For individuals whose first language is not English, finding information on the town website may be difficult.
Impact and Final Thoughts
With that being said, what does this mean for Mountain Lakes moving forward? The lack of these accessible features could exclude people seeking to engage with town policies and events. This means appropriate feedback systems need to be implemented to address these concerns. Furthermore, a website redesign could be a helpful recommendation. All in all, because access may be regarded as an afterthought, it is imperative that we do not lose sight of these issues and, instead, place it at the forefront of our decisions.
0
0
