Mt. Pleasant Tackles Website Accessibility with eChalk GUIDE
Mt. Pleasant Central School District relies on their eChalk websites to get important information out to their community. So when they realized that some content was not accessible for users with disabilities, they knew that fixing the problem had to become a priority. They are using eChalk GUIDE to find and fix existing accessibility errors on their websites and make sure new content that is posted is accessible for all.
Learning About Website Accessibility
The problem was first brought to light by a former Director of Technology a few years ago. The current Director of Technology and Data, Vineetha Joy, continues to advocate for website accessibility. Superintendent Kurtis Kotes had been through a formal Office of Civil Rights (OCR) complaint for website accessibility at a previous district, so he was already aware of the importance of fixing content accessibility problems on their site.
Communications Coordinator Alyson Walsh was tasked with fixing the problem. Alyson first learned about eChalk GUIDE at a website accessibility training offered through the Southern Westchester BOCES and Lower Hudson Regional Information Center (LHRIC). The full-day website accessibility training was led by Dave Milne, eChalk’s VP of Product and Technology, as a service for LHRIC districts.
Alyson says, “I was only vaguely aware of website accessibility issues prior to the training. We knew it was an issue, but we hadn’t had any serious discussions. School districts have tight budgets and people wear so many different hats, so it’s hard to give attention to an issue like this. After the training, I realized this was something we needed to formally address.”
While Mt. Pleasant had not yet had a formal website accessibility complaint, the training opened Alyson’s eyes to the importance of maintaining online content that is accessible for everyone in their community. “I didn’t realize before the percentage of the population that has a disability and how many people in our community may need this. The more I learn about it, the more I realize that even if it’s a small percentage of people in our community, it’s still really important to make sure everyone is able to access the same information. And the changes we are making are really helpful for everyone.”
After the training, Mt. Pleasant was offered the opportunity to become one of the initial pilot districts for eChalk GUIDE, eChalk’s built-in accessibility tool. Alyson and her team jumped at the chance.
An Easy Way to Find Website Accessibility Problems
Mt. Pleasant has been an eChalk customer for many years. The district and their four schools actively use their websites to keep students, families, and community members informed of current events and news at the schools. Their websites are a central place where the community can come to find enrollment information, emergency alerts and announcements, board meeting minutes, and pictures that provide a window into activities at the schools.
The eChalk platform is built for website accessibility, with built-in accessibility features such as ARIA landmarks, keyboard focus, header hierarchy, and high-contrast designs. However, many accessibility issues are under the direct control of content creators. For example, content creators must remember to add alt text to pictures and make sure PDFs posted on the site are in an accessible format. Content creators must take an active role in maintaining website accessibility, even when using a highly accessible platform. Read more about platform accessibility vs. content accessibility.
GUIDE provided instant visibility into the existing content accessibility problems on the site. The GUIDE reports quantify accessibility errors—such as missing alt text, inaccessible PDFs, header structure problems, and contrast issues—across the whole site. Then, it shows webmasters exactly where each problem is located and provides a plain-English explanation of how to fix the issue in the eChalk CMS.
eChalk GUIDE pinpoints where content accessibility errors are found the site and provides plain-English instructions for how to fix them.
Clear Direction for Fixing Content Accessibility Errors
Initially, Alyson was dismayed to find several thousand accessibility errors across their five websites. The majority of these involved problems with missing alt text on pictures and inaccessible PDFs, including many years of archived board meeting minutes and other district documentation. She and her team began chipping away at the problems.
“What I like about GUIDE is that it shows you exactly where the issue is, so I know which page to go to and what I need to do to fix it. With more than 500 PDFs on our sites, finding them all is really important!”
With help from GUIDE, they have now located and fixed nearly all of their alt text issues and most other content accessibility problems. They are still working on making older PDF content accessible, but, Alyson says, “at least now we know exactly where the problems are and what we need to do.” She loves being able to track their progress on the GUIDE summary page. “It’s really satisfying and motivational to see the numbers go down.”
Important information on the Mt. Pleasant district website and school sites is now much more accessible for visitors with disabilities.
Maintaining Website Accessibility for the Long Run
Moving forward, Alyson plans to train content creators at the school sites on GUIDE so everyone can work together to ensure that new content is accessible. GUIDE helps content creators by alerting them to accessibility errors as content is created, before it is pushed live to the site. Over time, GUIDE instills accessibility best practices for all content creators. This ensures that school websites will remain accessible in the future. Read more: Fighting Website Accessibility Entropy.
Alyson likes knowing that the eChalk team is always available for guidance and support, though she hasn’t had to call the help desk often. “Everything with eChalk is pretty straightforward,” she says. “I really haven’t run into too many issues.”
Most of all, she sleeps easier at night knowing that she has helped her district avoid a potentially costly OCR complaint or lawsuit. A nearby district recently went through an expensive website accessibility lawsuit, reinforcing the importance of ADA compliance. Alyson says, “GUIDE puts us on the right path to take care of this thing that has been hanging over our heads. I wouldn’t hesitate to tell another district that eChalk and GUIDE are worth it. GUIDE makes it really easy to tackle a problem you might not even know you have.”
Learn how eChalk GUIDE works:
eChalk GUIDE™ is a unique, easy-to-use website content accessibility checker that is built into the eChalk CMS. It helps everyone involved in maintaining your website follow accessibility best practices.