Blog

<results><page>0</page><page>20</page><page>196</page><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>A dive into interactive web maps and a screen reader user’s experience. </Description><Audience/><Title>Revisit (Reflow?) the past to prepare for the future</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Interactive web maps</Subject><Subject>Screen reader</Subject><Subject>maps</Subject><Subject>Title II</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>GAAD Event: Navigating maps with a screen reader: a conversation</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Computer displaying interactive web map, with headphones on keyboard.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/interactive-map-screen-reader_blog_tcm38-743125.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Computer displaying interactive web map, with headphones on keyboard.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/interactive-map-screen-reader_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-743216.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2026-5 - GAAD</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-742977&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2026-05-21T06:01:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>A dive into interactive web maps and a screen reader user’s experience. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>A dive into interactive web maps and a screen reader user’s experience. </Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A screen reader user and a digital map creator discuss the challenges and best practices of making interactive web maps that work for everyone.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The State of Minnesota&apos;s Office of Accessibility will host a conversation between a screen reader user and a map maker to discuss key accessibility questions including:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Are some types of web maps easier to use than others?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What are common barriers for screen reader users when using web maps?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How can map designers/creators make maps more accessible?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Are there certain &quot;cheat codes&quot; that assistive technology (AT) users can use when navigating web maps?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Is it ok for web map creators to create custom navigation for their maps?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Speakers:&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lolly Lijewski&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;,&lt;/strong&gt; retired digital accessibility coordinator and audio description consultant&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jason Ewert&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;,&lt;/strong&gt; GIS Application Analyst, MNIT Partnering with MPCA&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Connection information&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Please &lt;a href=&quot;https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_YmU3YjAwOWItNjEwOS00YWYwLTkwYjEtNGQ4N2QzOTRlMWYw%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22eb14b046-24c4-4519-8f26-b89c2159828c%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22cf1a0734-db9f-4e24-aa17-de81b5cca474%22%7d&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;join the conversation&lt;/a&gt; Thursday, May 21, at 1 p.m. Central. This session will run one hour .&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The event includes CART captions and ASL interpreting services.&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>742977</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2026-05-20T21:38:01Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>A dive into interactive web maps and a screen reader user’s experience. </Description><Audience/><Title>Revisit (Reflow?) the past to prepare for the future</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Interactive web maps</Subject><Subject>Screen reader</Subject><Subject>maps</Subject><Subject>Title II</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>New Office of Accessibility Resource: WCAG 2.1 Role-based Materials</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A flagbearer with a WCAG 2.1 flag leading others to success.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/wcag-2-1-training-resources_tcm38-749765.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A flagbearer with a WCAG 2.1 flag leading other to success.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/wcag-2-1-training-resources-blog-thumbnail_tcm38-749768.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2026-5 - WCAG 2.1 pages</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-749758&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2026-05-20T21:35:38Z</Date><ShortDescription>Discover how our role-based approach can support your digital accessibility work—and start exploring the new content today!</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Check out our new WCAG 2.1 role-based info pages.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Content author: Office of Accessibility&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Part of the State of Minnesota&apos;s Digital Accessibility Standard references the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). In June 2024, the State updated the standard from WCAG 2.0 to WCAG 2.1 to strengthen digital accessibility across state services. We highlighted the update in a blog post titled, &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/623917&quot;&gt;What the upgrade to WCAG 2.1 means for Minnesotans&lt;/a&gt;.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To prepare state employees for that update, we partnered with subject matter experts (SMEs) throughout the state to develop role-based materials. These resources serve as both training and reference guides, helping employees understand how accessibility connects to their day-to-day work.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;These resources are useful to everyone, even to those who may be new to digital accessibility. By reviewing the materials tied to their role, employees can better understand how accessibility connects to their work and what they can do to support it, even without prior knowledge of WCAG 2.0.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Here&apos;s what you can expect from each&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/wcag2.1/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;WCAG 2.1 role-based page:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Learn how WCAG 2.1 success criteria impact the role.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Find training resources related to applicable success criterion.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Access additional resources related to accessibility requirements for that role.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some examples of the role-based pages&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Graphic design&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For example, a graphic designer would check out the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/wcag2.1/content-authoring.jsp&quot;&gt;Content Authoring page&lt;/a&gt; to learn how to best incorporate the newer criteria in their work. First, they will see that most criteria don&apos;t impact them. Then upon selecting the accordion for SC 1.4.11: Non-text Contrast (Level AA), they can dive into how to apply its principles to:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Graphics&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Flow diagrams&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Charts and graphs&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;They will also learn how to check for color contrast and use color blindness simulators.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Data visualization&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A data visualization expert can review the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/wcag2.1/data-viz.jsp&quot;&gt;Data Visualization page&lt;/a&gt; to learn that, unlike content authors, most of the WCAG 2.1 criteria do apply. Then dive into each relevant criteria such as SC 2.5.3: Label in Name (Level A) to grab sample code on how to meet it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Check it out and let us know!&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The only major role not included is procurement. We&apos;re currently incorporating that information into an updated version of our accessible procurement page. Watch this newsletter for an announcement soon!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We hope that folks find these &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/wcag2.1/&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1 role-based pages&lt;/a&gt; a useful tool as they dive into digital accessibility. Then use the references at the end to explore more.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Did you find the role-based content useful? Is there something we can do to make it better? &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/portal/about-minnesota/accessibility-issues/&quot;&gt;Drop us a note&lt;/a&gt; and let us know!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;More accessibility resources&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;State of Minnesota&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Office of Accessibility Training page&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;: These include self-paced modules for Word, PDF, and PowerPoint.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/electronic-documents/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Accessible Electronic Documents page&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Outside of the state&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-intro/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;World Wide Web Consortium&apos;s (W3C) &lt;strong&gt;Introduction to web accessibility&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/intro/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WebAIM&apos;s &lt;strong&gt;Introduction to web accessibility&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.section508.gov/training-home/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Section508.gov&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;: Improve understanding of IT accessibility and Section 508 law.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.accessibilityassociation.org/courses-and-training&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) courses and training&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;: Offers three self-paced formats that can be tailored to fit your specific needs.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Dive deeper into accessibility topics:&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/services/training/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WebAIM &lt;strong&gt;Accessibility training page&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;: Different training types based on need.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Accessibility curriculums&lt;/strong&gt;: A number of vendors offer training in addition to their testing or remediation services. A brief sampling includes: &lt;a href=&quot;https://dequeuniversity.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Deque University&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.levelaccess.com/academy-and-training/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Level Access Academy&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://learninghub.siteimprove.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Siteimprove&apos;s Frontier&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.funka.com/en/funka-academy/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Funka Academy&lt;/a&gt;, and more.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Interested in accessibility certification?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.accessibilityassociation.org/cpacc&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;IAAP Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) credential&lt;/a&gt; is IAAP&apos;s foundational certification for accessibility professionals with at least a year of experience (those with less will need to provide their background and goals before taking the exam). It represents broad, cross-disciplinary conceptual knowledge about:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Disabilities&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accessibility and universal design&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accessibility-related standards, laws, and management strategies&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>749758</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2026-05-20T21:36:28Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Updated standards, everyday gaps, and high-impact improvements. Cognitive Accessibility helps Users Stay Oriented, Focused, and Successful</Description><Audience/><Title>Revisit (Reflow?) the past to prepare for the future</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Subject>Cognitive</Subject><Subject>digital</Subject><Subject>Title II</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Cognitive Accessibility (Digital) in 2026: Helping Users Stay Oriented, Focused, and Successful</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Person at computer with thought balloons signifying confusion and questions.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/cognitive-disabilities-blog_tcm38-742935.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Person at computer with thought balloons signifying confusion and questions.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/cognitive-disabilities-blog-thumbnail_tcm38-742944.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2026-4 - Cognitive Accessibility</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-742904&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2026-04-22T21:32:17Z</Date><ShortDescription>Updated standards, everyday gaps, and high-impact improvements.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Updated standards, everyday gaps, and high-impact improvements.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Author: Jennie Delisi, Enterprise IT Governance Coordinator&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Re‑Introduction&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Cognitive accessibility plays an essential role in ensuring people with cognitive disabilities can equitably access digital government services. Clear, structured, and predictable digital experiences help people understand information, stay focused, and complete important tasks.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This supports everyday online activities such as:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;applying for benefits,&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;renewing a license,&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;scheduling an appointment, or&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;navigating time-sensitive instructions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As Minnesota updates its digital practices and prepares for the new ADA Title II requirements taking effect in 2027 (see &quot;Update&quot; at end of article), cognitive accessibility is moving beyond a best practice to a compliance expectation. Agencies that design digital spaces for clarity, predictability, and reduced cognitive load make their services easier for everyone while directly supporting Minnesotans who rely on these improvements.