In today’s digital age, ensuring equal access to government websites is not just a priority but a fundamental necessity. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794d), as amended in 1998, mandates that federal agencies provide individuals with disabilities access to electronic information and data comparable to those available to others, unless doing so would impose an undue burden on the agency.
Having a disability should never impede anyone’s ability to navigate digital platforms. At Circuit Media, we are dedicated to making sure that all our internal projects comply with Section 508 to guarantee equal access for all users. In addition to our commitment to internal accessibility, we offer comprehensive accessibility services to our clients. Our team excels in creating accessible documents and websites, including PDFs, PowerPoint presentations, and web content.
Various accessibility barriers can hinder the use of digital platforms, and we address these diligently during website development. One critical aspect is the inclusion of alternative text (alt text) for images, ensuring that screen readers can effectively convey the image’s message to visually impaired users. Just like images needing alt text, all PDFs must be tagged as PDFs to ensure those who want more information can have it. Along with that it is imperative to choose a font that can be read easily no matter how small or large the text size is.
For video content, we prioritize adding pause and stop buttons as well as closed captioning. These features not only allow users to control video playback but also provide essential support to individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have learning disabilities.
Our design team also implements color contrast strategies to enhance the accessibility experience for visually impaired users, ensuring that text and important visual elements stand out clearly. Accessibility may also look like adjusting website features to ensure access to those in rural areas with lower strength wifi; this adjustment may look like allowing images to be turned off. When it comes to functionality and design, it is important to provide images that serve a purpose to your website/page design.
To ensure the effectiveness of our 508 compliance measures, we utilize various tools, such as those available in WordPress, to test and verify accessibility proficiency. Among the multiple tools we use, checklists provided by HHS and WCAG are utilized to ensure nothing is missed. By prioritizing these accessibility features, we strive to make digital platforms inclusive and navigable for everyone.
