Tony's tech terms: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

In March 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a significant ruling under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) aimed at enhancing web and mobile app accessibility for people with disabilities. This ruling mandates that state and local governments ensure their digital content and services comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA. This includes making web content such as text, images, videos, and documents, as well as mobile apps, accessible to individuals with disabilities.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are a set of standards designed to make websites accessible to everyone. They ensure web content is perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. This means that all users, regardless of their abilities, can access and navigate online content effectively.

The App Dev team is analyzing our applications to see what changes we need to make to meet the new standards. We have two years to bring all of our applications into compliance. This includes internal tools like TFMS and Student Athletes as well as public-facing sites like roomsearch.umn.edu.