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This article&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;highlights the core ideas introduced in a 2019 newsletter article.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;provides a practical, updated roadmap for cognitive-friendly digital services.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;shares resources for taking next steps.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Its purpose is to give actionable guidance and real-world examples that strengthen cognitive accessibility while helping meet emerging federal and state requirements.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;These include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot;&gt;Minnesota Digital Accessibility Standard v4.0,&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/about/groups/task-forces/coga/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Cognitive and Learning Disabilities Accessibility Task Force (COGA)&lt;/a&gt; recommendations and best practices.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;These principles and practices broadly apply across sectors and regions, supporting any organization seeking to improve clarity and independent use of digital information.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Updates Since 2019&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Since the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/?id=38-403322&quot;&gt;original 2019 article Closing the Accessibility Gap (Sims and Delisi)&lt;/a&gt;, three major changes have reshaped cognitive accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;ADA Title II&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;First, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ada.gov/assets/pdfs/web-rule.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;American&apos;s with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II Final Rule (PDF)&lt;/a&gt; now requires public entities to meet &lt;strong&gt;WCAG 2.1 AA&lt;/strong&gt;, with compliance beginning in &lt;strong&gt;April 2027&lt;/strong&gt;. This establishes a clear, enforceable accessibility baseline for digital services. WCAG 2.1 AA includes requirements such as text spacing, non-text contrast, and motion actuation. These improve access for people with certain cognitive and learning disabilities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;State of Minnesota&apos;s Digital Accessibility Standard, v4.0&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Second, Minnesota&apos;s updated &lt;strong&gt;Digital Accessibility Standard v4.0&lt;/strong&gt; now fully aligns with WCAG 2.1 AA and places stronger emphasis on clarity, predictability, and content. This strengthens the overall ease of use by reducing cognitive load, making instructions and expectations more immediately understandable, and supports efficient decision-making throughout a task.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;2025 Editor&apos;s Draft of Making Content Usable for People with Cognitive and Learning Disabilities&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Third, updated guidance from the W3C&apos;s Cognitive and Learning Disabilities Task Force—through the &lt;a href=&quot;https://w3c.github.io/coga/content-usable/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2025 Editor&apos;s Draft (Making Content Usable for People with Cognitive and Learning Disabilities)&lt;/a&gt;—identifies patterns that are &lt;strong&gt;critical enablers&lt;/strong&gt; for helping users:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;stay oriented (know where they are within a site),&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;avoid mistakes, and&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;complete multi‑step processes successfully.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Impact of these changes&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Together, these changes signal a shift where cognitive accessibility is no longer optional or aspirational but a core requirement for accessible digital spaces. With these updates shaping how we design digital spaces, many teams are already improving clarity and consistency across their content. At the same time, familiar challenges continue to appear across digital spaces, and most have simple, high-impact fixes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Common Gaps and Fixes that Make a Big Difference&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As teams continue improving accessibility across digital spaces, common trouble spots still show up again and again. Before we get into those, here&apos;s a quick refresher on seven practices that make digital spaces clearer and easier for everyone:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use clear language and clear presentation.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Support people to successfully complete tasks.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Strengthen orientation and navigation – Where am I within the site? How can I get to where I want to go?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Help people maintain focus.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Prevent errors and support easy recovery.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provide help and support at the point of need.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Support personalization.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;These practices form the foundation of cognitive-friendly design. While progress continues, some common gaps still create challenges. Here are clear, high-impact fixes teams can apply.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;1. The Density Problem: Too Much Text, Too Little Structure&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It&apos;s common to see long paragraphs, multistep instructions buried inside narrative text, or entire processes presented without headings or visual breaks. Readers often end up scrolling back and forth to find the part that tells them what to do next.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Try this:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Add short, meaningful headings (&quot;Before You Start,&quot; &quot;What You&apos;ll Need,&quot; &quot;Next Steps&quot;).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Break complex ideas into bullets.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Put the action first (&quot;Submit your document by selecting &apos;Upload&apos; below.&quot;).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Keep one idea per sentence.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Include a one-sentence top summary so the page &quot;previews itself.&quot;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;These small adjustments reduce cognitive load, help people stay oriented, and make your content usable even for readers who feel overwhelmed by text-heavy pages.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;2. &quot;Where Am I?&quot; — Support Orientation&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Navigation can present another common challenge when it doesn&apos;t clearly show progress or context. Pages may look visually similar without signposts, or actions like &quot;Next&quot; and &quot;Submit&quot; may shift position from page to page. Users may lose their place and aren’t sure what comes next.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Try this:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use clear page titles that state the task (&quot;Apply for a Permit: Step 2&quot;).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Add visible progress indicators (&quot;Step 2 of 4&quot;).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Keep buttons in consistent locations across pages.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Avoid hiding content unless absolutely necessary — and label it clearly when you do.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;These cues help users stay grounded, especially in multi‑step processes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;3. &quot;Am I Doing This Right?&quot; — Instructions and Feedback That Support Success&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Sometimes forms or instructions assume the user will &quot;just know&quot; what to enter or how information must be formatted. When they guess wrong, error messages may be vague (&quot;Invalid entry&quot;) or appear only after the mistake has already been made.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Try this:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Add short examples (&quot;MM/DD/YYYY&quot;).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use plain-language error messages that explain what to fix (&quot;Please enter a 5-digit ZIP code&quot;).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provide hints before typing begins, following accessibility best-practices.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accept common format variations whenever possible.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Good guidance up front helps users successfully complete tasks — and it prevents frustration on both sides of the screen.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In Closing&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;These gaps are common, and simple changes can make a big impact. Start by:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Breaking up dense text.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Strengthening navigation cues.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Offering guidance at the point of need.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;With ADA Title II on the immediate horizon, now is the perfect time to build on the progress already underway. Each improvement increases clarity, reduces frustration, and supports greater access for Minnesotans. To continue that work, explore the resources below.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Update&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The ADA Title II rule was expected to take effect for larger organizations April 24, 2026. On April 20, the US Department of Justice &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/04/20/2026-07663/extension-of-compliance-dates-for-nondiscrimination-on-the-basis-of-disability-accessibility-of-web&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;changed the deadline to April 26, 2027&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Resource List&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Minnesota Office of Accessibility Resources&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/?id=38-403322&quot;&gt;Closing the Accessibility Gap — Cognitive Disabilities, Accessibility Standards, and Assistive Technology: Learn, Apply, Advocate&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Foundational guidance on cognitive accessibility, written for Minnesota digital teams.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-733176&quot;&gt;Editing for clarity: How to strengthen articles — with (and without) AI - How plain language principles support editing practices as well as the use of AI&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; Practical steps for following plain language principles.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/638350&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1 Addresses Needs for Users with Cognitive &amp;amp; Mobility Disabilities&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
A Minnesota‑focused explainer connecting WCAG success criteria to cognitive needs.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C) Resources&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/people-use-web/user-stories/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Stories of Web Users&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Several stories feature needs of people with cognitive and learning disabilities. Learn more about what the featured individuals experience and how accessibility supports them to be successful.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/older-users/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Older Users and Web Accessibility – Meeting the Needs of Aging Web Users&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>742904</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2026-04-22T21:32:26Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>This month’s spotlight revisits the “Oh Snap! Startling discoveries when you reflow your PDF” article first published in July 2023. PDFs continue to be a hot topic as government agencies discover just how many PDFs exist on their websites that require accessibility remediation. Reflowing a PDF often reveals accessibility issues that aren’t obvious at first glance.</Description><Audience/><Title>Revisit (Reflow?) the past to prepare for the future</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Subject>PDF</Subject><Subject>Reflow</Subject><Subject>Title II</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Editing for clarity: How to strengthen articles — with (and without) AI</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>An AI editing a text document.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/editing-for-clarity_blog_tcm38-733471.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A text document with editing marks.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/editing-for-clarity_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-733470.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2026-3 - Editing for clarity</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-733176&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2026-03-18T21:06:34Z</Date><ShortDescription>Emily Zimmer explains how to write strong articles.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>How plain language principles support editing practices as well as the use of AI.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By: Emily Zimmer, Strategic &amp;amp; External Communications Manager for Minnesota IT Services&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When editing an article, a strong editor starts with one simple question:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Will a busy reader understand this on the first pass?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If the answer is anything less than yes, the editor has an opportunity to improve the piece.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Effective editing goes beyond correcting grammar and fixing typos. It strengthens clarity, tightens structure, and removes friction that slows readers down. Editors make messages easier to understand while preserving the author&apos;s intent and voice.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here is how that process works — and how editors use AI as a supporting tool along the way.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Step One: Identify the core message&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Before changing a word, the editor identifies the point.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What is the article trying to say?
