County communications director warns of DOJ web-accessibility deadline; trainings planned

Tompkins County’s communications director told the Government Operations Committee on April 14 that Department of Justice guidance adopting Web Content Accessibility Guidelines requires government web content and documents used by residents to be accessible and that the county needs an organized remediation plan.

Monica said the county has roughly 3,700 PDFs on its website and about 30 departments with more than 50 web publishers; the immediate priority is to make accessible any "living" or fillable documents residents use to apply for services. She said the county will begin with two trainings: one for document creators and a second for web publishers, and is scheduling them for April 20 (3:00 p.m.) and April 22 (11:00 a.m.).

She emphasized that while automated remediation tools are available, they can be costly and do not remove the need for staff to create accessible source documents. "If we start at the beginning when a document is created and people are aware how to create accessible content it makes it easier down the road," she said. Monica added that some legacy content that is not actively used may be exempt from immediate remediation, but any forms that residents rely on now must meet accessibility standards.

Committee members pressed for priorities and timetables. Monica said the county will focus on documents that are actively used to access services and that the county will compile a prioritized list (fillable forms first). She said full remediation of all historical PDFs is not feasible immediately and that the county does not expect to finish by the stated April date but will concentrate on live documents and continue the work afterward.

Next steps: trainings will begin the week of April 20; communications and IT staff will coordinate with departments to inventory and prioritize fillable forms and frequently used content for remediation.