No matter where you work or what your title may be, as a legal information professional, you likely spend a lot of time communicating online. Much of the legal information we provide is digital, most of our users engage with our materials online, and many of our interactions are mediated through the internet. Some law libraries are now entirely virtual, and even those with physical spaces may provide more electronic resources than physical ones.

Web Accessibility is Necessary

Clearly, law libraries and legal information are transforming, and this transformation has led to both conundrums and improvements. But even if “everything is online now” (a popular oversimplification), not everything online is truly accessible to everyone. Even beyond paywalls and similar limitations, people with disabilities regularly encounter barriers that complicate or even completely block their access to information.

This is not a new problem, and in many cases, the current situation is an improvement. In the past, people who couldn’t pore over unwieldy print volumes were unable to access or engage with legal information directly. Thanks to ever improving assistive technologies — and the efforts of advocates, including librarians — more people have wider access to all sorts of information than ever before, and that’s worth celebrating.

But there are still unnecessary hurdles, even in libraries. For digitized materials, these are often relics of the original formats: scanning print materials often means little more than taking a picture of them, so scanned image-only or poorly OCRed PDFs are nearly as inaccessible as the original print books. “Born-digital” materials may be inherently more accessible, but technical problems can result in information that makes no sense to a screen reader or is not navigable on a smaller screen.

However, because more people are aware of these accessibility challenges and developing solutions, it’s easier than ever to make your online communication more accessible to everyone. Often, this will require a little extra time and advance through, but it’s worth it. No matter your audience, a significant minority of those you’re communicating with are relying on assistive technologies and need accessible content.

Web Accessibility is Required

There are, of course, legal requirements for web accessibility. Section 508 requires federal websites to be accessible. ADA Title II (for state and local governments) and Title III (for businesses open to the public) prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities, including for services provided online.  Failures to meet these requirements have led to complaints and legal problems, including recently for Illinois public libraries.

Earlier this year, the DOJ issued a new ADA Title II rule clarifying that the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Version 2.1, Level AA will the technical standard for governments’ web accessibility. This new rule only applies to state and local governments, but this includes many law libraries. And even those who not required to comply to this technical standard may find it worthwhile to do so voluntarily.

Thinking about web accessibility standards protects our organizations and lets us know we’ve done “enough” for now (which can be vital for overthinkers and perfectionists). Personally, I love a good checklist, and WCAG 2.1 checklists abound: here are a few from WebAIM, Yale, and Cornell, just to get started.

WCAG 2.1 AA is the minimum standard: it’s not the latest version and features fewer requirements than Level AAA or version 2.2. Meeting this standard, or any other, doesn’t take into account all the possible barriers to communication and information beyond legal obligations. Inclusive design reminds us to think beyond checking boxes to reconsider how we design and communicate. If we keep the diversity of human needs and experiences in mind while creating and distributing information, we can reach a wider audience and minimize frustration for everyone.

Web Accessibility is for Everyone

In physical spaces, designing for accessibility has often benefited people without disabilities as well, which is a common argument for universal design. You may have heard of the curb cut effect: although curb cuts were invented for wheelchairs, they’re an improvement for everyone who uses a sidewalk. Similarly, although expanding access is the focus of web accessibility, people who don’t rely on assistive technologies can take advantage of many features. Perhaps you’ve appreciated:

• A well-designed website that resizes all its text and images to fit your phone’s screen
• Videos with edited captions, so you can follow all the dialogue without confusion
• Transcripts for audio recordings or videos that you can skim for speedier comprehension
• Movies with visual description, so you can “watch” with your ears while otherwise occupied
• Lists and short paragraphs that are quicker to read than blocks of text

All of these are design choices that improve web accessibility; they’re nice features for many people but absolute necessities for others. Naturally, not every accessibility feature is perceivable or useful for everyone, and even “invisible” improvements are worthwhile. But if you think about accessibility from the start, the results are often better for everyone.

Web Accessibility in the Future

In the coming issues of the Bulletin, I’ll be exploring how law librarians and other legal information professionals can improve web accessibility when communicating and distributing information online. Starting in the next issue, I’ll share more practical tips and ideas, both for meeting standards and for thinking inclusively about sharing web-based information.

This is a topic I’m working in and learning more about, but I’m not an expert. I know many other members of the CALL community have insights on web accessibility from their work or personal experience that they could share. So please feel free to email me (rford2@niu.edu) to share any tips or ideas in a future post or just to talk more about web accessibility in law libraries.