&lt;br /&gt;
What should the reader know, feel, or do after reading it?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If the editor cannot summarize the article in one or two sentences, the reader likely cannot either.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When an article lacks focus, the editor can:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Rewrite the headline to clarify the promise.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tighten or restructure the lead paragraph.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Remove tangents that distract from the central message.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Combine repetitive ideas.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Clarity starts with direction.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Step Two: Shorten sentences and tighten structure&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Long sentences slow readers down. Dense paragraphs discourage them.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When editing for simplicity, an editor should:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Break long sentences into two (or three).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Replace passive voice with active voice.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Remove filler phrases such as &quot;in order to,&quot; &quot;it is important to note that,&quot; and &quot;due to the fact that.&quot;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Cut unnecessary qualifiers such as &quot;very,&quot; &quot;really,&quot; &quot;quite,&quot; and &quot;somewhat.&quot;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For example:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Instead of:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;It is important to note that the program was designed in order to improve outcomes.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Write:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;The program improves outcomes.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Plain language respects the reader&apos;s time.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Step Three: Replace jargon with plain language&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Every field develops insider language. Readers outside that circle may not understand it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;An editor should flag:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Acronyms that appear without explanation.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Technical terms that lack context.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Vague phrases such as &quot;leverage synergies&quot; or &quot;optimize efficiencies.&quot;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Then the editor should ask:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Can this be said in everyday language?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If a technical term must remain, the editor should define it the first time it appears. Editors write for smart readers who do not live inside the subject matter every day.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Step Four: Improve flow and organization&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Even strong sentences can feel confusing if they appear in the wrong order.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Look at structure:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Does each paragraph contain one clear idea?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Do transitions guide the reader?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Does the article move logically from problem to solution to impact?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Readers should never feel lost.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Clarity sometimes requires reordering entire sections. Other times, it requires adding a single, purposeful transition that moves the reader smoothly from one idea to the next.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;AI can speed up that process by offering structural suggestions and highlighting gaps in flow. Used well, it helps editors organize content in ways that maximize understanding and keep readers moving forward.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Step Five: Make the writing concrete&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Abstract language weakens understanding.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When editing, look for places to:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Add a specific example.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Insert a short scenario.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Include a number that clarifies scale.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Replace abstract nouns with active verbs.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For example:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Instead of:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The initiative supports improved communication.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Write:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The initiative gives residents one online portal to track their application status.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Concrete details strengthen credibility and improve comprehension.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How I use AI as a tool (not a replacement)&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I use AI as a second set of eyes — not as the final decision-maker.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here&apos;s how I use it effectively:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;1. Clarity checks&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I paste a paragraph and ask:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Show me how to get better clarity.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What sentence feels too long?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Can you suggest a simpler version?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I do not automatically accept the rewrite. I evaluate it. If it strengthens clarity while preserving voice, I adapt it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;2. Active voice review&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I ask AI to flag passive constructions. Then I revise manually. This helps me catch phrases I may overlook after reading a draft multiple times.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;3. Simplification tests&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I ask:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Rewrite this in plain language.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Reduce this paragraph by 30% without losing meaning.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Suggest a clearer headline.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Sometimes AI surfaces a cleaner phrasing. Sometimes it doesn&apos;t. I still make the call and am responsible for the content.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;4. Structural feedback&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If I feel stuck, I ask AI:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Does this article follow a logical flow?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Where might readers drop off?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What questions remain unanswered?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;That outside perspective can reveal gaps in logic or missing transitions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What AI cannot replace&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;AI can suggest wording. It cannot replace editorial judgment.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As an editor, I still:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Protect the author’s voice.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ensure accuracy.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Verify facts.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Align tone with audience expectations.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Make strategic decisions about emphasis and framing.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;AI generates language. Editors shape meaning.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The standard I use&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I know an article works when:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The main point appears early.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Each paragraph earns its place.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The writing feels natural, not inflated.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A reader can skim and still understand.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A reader can read closely and find depth.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Clarity makes writing accessible. It helps readers understand ideas quickly and confidently without lowering the level of thought or insight.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Good editing removes obstacles between the message and the reader. When I use AI, I use it to spot those obstacles faster — not to replace the thinking required to remove them.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In the end, my goal stays the same:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Resources&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://digital.gov/guides/plain-language&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Government plain language guides&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://owl.purdue.edu/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Purdue Online Writing Lab&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/get-your-document-s-readability-and-level-statistics-85b4969e-e80a-4777-8dd3-f7fc3c8b3fd2&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Microsoft instructions on how to check readability&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-primary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>733176</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2026-03-18T21:09:50Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>This month’s spotlight revisits the “Oh Snap! Startling discoveries when you reflow your PDF” article first published in July 2023. PDFs continue to be a hot topic as government agencies discover just how many PDFs exist on their websites that require accessibility remediation. Reflowing a PDF often reveals accessibility issues that aren’t obvious at first glance.</Description><Audience/><Title>Revisit (Reflow?) the past to prepare for the future</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Subject>PDF</Subject><Subject>Reflow</Subject><Subject>Title II</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Slouching Towards WCAG 2.1</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Man on road just past a checkpoint looking ahead. The road forward is lined with unchecked markers.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Title_II_next_steps_blog_tcm38-733067.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Man on road just past a checkpoint looking ahead. The road forward is lined with unchecked markers.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Title_II_next_steps_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-733066.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2026-3 - Slouching Towards WCAG 2.1</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-733058&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2026-03-18T21:06:24Z</Date><ShortDescription>The updated rule to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act becomes effective April 24. What then?</ShortDescription><Subtitle>The updated rule to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act becomes effective April 24. What then?</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In the past two years, cities, counties, and states have accelerated their efforts to prepare their organizations for the upcoming Title II rule deadline. (Don&apos;t know what I&apos;m talking about? Check out the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/710227&quot;&gt;recap of our article series.&lt;/a&gt;) Here&apos;s the reality: digital accessibility isn&apos;t something you can check off and then put on the shelf. It requires ongoing commitment and full integration into your organization&apos;s culture. The work doesn&apos;t end on April 24, 2026 — it continues beyond that date.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility is an ongoing practice&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility has a lot in common with cybersecurity. In both cases, the goal posts continue to move. Technology evolves, presenting new challenges. Organizations succeed when they treat the work as an ongoing practice rather than a one-time project.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For example, security teams:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Continuously train employees to watch for phishing.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Partner with other organizations to improve security.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Carefully evaluate vendors for their ability to support security requirements.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility teams take a similar approach:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Continuously train employees to apply accessibility best practices.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Partner with other organizations to improve accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Carefully evaluate vendors for their ability to support accessibility requirements.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Both are full-fledged professions. Employees in both fields can obtain federal and institutional certifications. For accessibility professionals this includes:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.section508.gov/test/trusted-tester/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Trusted Tester certification&lt;/a&gt; from the US Department of Homeland Security.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Various certifications from the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.accessibilityassociation.org/certification-overview&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP).&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Many organizations are rightly focused on meeting the April 24 deadline for digital accessibility compliance. But the work cannot stop there. Accessibility is a professional discipline that must be integrated into every phase of organizational operations.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Vendor dependency&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Back in the 90s, I built a website from scratch in a text editor. Nowadays, web developers select a development platform, then may add libraries from other vendors. Application developers, GIS specialists, and other technologists similarly depend on platforms built by others.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Then there are the &quot;as-a-service&quot; services – software as a service, platform as a service, etc. More organizations rely on such services to run their operations, as well as provide services to others.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When the U.S. Department of Justice requires state and local governments to make their public services accessible, that same urgency must extend to vendors. At the State of Minnesota, all IT contracts have included accessibility requirements since 2010.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Title II rule has helped encourage more public organizations to include similar requirements. Vendor awareness and responsiveness continue to improve.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Content creation&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Organizations continue to create content – documents, web pages, social media posts. Employees change roles. New employees come on board. Everyone needs to learn how to apply accessibility to what they do. And, again, vendors need to provide tools to make the content accessible.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The path forward&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Over the past 5–10 years, the accessibility profession has grown significantly. More vendors now recognize the need to incorporate accessibility into their products and services.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;After April 24, if an organization receives an accessibility complaint, the organization needs to show:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Awareness – they have already documented the issues.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accountability – who needs to be involved.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Action – there&apos;s a plan for improvement.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It&apos;s also important to recognize that not all accessibility issues carry the same impact. An automated checking tool might flag a half dozen issues, but just one truly presents a barrier for people with disabilities. Organizations and their vendors need to focus on removing barriers to ensure that individuals with disabilities can:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Access the same information.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Engage in the same interactions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Conduct the same transactions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Participate in or benefit from the same services, programs, and activities.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;(See § 35.205 in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ada.gov/assets/pdfs/web-rule.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Title II web rule (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Organizations are mobilizing for the April 24 deadline. Like security, accessibility does not operate in a vacuum. Organizations must embed it in governance, project management, training, communications, and other core processes. Maturity models offer one tool to help organizations align their efforts. They provide a structured way to ensure teams across the organization work toward the shared goal of enabling people with disabilities to fully access and engage with services — just like everyone else.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-primary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>733058</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2026-03-18T21:09:50Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>This month’s spotlight revisits the “Oh Snap! Startling discoveries when you reflow your PDF” article first published in July 2023. PDFs continue to be a hot topic as government agencies discover just how many PDFs exist on their websites that require accessibility remediation. Reflowing a PDF often reveals accessibility issues that aren’t obvious at first glance.</Description><Audience/><Title>Revisit (Reflow?) the past to prepare for the future</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Subject>PDF</Subject><Subject>Reflow</Subject><Subject>Title II</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>AI, plain language, and responsibility</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>AI failing to follow the straight line due to insisting on complexity.