Website Accessibility Policy

The duty under human rights laws to make reasonable accommodations for disabled job applicants and employees kicks in only when somebody actually requests an accommodation. Several jurisdictions consider this approach to be too passive and have adopted laws requiring employers to take proactive measures to make their workplaces and businesses accessible to the disabled, including with regard to their websites. The benchmark for accessibility is complying with Level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG). Here’s a template policy you can adapt to achieve that goal. Note: That the template is very broad in approach and you’ll need to adapt it to your own particular website configurations and content processes.

1. POLICY STATEMENT

ABC Company is committed to making its websites fully accessible fully accessible to the broadest possible range of users including but not limited to individuals with disabilities. In accordance with this commitment, ABC Company will ensure that all of its websites, applications and content fully comply with the standards established by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in its Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. ABC Company is committed to achieving compliance at Level AA of the WCAG by [insert date] and will after that date perform regular auditing and monitoring to ensure compliance is maintained.

2. PURPOSE

The purpose of this Policy is to establish broad principles, procedures, protocols and guidelines for fulfilling ABC Company’s commitment to identifying and eliminating barriers to website accessibility and meeting the standards of compliance set out in WCAG 2.0 Level AA and applicable accessibility laws.

3. SCOPE

This Policy applies to all new, updated, and existing web content created or updated by ABC Company [list company URL] and all content provided internally via [list intranet URL], which will be referred to throughout this Policy as “Websites.” Websites do not include, and this Policy does not apply to:

  • Unofficial websites created by an individual such as an ABC Company employee, or by an outside company or organization which is hosted on ABC Company servers but which is not part of and does not conduct business for ABC Company;
  • Inter-Company archives, databases and collections.

ABC Company will also make third party content providers aware of this Policy, require them to comply with its criteria and hold them accountable for failing to do so.

4. DEFINITIONS

For the purposes of this Policy:

“Accessible” means that individuals with disabilities are able to independently acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services within the same timeframe as individuals without disabilities, with substantially equivalent ease of use;

“Assistive device” means a technical aid, communication device or other instrument that is used to maintain or improve the functional abilities of people with disabilities, such as a wheelchair, walker or Braille keyboard;

“Barrier” means anything that prevents a person with a disability from fully participating in all aspects of society because of his or her disability. This includes physical barrier, an architectural barrier, information or communications barrier, an attitudinal barrier, a technological barrier, a policy or a practice;

“Disability” means a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities;

“Equally effective” when used to refer to an alternative format or medium means one that communicates the same information in as timely a fashion as the original format or medium.

5. GUIDING PRINCIPLES

In implementing this Policy, ABC Company will be guided by the following principles:

5.1 Dignity

People with disabilities are entitled to be treated as equally valued and respected as any other individuals.

5.2 Equal Opportunity

ABC Company employees with disabilities are entitled to the same professional opportunities as other employees and ABC Company customers are entitled to the same opportunities to benefit from the goods and services provided by ABC Company as other customers. To ensure equal opportunity, the individual needs of the person with a disability must be taken into account, even if doing so results in differential treatment.

5.3 Independence

People with disabilities are free to choose the manner in which they are served.

5.4 Assistive Devices

Employees, volunteers and third party contractors must accommodate the use of and, if necessary, furnish assistive devices. Where furnishing of assistive devices is necessary to ensure accessibility, ABC Company will maintain those devices in good working order and notify employees, affiliates and members of the public of their availability.

6. WEBSITE ACCESSIBILITY CRITERIA

6.1 Distinguishable Content

The default provision of ABC Company Website content must be as easy to perceive as possible to people with disabilities in accordance with WCAG Understanding Guideline 1.4 for Distinguishable Content, including:

    • Visual presentation of text and images of text must have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1, except for the following:
      • Large Text: Large-scale text and images of large-scale text must have a contrast ratio of at least 3:1;
      • No contrast requirements apply to text that’s part of a logo or brand name or text or images of text that are: i. part of an inactive user interface component; ii. pure decoration; iii. not visible to anyone; or iv. part of a picture that contains significant other visual content;
    • Text must be resized without assistive technology up to 200% without loss of content or functionality, except for captions and images of text;
    • If the technologies being used can achieve the visual presentation, text must be used to convey information rather than images of text except for the following:
      • Customizable: The image of text can be visually customized to the user’s requirements;
      • Essential: A particular presentation of text is essential to the information being conveyed.

