This is a great question, and I am glad it was asked when I shared the prototype page.
From day one, our webmaster has insisted that as we roll out the full ChelmsfordOSS website, it must be ADA compliant. That was not an afterthought. It was a requirement from the start.
There are two reasons for this.
First, it is simply the right thing to do. Many people in our group are strong supporters of ADA access, and some are active advocates here in town. For us to build a website that was not accessible would be unacceptable and would contradict everything we work toward in our open space projects.
Second, it is the law. Public facing websites, especially those connected to nonprofits and public information, are expected to meet accessibility standards. If you are part of a group with a website, this is something you should be thinking about as well.
The prototype page that I shared is not yet fully ADA compliant. That was a great catch by one of our followers. I will be working on that page this week, and we will not move forward creating additional pages until it is fully compliant. That prototype page is the template for all future site pages, so it needs to be right.
What ADA compliance means for the ChelmsfordOSS website in practical terms:
Things we are implementing and checking against recognized accessibility standards used in Massachusetts.
• All images must include descriptive alt text so screen readers can explain what the image shows
• Sufficient color contrast between text and background so content is readable for people with low vision
• Clear heading structure so screen readers can navigate pages logically
• All links must be descriptive. No vague “click here” links
• Keyboard navigation must work for all menus, buttons, and forms without requiring a mouse
• Videos must include captions and transcripts where applicable
• Forms must have properly labeled fields
• No information conveyed by color alone
• Font sizes must be readable and scalable
• Interactive maps and embedded content must include accessible alternatives or explanations
• Error messages and alerts must be readable by assistive technologies
As we did with our OpenStreetMap user guides, I will be building an unofficial “Journey to ADA Compliance for a Website” series. This will include a few posts that explain what I learned, what tools we used, what was easy, and what required workarounds.
Even if a group cannot fully implement everything themselves, being able to say to a web designer, “This site needs to be ADA compliant,” is an important starting point.
The journey begins Sunday afternoon. I will post an update next week on what I found, what we fixed, and what took more effort than expected.
Thanks again to the person who flagged this. It was precisely the kind of feedback we want as we build something intended to be used by everyone.