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/AI_writing_blog_tcm38-733059.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>AI failing to follow the straight line due to insisting on complexity.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/AI_writing_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-733063.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2026-3 - AI, plain language, and responsibility</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-733057&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2026-03-18T21:06:12Z</Date><ShortDescription>Learn about how to use AI in your writing responsibly and professionally to bring out its strengths while covering for its weaknesses.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Learn about potential weaknesses in AI-generated text and how to use it responsibly.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;AI is changing how we write everything from simple documents to web pages. AI has many benefits, but it should be used responsibly because it doesn&apos;t always follow plain language best practices.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Responsible use of AI&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Think of AI as something that helps your writing, not something that replaces it. It&apos;s still important to use your judgement and skills. AI can make false statements so always verify facts with real sources. The &lt;a href=&quot;https://autisticadvocacy.org/2025/07/asan-says-no-generative-ai-in-plain-language/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Autism Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) points out another weakness of AI&lt;/a&gt;: it focuses on what words to write, not why they are written. For example, when AI creates alt text, it often gives only a basic visual description. It may miss the details your audience actually needs. This happens in regular writing too. Always check that the AI&apos;s content communicates the ideas you want to share.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Responsible writing helps the audience&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/large-language-models&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;As IBM explains Generative AI&lt;/a&gt;: it generates text similarly to predictive text you may have used when writing messages on your phone. AI models generate text because they&apos;ve been trained on large datasets of text from the internet and other sources. But the large text datasets that AI learns from have patterns and habits that influence what it writes, which can make the output unclear or overly complicated. If you simply copy and paste what AI generates, people will likely notice that lack of effort. Much of what AI generates can also violate plain language principles:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Making a paragraph from a sentence: AI tends to unnecessarily expand on a simple idea. But plain language guidelines recommend short and sweet statements. Good writing isn&apos;t like an assignment you were given in high school with a target word count. Shorter and concise writing saves your audience time, reduces confusion, and makes information more accessible.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Improper punctuation: AI often inserts em dashes, en dashes, or hyphens where they don&apos;t fit. Writers do use dashes, but AI sometimes adds them in places where clearer punctuation would work better. Always check AI‑generated text to make sure the punctuation matches plain language guidelines and supports clear reading.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Keep plain language guidelines in mind when you edit AI‑generated text. Rewrite the content in your own words so it sounds professional and is easier for your audience to understand. This can also give your writing a more natural, individual voice.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-primary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>733057</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2026-03-18T21:09:50Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>This month’s spotlight revisits the “Oh Snap! Startling discoveries when you reflow your PDF” article first published in July 2023. PDFs continue to be a hot topic as government agencies discover just how many PDFs exist on their websites that require accessibility remediation. Reflowing a PDF often reveals accessibility issues that aren’t obvious at first glance.</Description><Audience/><Title>Revisit (Reflow?) the past to prepare for the future</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Subject>PDF</Subject><Subject>Reflow</Subject><Subject>Title II</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Building accessible web maps with Esri’s Experience Builder</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Laptop displaying interactive street map with pins marking various points.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/interactive-maps-blog_tcm38-725165.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Laptop displaying interactive street map with pins marking various points.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/interactive-maps-blog-thumbnail_tcm38-725167.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2026-2 - Building accessible web maps with Esri’s Experience Builder</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-725156&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2026-02-17T16:44:40Z</Date><ShortDescription>Simple steps you can take to make your Experience Builder maps user-friendly and inclusive, so all visitors can navigate and understand your content.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Learn practical steps to make your ArcGIS Experience Builder web maps accessible and inclusive.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Content author: Jason Ewert, GIS Application Analyst, MNIT Partnering with MPCA&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessible web maps make government data easier to explore and helping people understand what’s happening in their communities. The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-experience-builder/overview&quot; target=&quot;blank&quot;&gt;ArcGIS Experience Builder&lt;/a&gt; (ExB) offers a no-code solution for building web maps on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-online/overview&quot; target=&quot;blank&quot;&gt;ArcGIS Online&lt;/a&gt; platform. While it makes building web applications easier, accessibility still requires intentional design and testing. This article explains simple steps you can take to make your Experience Builder maps user-friendly and inclusive, so all visitors can navigate and understand your content.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Gutenberg, the WordPress block editor, heavily influences Experience Builder. Block editors construct websites using draggable blocks containing headings, text, and media. Experience Builder follows this model and adds special data visualization blocks including charts and maps. How users stack, label, and configure these blocks directly affects the map’s accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&quot;ArcGIS Experience Builder is a highly configurable solution for building compelling web apps without writing code.&quot; - Esri&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Picture1_tcm38-725162.png&quot; title=&quot;What’s in My Neighborhood&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s What’s in My Neighborhood Experience Builder application.&quot; style=&quot;width: 35%; height: auto; padding-bottom: 10px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;What’s in My Neighborhood&quot; /&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When building web map applications, it’s important to:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Create well-organized content with clear, descriptive labels and meaningful alternative text.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Introduce users to your web experience so they understand how to navigate and interact with it.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provide alternative content when certain features are difficult to make fully accessible.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Web application layout&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility starts with a well-organized outline. Your website should start with a header block, followed by the main content block, and finally, a footer block. Within these primary blocks, add content blocks such as a logo, a title, a widget container (a special block containing map tools like print and query), and one or more maps.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In the ExB editor, review the page outline and relabel each block with a clear, concise title. Ensure the outline reflects a logical, easy-to-follow flow. To test the flow of your site’s content, open a preview window and tab through the site. Watch the focus ring move between elements. It should move through your blocks in a logical order from top to bottom without getting stuck in a tab trap.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Picture1_tcm38-725163.png&quot; title=&quot;ExB Outline&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of the ExB Outline. Each block has been given a meaningful name, as described in the text.&quot; style=&quot;width: 31%; height: auto; padding-bottom: 10px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;ExB Outline&quot; /&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When configuring blocks, fill out the tooltips and alt text where available using short, descriptive content. The titles created in the page outline will become labels and tooltips in your site. To view the tooltips, hover over the site’s buttons. Screen readers and voice commands rely on the descriptive labels you create in the page outline.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Picture1_tcm38-725164.png&quot; title=&quot;Configuring tooltips and alt text&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of example of configuring tooltips and alt text for an image block, as described in the text.&quot; style=&quot;width: 26%; height: auto; padding-bottom: 10px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Configuring tooltips and alt text&quot; /&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Answer the big questions first. Why am I here?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A web application can take the user on many journeys. It’s important to start with an introduction to the site’s purpose followed by a description of the primary workflow. This introductory text should also contain contact information, providing a useful alternative path for accessing information or completing a task.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Creators can accomplish this using:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A splash screen.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A text block that opens from the widget controller (set to “open” by default).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The first paragraph of a website (An ExB site can be “full screen” or “scrolling”).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Provide an alternative path&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Maps present visual information and often hide key details behind interactive clicks. To ensure access for all users, include a data table that provides an alternative way to access the same information.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When adding a table, make sure the first row contains clear, meaningful column headings. Keep the table simple and focused on relevant information. Include only essential columns—such as city name and population—and hide technical fields like FIPS codes that do not add value for most users&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Stay calm and map on&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessible web mapping is still evolving. Clearly organizing your Experience Builder application improves communication for all users. Start with an introduction that orients users to your unique web experience. Provide data in both map and table formats so people can choose how they access information.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Happy mapping!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Resources&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;State of Minnesota&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Pollution Contral Agency’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/8258f05029bd45cb95add35e450c92e6&quot; target=&quot;blank&quot;&gt;What’s in My Neighborhood Experience Builder application&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Learn more about &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/maps/&quot;&gt;map accessibility&lt;/a&gt; at mn.gov!&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Office of Accessibility &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/accessibility-quick-cards.jsp#:~:text=Map%20Accessibility%20Quick%20Cards%C2%A0&quot;&gt;Map Quick Reference cards&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;External resources&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://doc.arcgis.com/en/experience-builder/latest/get-started/accessibility.htm&quot; target=&quot;blank&quot;&gt;Introduction to ArcGIS Experience Builder Accessibility web page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.esri.com/content/dam/esrisites/en-us/media/legal/vpats/arcgis-experience-builder-10-25-23-vpat.pdf&quot; target=&quot;blank&quot;&gt;Esri’s Accessibility Conformance Report for ArcGIS Experience Builder (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;p&gt;WordPress &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaaCThv_NNM&quot; target=&quot;blank&quot;&gt;&quot;Creating posts and pages with the WordPress Block Editor” video (YouTube)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>725156</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2026-02-19T01:29:42Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>This month’s spotlight revisits the “Oh Snap! Startling discoveries when you reflow your PDF” article first published in July 2023. PDFs continue to be a hot topic as government agencies discover just how many PDFs exist on their websites that require accessibility remediation. Reflowing a PDF often reveals accessibility issues that aren’t obvious at first glance.</Description><Audience/><Title>Revisit (Reflow?) the past to prepare for the future</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Subject>PDF</Subject><Subject>Reflow</Subject><Subject>Title II</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Revisit (Reflow?) the past to prepare for the future</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Woman working at computer, with screen showing the same article in multiple devices.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/article-revisit-reflow-blog_tcm38-720417.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Woman working at computer, with screen showing the same article in multiple devices.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/article-revisit-reflow-blog-thumbnail_tcm38-720418.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Revisit (Reflow?) the past to prepare for the future</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-720082&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2026-01-15T19:24:54Z</Date><ShortDescription>This month’s spotlight revisits the “Oh Snap! Startling discoveries when you reflow your PDF” article first published in July 2023. PDFs continue to be a hot topic as government agencies discover just how many PDFs exist on their websites that require accessibility remediation. Reflowing a PDF often reveals accessibility issues that aren’t obvious at first glance.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>PDF accessibility is still a hot topic. Get tips to prepare for April 2026 and beyond. </Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Content co-author: Mike Scott, Chief Information Accessibility Officer, State of Illinois&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Throughout this year, we’re revisiting some of our past articles with a focus on refreshing key insights and adding updates to help you prepare for the first major deadline for the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/24/2024-07758/nondiscrimination-on-the-basis-of-disability-accessibility-of-web-information-and-services-of-state&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;ADA Title II Update&lt;/a&gt; coming up on April 24, 2026. This deadline applies for governments serving a total population of 50,000 or more.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This month’s spotlight revisits the “&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/584554&quot;&gt;Oh Snap! Startling discoveries when you reflow your PDF&lt;/a&gt;” article first published in July 2023. PDFs continue to be a hot topic as government agencies discover just how many PDFs exist on their websites that require accessibility remediation. Reflowing a PDF often reveals accessibility issues that aren’t obvious at first glance. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In this update, we’ll share what’s changed since the original article and offer actionable tips to ensure your documents meet compliance requirements—not just for April, but for long-term accessibility success.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A quick background on ADA Title II&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The US Department of Justice (DOJ) added digital accessibility requirements to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for Minnesota’s state and local government entities. While the final rule spans more than 320 pages, the DOJ also released a clear, practical fact sheet that everyone should read. View the quick summary below: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/docs/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1&lt;/a&gt; serves as the technical standard. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The rule applies to web content and mobile apps that a state or local government provides or makes available, &lt;strong&gt;regardless of whether it is created by the government or a third party&lt;/strong&gt;.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Web content includes electronic documents, videos, and other embedded or downloadable content.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;This rule does not include non-web software.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The rule includes several exceptions, such as:  
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt; Archived web content.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt; Pre-existing conventional electronic documents.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt; Content posted by a third party that’s not part of a contract or licensing arrangement.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Individualized, password-protected (or otherwise secured) electronic documents.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Pre-existing social media posts.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;There’s a phase-in period:  
