By Jay Wyant, Chief Information Accessibility Officer

On June 5, 2018, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) formally recommended the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 (WCAG 2.1). Some large, well-known companies have already adopted this new standard.

Beginning in September 2021, the Office of Accessibility convened an inter-agency workgroup to review WCAG 2.1. The question to the group: would they recommend updating the current State Digital Accessibility and Usability Standard (PDF) from WCAG 2.0 to 2.1? A formal decision has not yet been made. 

Updating the standard would mean changes for a wide range of state employees and vendors. These include:

• Document creators, notably graphic designers, instructional designers, PDF remediators.
• Website and web application teams. This includes business analysts, developers, and quality assurance testers.
• Mobile app developers and testers.
• Procurement specialists, such as those evaluating vendor accessibility conformance reports (VPATs).

Gathering information and feedback 

Minnesota IT Services (the state’s IT agency) and the Office of Accessibility are taking the following steps before making a formal decision:

1. During the summer, experts will be invited to present on WCAG 2.1 for state employees. Each session will focus on a specific role (example: web developer). 
2. The Office of Accessibility will gather feedback from state employees. Plans are being made.

The Office of Accessibility would like state employees to share:

• Any concerns they may have about how the updated standard will impact their work.
• New skills or resources they will need to be competent in applying the 2.1 success criteria.
• What else do they need to feel properly supported as the state advances to the new standard?

This feedback will inform the decision to:

• Adopt WCAG 2.1 as part of the state digital accessibility standard.
• Determine how and when to announce the adoption. 

Get involved

If you are a state employee and would like to be part of feedback sessions, please reach out to your digital accessibility coordinator or the Office of Accessibility for more information. 

Together we can continue the journey towards an innovative digital government that works for all.