6.2 Navigable Content

The default provision of ABC Company Website content must provide ways to help users navigate, find content, and determine where they are in accordance with WCAG Understanding Guideline 2.4, including:

    • There must be more than one way to locate a Web page within a set of Web pages except where the Web Page is the result of, or a step in, a process, in accordance with WCAG Success Criterion 2.4.5;
    • Headings and labels must describe the topic or purpose, in accordance with WCAG Success Criterion 2.4.6;
    • Any keyboard operable user interface must have a mode of operation where the keyboard focus indicator is visible, in accordance with WCAG Success Criterion 2.4.7.

6.3 Readable Text Content

ABC Company Website text content designed to be read must be readable via the use of assistive technology and information necessary for understanding it must be available, in accordance with WCAG Understanding Guideline 3.1 Readable. Specifically, The human language of each passage or phrase in the content must be programmatically determined except for proper names, technical terms, words of indeterminate language, and words or phrases that have become part of the vernacular of the immediately surrounding text, in accordance with WCAG Success Criterion 3.1.2.

6.4 Predictable Web Pages

ABC Company Web pages must appear and operate in predictable ways, in accordance with WCAG Understanding Guideline 3.2 Predictable Web Pages, including:

    • Navigational mechanisms that are repeated on multiple Web pages within a set of Web pages must occur in the same relative order each time they are repeated, unless the user initiates a change, in accordance with WCAG Success Criterion 3.2.3;
    • Components that have the same functionality within a set of Web pages must be identified consistently, in accordance with WCAG Success Criterion 3.2.4.

6.5 Input Assistance

ABC Company Websites must have mechanisms in place to help users avoid and correct mistakes, in  accordance with WCAG Understanding Guideline 3.3 Input Assistance, including:

    • If an input error is automatically detected and suggestions for correction are known, the suggestions must be provided to the user, unless it would jeopardize the security or purpose of the content, in accordance with WCAG Success Criterion 3.3.3;
    • At least one of the following must be true of any ABC Company Web pages that: i. cause legal commitments or financial transactions for the user to occur; ii. modify or delete user-controllable data in data storage systems; or iii. submit user test responses, at least one of the following must be true (in accordance with WCAG Success Criterion 3.3.4):
      • Submissions must be reversible;
      • Data entered by the user must be checked for input errors and the user must be provided an opportunity to correct them;
      • A mechanism must be available for reviewing, confirming, and correcting information before finalizing the submission.

7. ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

7.1 Accessibility Coordinator

ABC Company will appoint a qualified person to serve as Website Accessibility Coordinator whose responsibilities include:

    • Consolidating annual status reports for presentation to the ABC Company board of directors at its annual review meeting;
    • Preparing and providing Website accessibility training and guidance;
    • Promoting Website accessibility awareness internally;
    • Responding to user questions and concerns related to ABC Company Website accessibility;
    • Performing ongoing assessment of the accessibility of ABC Company Websites.

7.2 Web Project Managers

    • Ensure compliance with this Policy;
    • Prepare project Website accessibility reports at key project stages, including analysis, design, development and QA;
    • Ensure user feedback mechanisms are included as part of project deliverables;
    • Ensure all staff receive appropriate and regular Website accessibility training.

7.3 IT Department & Webmasters

    • Choose and implement tools that meet this Policy;
    • Provide tools to support automated accessibility checking;
    • Remedy identified Website accessibility barriers.

7.4 Web Content Management Teams

    • Ensure all staff receive appropriate and regular Website accessibility training;
    • Ensure submitted content complies with this Policy;
    • Fix identified accessibility issues in authored Website content.

8. REPORTING

Each ABC Company department with responsibility for Websites must submit an annual status report to the Accessibility Coordinator summarizing its efforts and progress towards achieving the objectives of this Policy during the year.

9. POLICY REVIEW

ABC Company and the Accessibility Coordinator will monitor and review implementation of and compliance with all aspects this Policy, identify problems or weaknesses and initiate corrective actions or improvements on a regular basis and no less than once a year.