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;April 2026 for entities with populations of 50,000 or more.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;April 2027 for entities with populations under 50,000. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;So, PDFs&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Like many government organizations, your website likely has a large number of PDFs. If those are scanned or untagged PDFs, then they are not accessible. Even tagged PDFs can present issues if the tags are not accurate or if the document lacks headings and other key navigation components. Add in that PDFs must resize content to meet &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/resize-text.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Resize Text&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/reflow.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Reflow&lt;/a&gt; standards, and the challenge becomes clear. These requirements ensure documents remain usable across devices and assistive technologies.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Unfortunately not much has changed in regard to the issues we outlined in our original &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/584554&quot;&gt;July 2023 article&lt;/a&gt;. As we noted, improvement depends on the vendor – Adobe – to improve support for reflow within the Acrobat platform.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;However, with the ADA Title II deadline approaching, it’s more important than ever to keep accessibility requirements in mind as you review your documents.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;So how do you get started? You can tackle this systematically. The Title II rule does offer some flexibility. It requires the PDF to be accessible if:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It is “currently used to apply for, gain access to, or participate in services, programs, or activities.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It is posted after the appropriate deadline (April 24, 2026, or April 26, 2027).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If a PDF does not meet either of those criteria, it can go to the back of the line. &lt;strong&gt;Important Note:&lt;/strong&gt; If a person wants to read the document and can’t, then you are required to provide an alternative, which may mean making it accessible. Including contact information on your PDF or website can allow users to request these alternatives.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;General process&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You can break down the process into five steps:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Inventory – get the complete list of PDFs on the website&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Identify – find the owners &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Prioritize – active, archive, other &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Plan – retire, replace, remediate &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Prepare – guides &amp;amp; training&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;PDF inventory&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How you inventory the PDFs on your website depends on the tools you have. Your content management system (CMS) may be able to generate a list, or you may already use a scanning tool.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Next, decide how you will assess accessibility. Will you assume all PDFs are inaccessible, or do you have a tool that identifies which PDFs are tagged and which are not? Check with your web team—they may already use these tools.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You can also ask the document owner to confirm whether a PDF is accessible. That step leads naturally to the next phase of the process.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Identify PDF content owners&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Once you have a list of inaccessible or potentially problematic PDFs, next step is to identify who—or at least what department—owns the document. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The most effective way to remediate an inaccessible PDF is to rebuild it from an accessible source document. Ideally, the document owner has the source document or can recreate it, if needed. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How you contact document owners may depend on the authority you use to address these PDFs in the first place. Referencing that authority can help encourage cooperation. If your work spans multiple agencies or departments, partner with their webmasters or communications teams. They often own many of these documents and have established relationships with other document owners.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Prioritize&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Once the documents have been assigned, work with the owners to help them classify the documents:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Active (currently used to apply for, gain access to, or participate in services, programs, or activities)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Archival&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Other (e.g., redundant or out-of-date)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There is no single required way to label a document as “archived.” The Title II rule simply requires that it be clear to the audience that the content is archived. For example, creating an archive page on your website or adding text “archive” to the link to the PDF. (Do not add “archive” or any other text to the document – otherwise that alters the document and it is no longer an archive. It must be remediated.)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Plan&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Now that you’ve identified the documents, assigned them to the owners, and helped them prioritize, the next step is to set a plan to meet the accessibility requirements. There are 5 general steps:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Retire:&lt;/strong&gt; Can you remove or unpublish the document from the site? &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Archive:&lt;/strong&gt; Can you designate it as archival?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Replace:&lt;/strong&gt; How about making it a web page (more on that below).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Recreate:&lt;/strong&gt; Use a source document to rebuild a new accessible document.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Remediate:&lt;/strong&gt; Fix in Adobe Acrobat Pro as a last resort.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Web page alternative&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;PDFs are a great way to create a static document that looks the same regardless of computer or browser. Which is why government agencies rely on them. However, in some cases, the information works just as well—or better—as a web page. Web pages are also more:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Accessible:&lt;/strong&gt; Once you create an accessible template, you can update the content and it’s automatically accessible. In addition, it reduces the number of steps people need to access the information. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mobile-friendly:&lt;/strong&gt; A responsive web page is easier to read on a mobile device. It would also make it more likely to meet the Reflow standard.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Translatable:&lt;/strong&gt; It’s much easier to automatically translate web pages than to translate (and update) multiple PDFs in different languages.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;So, if you can migrate a PDF to a web page, you solve a lot of issues.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Remediation: Roll your own or outsource?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;At the remediation stage, you’ll have to decide whether to handle the remediation work in-house or outsource and work with a vendor.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Outsourcing&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When evaluating vendor capabilities, whether manual or automatic, we recommend using this &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/Expectations%20for%20Accessible%20Documents_tcm38-628507.pdf&quot;&gt;Expectations for Accessible Documents (PDF)&lt;/a&gt; checklist.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note:&lt;/strong&gt; Some vendors claim they can scan hundreds or thousands of PDFs and remediate them all with AI or other automated tools. At this time, the Office of Accessibility does not have any personal experience with such tools. If you are considering a vendor that makes these claims, ask them to demonstrate their solution using several sample documents.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In-house&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For in-house remediation, Adobe Acrobat Pro provides good built-in accessibility checkers and tools. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For larger or more complex documents, &lt;a href=&quot;https://allyant.com/pdf-accessibility-software-solutions/commonlook-pdf/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Allyant’s CommonLook PDF tool&lt;/a&gt; offers a plug-in that enables a deeper dive and faster remediation.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Prepare&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Now that you have a plan, you may have to train people how to identify accessible and inaccessible PDFs. If you’re remediating in-house, you’ll have to get licenses for Adobe Acrobat Pro and other tools. Here are some resources to get you started:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://doit.illinois.gov/initiatives/accessibility/guides&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Illinois Accessibility Guides&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/electronic-documents&quot;&gt;Minnesota guidance on accessible electronic documents&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/word-document-training.jsp&quot;&gt;Free accessible Word training&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mass.gov/info-details/creating-accessible-electronic-documents-and-communications&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Massachusetts Creating Accessible Electronic Documents&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Looking ahead&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As you remediate existing documents, put processes in place to ensure all future documents are accessible from the start. Work with your training department and leadership to encourage everyone to learn how to make accessible documents. Promote workflows that funnel accessible source documents to specialists who can convert them to accessible PDFs or to the web team for web pages.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Summary&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Whether you reach full compliance by the deadline or continue working to catch up, remember that digital accessibility is an ongoing journey. New documents, applications, and websites will always follow, so it helps to adopt an organizational policy that requires all content and web applications to be accessible. A clear policy drives the processes and procedures that help ensure any new content or websites you build or buy meet accessibility requirements. Revisit our &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/653553&quot;&gt;Update to ADA’s Title II article&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/710227&quot;&gt;Preparation for the update to ADA’s Title II series&lt;/a&gt; for policy implementation.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Stay tuned for more updates and resources designed to make your accessibility journey smoother in 2026.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-primary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>720082</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2026-01-27T19:25:13Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>2025 was a big year for digital accessibility in Minnesota. From preparing for the ADA Title II update to exploring inclusive hiring and alternate formats, our monthly newsletter covered practical ways to make digital content more usable for everyone. In this recap, we highlight the top articles, tools, and takeaways—and we’d love your ideas for what to cover next year!</Description><Audience/><Title>2025: A Year in Review</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>2025 Year in Review for Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Inclusion</Subject><Subject>Office of Accessibility Year in Review</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Subject>State of Minnesota Digital Accessibility Standard Update</Subject><Subject>Department of Justice ADA Title II Update</Subject><Subject>DOJ ADA Title II Update</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>2025: A Year in Review</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Illustration of large font &quot;2025&quot; with a person sitting on the zero holding a briefcase and looking through a telescope, highlighting looking back.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/2025-in-review_blog_tcm38-716350.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Illustration of large font &quot;2025&quot; with a person sitting on the zero holding a briefcase and looking through a telescope, highlighting looking back.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/2025-in-review_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-716347.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>2025-12 - 2025: A Year in Review</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-716211&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2025-12-17T18:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>2025 was a big year for digital accessibility in Minnesota. From preparing for the ADA Title II update to exploring inclusive hiring and alternate formats, our monthly newsletter covered practical ways to make digital content more usable for everyone. In this recap, we highlight the top articles, tools, and takeaways—and we’d love your ideas for what to cover next year!</ShortDescription><Subtitle>2025 was a big year for digital accessibility. See what we covered—and help shape what’s next.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p style=&quot;margin-bottom:50px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Content author&lt;/strong&gt;: Office of Accessibility &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Each month, we share tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility. This year, over 3,700 subscribers joined us from across Minnesota and beyond. Thank you for being part of our accessibility community! We’d love to hear from you! What topics should we cover in 2026? Share your ideas with us by emailing &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:MNITAccessibility@state.mn.us&quot;&gt;MNITAccessibility@state.mn.us&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What We Covered This Year&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In 2025, we focused on helping state and local governments prepare for the US Department of Justice (DOJ) adding digital accessibility requirements to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The update requires digital content to meet WCAG 2.1 standards—a big step toward more inclusive public services. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;ADA Title II Update Series&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We ran a multi-part series to help teams get ready for the new rule and prepare for the April 2026 compliance deadline: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/694312&quot;&gt;Self-Audit&lt;/a&gt; (June): We encouraged teams to review their websites and digital tools.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/698989&quot;&gt;Strategize and prioritize&lt;/a&gt; (July): We shared ways to build accessibility into your roadmap.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/702120&quot;&gt;Implement changes&lt;/a&gt; (August): We offered tips for making updates and tracking progress.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/706623&quot;&gt;Build into your workflow&lt;/a&gt; (September): We showed how to make accessibility part of everyday work.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/710227&quot;&gt;Final resource guide&lt;/a&gt; (October): We wrapped up with a toolkit of standards, training, and testing tools.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility Exceptions and Risk&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In February and March, we explored how &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/669671&quot;&gt;Minnesota handles accessibility exceptions&lt;/a&gt;. We talked about how to assess risk when full accessibility isn’t possible—and how to document those decisions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;GAAD 2025 Highlights&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/690437&quot;&gt;Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD)&lt;/a&gt; was a big moment:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;We hosted a public panel and experience lab.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;We spotlighted accessibility work by our partners at the legislative and judicial digital branches.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;We shared alternate accessible formats and how to use them.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Inclusive Hiring and Design&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In October, we looked at &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/710228&quot;&gt;how digital accessibility supports inclusive hiring&lt;/a&gt;. We shared ways to make job applications and onboarding more accessible from the start.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Quick Tips and Tools&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;We &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/706741&quot;&gt;updated our Accessibility Quick Reference Cards&lt;/a&gt; in September.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;We &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/680276&quot;&gt;explained hover states&lt;/a&gt; in April—how they affect users with motor or vision disabilities.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;In November, we introduced a decision tree to help teams know &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/713296&quot;&gt;when to request an accessibility review&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What’s Next in 2026?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We’ll keep sharing practical tips and updates. Topics may include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Office of Accessibility website updates&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;WCAG 2.2 and what’s new&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How AI tools affect digital inclusion&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;We’d also love to hear from you!&lt;/strong&gt; Share your success stories or ideas for future articles with us. Email our team at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:MNITAccessibility@state.mn.us&quot;&gt;MNITAccessibility@state.mn.us&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-primary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>716211</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2025-12-17T21:23:37Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>This article explores how to make data visualizations more accessible by focusing on color choices. Learn why color matters, how to test contrast, and what design strategies help users with different visual abilities—including those using screen readers. Includes practical tips, examples, and links to tools and resources.
</Description><Audience/><Title>Data Visualization Accessibility: Focus on Color</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Subject>Accessible data visualizations</Subject><Subject>Charts, graphs, bar charts, infographics</Subject><Subject>tableau, powerbi</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Data visualization accessibility: Focus on color</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Illustration showing examples of data visualizations—bar charts, a line chart, and a donut chart—using varied colors and patterns to show how visualizations can supplement an article about making color-aware, accessible data visualizations.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessible-data-visualization_blog_tcm38-716348.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Illustration showing examples of data visualizations—bar charts, a line chart, and a donut chart—using varied colors and patterns to show how visualizations can supplement an article about making color-aware, accessible data visualizations.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessible-data-visualization_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-716346.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>2025-12- Data Visualization Accessibility: Focus on Color</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-716215&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2025-12-17T16:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>This article explores how to make data visualizations more accessible by focusing on color choices. Learn why color matters, how to test contrast, and what design strategies help users with different visual abilities—including those using screen readers. Includes practical tips, examples, and links to tools and resources.
</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Make your data visualizations more inclusive—starting with color.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Content authors: Nancy Rice, Research Scientist, Minnesota Department of Health and Angela Sechler, Business Intelligence Product Manager, Minnesota Department of Health&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What is data visualization?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Data usually consists of numbers and categories. Examples of numerical data are number of people in an area or dollar amounts in a budget. Examples of categorical data are geographic regions (like counties) and types of bills to be paid (like office supplies or food).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Data visualization presents information in visual formats rather than relying only on text or tables. These visuals can be interactive, allowing people to filter or select categories such as age, gender, or Minnesota county. We typically show results through bar charts, line graphs, maps, and other visual displays that make trends and patterns easier to recognize. Because visuals rely heavily on color to convey meaning, creating them requires careful attention to color use and accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Why do we need to consider accessibility for data visualizations?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Data visualizations are meant to be viewed, which can create barriers for people with limited or no vision. Without accessible features, these users may not be able to understand or interact with the information. Accessibility also matters for interactive data visualizations. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Not everyone accesses information visually, and people have a wide range of visual abilities. Some individuals are blind, while others may have low vision, color blindness, double vision, or other visual conditions. Even people with full vision may prefer or require non-visual formats, such as using a screen reader to listen to content. Because people interact with information in many different ways, it’s important to apply basic accessibility principles so the data is usable for as many people as possible.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How do I make a visualization accessible? Color considerations.&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; Accessible data visualization involves many considerations. Here, we’ll focus on color and provide a few tips below. For more thorough information, refer to the “Resources” section at the end. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;State of Minnesota employees can also connect with the &lt;a href=&quot;https://teams.microsoft.com/l/team/19%3APPknHfJiCt-zf64y4oV6yX0WdVIdxWWy0NXbGSt6grI1%40thread.tacv2/conversations?groupId=217150ee-6db1-4efe-b49d-8c2e7772e483&amp;amp;tenantId=eb14b046-24c4-4519-8f26-b89c2159828c&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Data Visualization community&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Color Choices&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Color can help distinguish elements in a visualization but is not accessible to everyone. Consider how the visualization would look in black and white, or without visual cues at all. Would the information still be clear and understandable?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Example: Line graph&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Option 1&lt;/strong&gt;: The line graph below displays rainfall in inches from Site A and Site B from May to August 2022. The colors of the lines are similar making it hard to distinguish Site A from Site B. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/data%20viz%20blog%20article%20-%20rainfall%20chart%20example%20-%20option%201_tcm38-716344.png&quot; title=&quot; Illustration of A chart for inches of rainfall by month, with two lines across the page, one for Site A and one for Site B. The top line color is dark, but the bottom line is also a dark color. There are no labels. Hard to distinguish between the two lines and associate the site to its line.&quot; alt=&quot; Illustration of A chart for inches of rainfall by month, with two lines across the page, one for Site A and one for Site B. The top line color is dark, but the bottom line is also a dark color. There are no labels. Hard to distinguish between the two lines and associate the site to its line.&quot; style=&quot;width: 62%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessible data viz-rainfall chart example-option 1&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Option&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;2&lt;/strong&gt;: The line graph shows the same information as Option 1, but it adds distinct shape markers and clear labels for each line. These changes make the differences easier to see and more accessible to a wider range of users. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/data%20viz%20blog%20article%20-%20rainfall%20chart%20example%20-%20option%202_tcm38-716345.png&quot; title=&quot;Illustration of A chart for inches of rainfall by month, with two lines across the page, one for Site A and one for Site B. The top line color is for Site B and is now orange with square markers, and the bottom line is for Site A and is now a dark blue with triangle markers. The lines are also labeled. Much easier to distinguish between the lines in color and in grayscale.&quot; alt=&quot;Illustration of A chart for inches of rainfall by month, with two lines across the page, one for Site A and one for Site B. The top line color is for Site B and is now orange with square markers, and the bottom line is for Site A and is now a dark blue with triangle markers. The lines are also labeled. Much easier to distinguish between the lines in color and in grayscale.&quot; style=&quot;width: 62%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessible data viz-rainfall chart-option 2&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tips to remember when using color&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Don’t use color alone&lt;/strong&gt; to communicate information within the visualization. Use labels, shapes, or patterns in addition to color, when needed.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Make sure colors placed next to each other have enough contrast to easily be distinguished&lt;/strong&gt;. Color contrast can be tested with the online &lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WebAIM: Contrast Checker&lt;/a&gt; or other tools like the &lt;a href=&quot;https://vispero.com/color-contrast-checker/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Colour Contrast Analyser&lt;/a&gt;.  
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For text less than 18 pt font or 14 pt bold font, the color contrast ratio should be 4.5:1. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For larger text or for non-text features (like bars or areas in a map), the ratio should be 3:1. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note&lt;/strong&gt;: Not all Minnesota Brand colors provide sufficient contrast when used together. For example, the brand’s primary green doesn’t have enough contrast against white (ratio is 2.3:1). You’ll need to darken it if you’d like to use it next to white. Check the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mmb-stat/branding/minnesota-state-brand-style-guide.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Minnesota Brand Style Guide - 2025 Edition (PDF)&lt;/a&gt; for more information and options.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Include a table with the data&lt;/strong&gt;, when possible. Including the full data set helps ensure more users can access and understand the information in your visualization. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Color Palettes&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; Color palettes can be useful, but no palette will work for everyone. To test accessibility, view the visualization in grayscale. If you can’t distinguish between components, others may struggle as well. You can also test color combinations with the &lt;a href=&quot;https://color-contrast-checker.deque.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Color Palette by Deque&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Have questions or want to know more? &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Explore the resources below to get started:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/data-visualization/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Accessible Data Visualization web page&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/?utm_medium=email&amp;amp;utm_source=govdelivery#/detail/appId/1/id/607342&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Data Visualization with WCAG 2.1&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;: Content on Hover or Focus, and Pointer Gestures&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit-accessibility/AccessibleDocs/Module3/story.html&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Accessible Word Document eLearning, Module 3&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;: Working with Colors&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-534351&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How to Improve Non-text Contrast&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;: Color Schemes and Interface Components (Understanding Success Criteria 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-544858&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;More Attractive, Engaging, Accessible&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;: How to Use Color with Intention&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;State of Minnesota Employees only&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://teams.microsoft.com/l/team/19%3APPknHfJiCt-zf64y4oV6yX0WdVIdxWWy0NXbGSt6grI1%40thread.tacv2/conversations?groupId=217150ee-6db1-4efe-b49d-8c2e7772e483&amp;amp;tenantId=eb14b046-24c4-4519-8f26-b89c2159828c&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Data Viz A11y Community of Practice&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; - This group is open to all State of Minnesota staff who would like to learn more about data visualization accessibility. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;External resources&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/Understanding/contrast-minimum&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Success Criterion 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum), Level AA&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;: The visual presentation of text and images of text has a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/#non-text-contrast&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Success Criterion 1.4.11 - Non-text Contrast, Level AA&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;: The visual presentation of the following has a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 against adjacent color(s).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/articles/contrast/evaluating&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;WebAIM Contrast and Color Accessibility&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;: Understanding WCAG 2 contrast and color requirements.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tools&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WebAIM Contrast Checker&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://color-contrast-checker.deque.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Deque Color Palette Contrast Checker&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://vispero.com/color-contrast-checker/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Vispero (formerly TPGi) Colour Contrast Analyser&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.color-blindness.com/coblis-color-blindness-simulator/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Colblindor Coblis (Color Blindness Simulator)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-primary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>716215</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2025-12-17T21:23:37Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Minnesota celebrates 40 years of accessibility progress — read how the Commission and MNIT are making government work better for everyone.</Description><Audience/><Title>40 years of progress: Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind &amp; Hard of Hearing</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Accessibility implementation</Subject><Subject>Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind &amp; Hard of Hearing</Subject><Subject>The Commission</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>40 years of progress: Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind &amp; Hard of Hearing</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>State of Minnesota logo accompanied by the text: Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind &amp; Hard of Hearing - 40 years</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Commission-40th-anniversary_blog_tcm38-713739.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>State of Minnesota logo accompanied by the text: Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind &amp; Hard of Hearing - 40 years</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Commission-40th-anniversary_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-713740.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>2025-11 - 40 years of progress: Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind &amp; Hard of Hearing</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-713471&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2025-11-20T15:06:26Z</Date><ShortDescription>Minnesota celebrates 40 years of accessibility progress — read how the Commission and MNIT are making government work better for everyone.</ShortDescription><Subtitle/><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This year, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/deaf-commission/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind &amp;amp; Hard of Hearing&lt;/a&gt; celebrates 40 years of advocacy and increased accessibility for all Minnesotans. Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) has partnered with the Commission for more than a decade to improve digital accessibility across state government.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Select the image below to watch:&lt;/strong&gt; Jay Wyant, Minnesota IT Services’ Chief Information Accessibility Officer, honors the 40th anniversary of the Commission of Deaf, Deaf Blind &amp;amp; Hard of Hearing Minnesotans.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/jH-9Wm2GdTs&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Jay%20thumbnail%20play_tcm38-713472.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Jay Wyant&quot; alt=&quot;Jay Wyant&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Jay Wyant&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Commission is making Minnesota a national leader in accessibility. In 2009, it led efforts to pass the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Minnesota Accessibility and Usability Standard&lt;/a&gt; requiring all state agencies to follow digital accessibility standards. MNIT implemented this standard in 2010, helping ensure websites, documents, and digital tools are easier to use for everyone — including people with disabilities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In 2011, the Commission secured funding to establish &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MNIT’s Office of Accessibility&lt;/a&gt;, which now leads statewide efforts to make digital government services more inclusive.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Why this matters to Minnesotans&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.disability.state.mn.us/technical-assistance/digital-accessibility/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Accessibility benefits everyone.&lt;/a&gt; When digital tools are designed to be clear, consistent, and easy to use, they work better for all Minnesotans — whether someone is using a screen reader, navigating with one hand, reading on a mobile device, or simply trying to find information quickly.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This work supports:&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Parents &lt;/strong&gt;accessing school or health records.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Job seekers &lt;/strong&gt;applying for state employment.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Seniors &lt;/strong&gt;managing benefits or services online.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Businesses &lt;/strong&gt;interacting with state agencies.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Educators and students &lt;/strong&gt;using digital learning tools.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Commission’s leadership guides MNIT’s work with state agencies to:&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Build and maintain accessible digital tools.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provide training on creating accessible content.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Support programs that improve access to services.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Collaborate on long-term strategies that benefit all Minnesotans.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Commission’s leadership has helped shape a more inclusive Minnesota. MNIT continues to support efforts that improve access to technology and services for everyone — because when government works better for people with disabilities, it works better for all.&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>713471</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2025-11-20T15:23:04Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>The Update to ADA’s Title II series digs deeper into preparation and planning resources for state and local governments as they work toward compliance. This article summarizes the Office of Accessibility’s multi-part series, designed to help agencies prepare for the April 2026 compliance deadline and build sustainable accessibility practices.</Description><Audience/><Title>Preparation for the update to ADA’s Title II Series: Final recap &amp; resources guide</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Accessibility implementation</Subject><Subject>Implementation toolkit</Subject><Subject>ADA Title II preparation</Subject><Subject>Preparation for ADA Title II</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>When is an accessibility review required?</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>“Accessibility review?” showing branching logic with checkmarks and Xs.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Accessibility-review-decision-tree_blog_tcm38-713623.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>“Accessibility review?” showing branching logic with checkmarks and Xs.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Accessibility-review-decision-tree_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-713622.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>2025-11 - When is an accessibility review required?</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-713296&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2025-11-19T18:11:22Z</Date><ShortDescription>When your organization buys software or application services, it should go through a governance process to ensure that it meets your organization’s requirements for security, integration, AI, accessibility, and overall architecture. To determine whether an app needs to go through an accessibility review, follow these steps</ShortDescription><Subtitle>It’s not always obvious, particularly for back-end technology. We provide a high-level decision tree to help you decide.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When your organization buys software or application services, it should go through a governance process to ensure that it meets your organization’s requirements for security, integration, AI, accessibility, and overall architecture.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For example, administrators may manage the app through a text-based command-line interface (CLI). Or they manage it through a different app’s interface, connecting to it via an application programming interface (API).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To determine whether an app needs to go through an accessibility review, follow these steps.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;High-level decision tree&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;API question&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Does the app rely on an external control for installation, and does it function without a user interface to perform application programming interface (API) calls without generating any formatted output?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If yes:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accessibility evaluation &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; required: Close this process.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If no:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Proceed to the CLI question.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;CLI question&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Do users control the app via a command line interface (CLI)?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If yes:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Proceed to Subtree (A).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If no:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Proceed to the Library question.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Subtree (A)&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Does the app offer an alternate graphical user interface (GUI)?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If yes:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Does the GUI offer more functionality than the CLI?
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If yes:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accessibility evaluation is required, and the app continues through the accessibility review process.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If no, proceed to Subtree (B).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If no:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Proceed to Subtree (B).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;[End subtree (A)].&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Subtree (B)&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Does the app create digital content or user interface components (e.g., a command results in a modal that requires an end-user to perform an action)?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If yes:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accessibility evaluation is required, and the app continues through the accessibility review process.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If no,
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accessibility evaluation &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; required: Close this process.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;[End subtree (B)].&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;[End CLI question].&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Library question&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Is the app solely a set of libraries for an existing system?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If yes:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Do the libraries contribute to a user interface?
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If yes:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accessibility evaluation is required, and the app continues through the accessibility review process.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If no,
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accessibility evaluation &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; required for this app. Close this process.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If no:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accessibility evaluation is required, and the app continues through the accessibility review process.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Note: In situations where users can choose to use either a CLI or GUI to operate the app, if the GUI provides more functionality than the CLI, then you need to review its accessibility. It goes against the purpose of accessibility to offer CLI as an alternative for people with disabilities if the GUI users have more options, ease of use, or other functional advantages.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Final Takeaway&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When evaluating tools that aren’t for the end-user — whether backend systems, libraries, or plug-ins — consider how users interact with the technology. The decision tree outlined above provides a structured approach to determine when an accessibility evaluation is necessary. By distinguishing between APIs, CLIs, GUIs, and libraries, this process ensures that you can focus your accessibility efforts where they matter most: on interfaces and outputs that impact human users.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The goal of digital accessibility is equity. If a graphical interface offers more functionality than a command-line alternative, it must be accessible to everyone. This review process helps uphold that principle, ensuring that all users have equal access to the tools and technologies your organization adopts.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-primary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>713296</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2025-11-19T21:30:33Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>The Update to ADA’s Title II series digs deeper into preparation and planning resources for state and local governments as they work toward compliance. This article summarizes the Office of Accessibility’s multi-part series, designed to help agencies prepare for the April 2026 compliance deadline and build sustainable accessibility practices.</Description><Audience/><Title>Preparation for the update to ADA’s Title II Series: Final recap &amp; resources guide</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Accessibility implementation</Subject><Subject>Implementation toolkit</Subject><Subject>ADA Title II preparation</Subject><Subject>Preparation for ADA Title II</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Preparation for the update to ADA’s Title II Series: Final recap &amp; resources guide</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Illustration showing progress of the Office of Accessibility&apos;s ADA’s Title II newsletter article series. Check marks appear over Scope, Planning &amp; Priorities, Implementation, Quality Assurance, and Recap &amp; Resources. No empty boxes. A person holding a large pencil points to Recap box.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/ADA%20Title%20II%20Resources_blog_tcm38-710292.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Illustration showing the Office of Accessibility&apos;s ADA Title II newsletter article series. A large check mark is over Recap &amp; Resources, with a person holding a giant pencil next to it.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/ADA%20Title%20II%20Resources_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-710293.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>2025-10 - ADA’s Title II Series: Final Recap &amp; Resources</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-710227&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2025-10-22T18:30:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>The Update to ADA’s Title II series digs deeper into preparation and planning resources for state and local governments as they work toward compliance. This article summarizes the Office of Accessibility’s multi-part series, designed to help agencies prepare for the April 2026 compliance deadline and build sustainable accessibility practices.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Gathering the series&apos; resources into one place</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The US Department of Justice (DOJ) added digital accessibility requirements to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for Minnesota’s state and local government entities. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This recap and resources guide summarizes the Office of Accessibility’s multi-part series, designed to help agencies prepare for the April 2026 compliance deadline and build sustainable accessibility practices. This series has guided agencies through every step—from initial self-audit to ongoing quality assurance—so teams can confidently meet requirements and build lasting accessibility improvements.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Series overview&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/694312&quot;&gt;Conducting a self-audit&lt;/a&gt; :&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Agencies must assess the accessibility of their digital content, including websites, intranets, mobile apps, and digital documents.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Key steps include understanding applicable standards (WCAG 2.1 AA, Section 508), assembling a diverse audit team (including people with disabilities), and documenting findings for remediation and reporting.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;SMART goals help prioritize high-impact fixes and guide remediation efforts.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/698989&quot;&gt;Strategic planning and prioritization&lt;/a&gt; :&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Success begins with executive buy-in and a clear, organization-wide accessibility policy.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Designate a digital accessibility lead and convene a cross-functional team (procurement, development, communications, DEI, ADA coordinator).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use audit data to set priorities, focusing on high-traffic sites, frequently used forms, and critical documents.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Develop a communications plan to keep leadership, staff, and the public informed and engaged.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/702120&quot;&gt;Implementation&lt;/a&gt; :&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Treat accessibility as an ongoing program, not a one-time project.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Assign clear roles and responsibilities (e.g., Accessibility Coordinator), set timelines, and measure progress.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use templates and toolkits to streamline work and ensure consistency.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Incorporate both short-term achievable goals and longer-term strategic objectives.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/706623&quot;&gt;Accessibility as a workflow: A Quality Assurance (QA) perspective&lt;/a&gt; :&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Integrate accessibility checks into QA and development workflows.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;QA teams play a vital role by retesting fixes, using accessible templates, and sharing success stories.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Early and repeated testing prevents issues from spreading and supports sustainable improvements.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Practical advice from QA professionals: Use built-in tools, focus on new requirements, and support teams with quick answers.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Actionable next steps&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Every agency’s journey toward ADA Title II compliance will look different. Some may be just beginning their accessibility efforts, while others are refining established practices. The following steps offer a flexible, adaptable roadmap that can guide your organization no matter where you start:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Conduct or update your agency’s accessibility self-audit.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Develop or revise your accessibility policy and implementation plan.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Assign clear roles and responsibilities (e.g., Accessibility Coordinator).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Integrate accessibility checks into QA and development workflows.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Plan for ongoing training and support.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Review and use accessible templates and built-in tools.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Resources&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The following resources connect directly to the topics covered in our articles—from self-audit to implementation and ongoing quality assurance, as well as the DOJ&apos;s website. Note: This is not an exhaustive list, it’s meant to help you begin your accessibility journey.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;State Standard&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;State of Minnesota’s Digital Accessibility Standard&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Articles&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Preparation for update to ADA Title II Series&lt;/strong&gt; :
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/694312&quot;&gt;Conduct a self-audit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; (first part of this series)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/698989&quot;&gt;Strategic planning and prioritization&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; (second part of this series)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/702120&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Implementation&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (third part of this series)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/706623&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Accessibility as a workflow: A QA Perspective&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (fourth part of this series)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/683740&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conforming alternate versions and when to use&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Using built-in software accessibility checkers:&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/650170&quot;&gt;Microsoft Word&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/694305&quot;&gt;Microsoft PowerPoint&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/650174&quot;&gt;Adobe Acrobat&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/621624&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Website accessibility testing&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
Check out our &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility News page&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;subscribe&lt;/a&gt; for future editions!
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Training and tools&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/&quot;&gt;Accessibility training&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/implementation-toolkit.jsp&quot;&gt;Minnesota’s 2010-2012 implementation toolkit&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Department of Justice&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/24/2024-07758/nondiscrimination-on-the-basis-of-disability-accessibility-of-web-information-and-services-of-state&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Title II – Full Update&lt;/a&gt;  
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ada.gov/resources/2024-03-08-web-rule/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Title II Rule fact sheet&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/standards/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Web Standards page&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WCAG 2 Overview page&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Accessibility Fundamentals&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Other Training and Resources&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.accessibilityonline.org/ao&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Accessibility Online webinars&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.accessibilityassociation.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP)&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Final thoughts&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Preparing for the ADA Title II update takes commitment, collaboration, and continuous learning. Use this guide and provided resources to enhance your agency’s accessibility practices. Reach out to the &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:MNITAccessibility@state.mn.us&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility&lt;/a&gt; to share your success stories to inspire others.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-primary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>710227</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2025-10-23T15:01:32Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>In honor of NDEAM, explore how digital accessibility can create a more inclusive hiring and onboarding experience for people with disabilities.
</Description><Audience/><Title>NDEAM - Creating inclusive hiring experiences through Digital Accessibility</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>National Disability in Employment Awareness Month</Subject><Subject>NDEAM</Subject><Subject>digital accessibility</Subject><Subject>inclusive workplace</Subject><Subject>inclusive hiring</Subject><Subject>accessibility and human resources</Subject><Subject>Diversity, Equity &amp; Inclusion (DEI)</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Accessible by design: Creating inclusive hiring experiences through Digital Accessibility</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Graphic celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), observed in October. Surrounding the text are six icons representing different types of disabilities and inclusion: Mobility, tech access, cognitive, mental health, hearing, visual disabilities. The background features a colorful design with green, teal, and navy blue accents.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/NDEAM_2025_blog_tcm38-710289.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Graphic celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), observed in October. Surrounding the text are six icons representing different types of disabilities and inclusion: tech access, cognitive, mental health, hearing, visual disabilities. The background features a colorful design with green, teal, and navy blue accents.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/NDEAM_2025_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-710288.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>NDEAM: Creating inclusive hiring experiences through Digital Accessibility</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-710228&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2025-10-22T17:30:39Z</Date><ShortDescription>In honor of NDEAM, explore how digital accessibility can create a more inclusive hiring and onboarding experience for people with disabilities.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Celebrate National Disability in Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) by designing for inclusion!</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Every October, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/initiatives/ndeam&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)&lt;/a&gt; celebrates the contributions of workers with disabilities and promotes inclusive employment practices. The 2025 observance marks NDEAM’s 80th anniversary. In recognition of this milestone, we’re highlighting how digital accessibility can make hiring and onboarding more inclusive for people with disabilities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Inclusive hiring starts with accessible design. At the State of Minnesota, we believe that every step of the employment journey—from job search to onboarding—should be barrier-free. Digital accessibility is more than just a compliance checkbox; it’s a proactive commitment to equity, transparency, and opportunity.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The digital hiring journey: Where accessibility matters&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Minnesota state government has a framework of laws and executive orders to ensure that its workforce reflects the state’s population, which includes people with disabilities. As a result, state agencies have worked to review, refresh, and update every aspect of the hiring process.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Let’s walk through the typical hiring process and highlight where digital accessibility plays a critical role:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Job search &amp;amp; listings&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Are job boards and state employment websites screen reader-friendly?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Are videos captioned and narrated?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Is plain language used to describe roles and expectations?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Application process&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Can applicants navigate forms using only a keyboard?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Is security provided through less intrusive (and more accessible) means than CAPTCHAs?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Are instructions clear and inclusive of neurodiverse users?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Interview scheduling &amp;amp; virtual interviews&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Are scheduling tools accessible to screen readers and assistive tech?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Are virtual platforms (Zoom, Teams) configured with captions or interpreters?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Is there a clear process for requesting accommodations?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Onboarding &amp;amp; training&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Are onboarding documents provided in accessible formats?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Are training videos captioned and narrated?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Are digital tools used in orientation compatible with assistive technologies?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How MNIT leads by example&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;According to Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) Director of Equal Opportunity, Diversity, and Inclusion Sarah Herder Lewis, MNIT has implemented several best practices to ensure inclusion in hiring:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Structured interviewing&lt;/strong&gt;: Hiring supervisors are trained to align interview questions and scoring criteria with the job posting. All materials are reviewed by staffing representatives to ensure fairness and consistency.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Connect 700 program&lt;/strong&gt;: This initiative allows candidates with qualifying disabilities to demonstrate their abilities during a pre-probationary period—removing barriers posed by traditional interviews.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;American with Disabilities Act (ADA) coordination&lt;/strong&gt;: MNIT’s ADA coordinator works directly with candidates who request accommodations, ensuring equal access throughout the hiring process.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Advice for other organizations&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Sarah offers this guidance: “Bring together a diverse group of people—including individuals with disabilities—to walk through every step of your hiring process. Consider where unconscious bias might creep in and take steps to mitigate it. At MNIT, the time we invested in building inclusive procedures has paid off. We attract the most qualified candidates from the broadest pool, and we’re stronger because of it.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;MNIT’s Human Resources Director, Chad Thuet, offers this advice: “Intentionally include at least two other individuals in the interview and selection process who not only understand the organization, team, or role—but who also bring different lived experiences and perspectives than your own. Seek out colleagues with varied backgrounds, geographies, demographics, and socio-economic histories. These differences help ensure that candidates are assessed through multiple lenses, reducing the risk of unconscious bias and broadening the definition of what ‘qualified’ looks like. Inclusion in hiring starts with who’s at the table making the decisions.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Proactive inclusion starts with communication&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tell applicants that ADA accommodations are available and share who to contact. Build accessibility into every step of hiring—from job postings and applications to interviews and onboarding.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Inclusive hiring and onboarding open doors for people with disabilities and strengthen our teams, our services, and our communities. Accessibility is everyone’s responsibility—and when we lead with inclusion, everyone benefits.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-primary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>710228</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2025-10-23T15:01:32Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Get some tips on strategies and tactics to prepare your organization.. The Update to ADA’s Title II series digs deeper into preparation and planning resources for state and local governments as they work toward compliance. This article focuses on how your team can understand your audit results, what actions to take next, and how to communicate your findings to leadership and other key partners.</Description><Audience/><Title>Preparation for the update to ADA’s Title II Series: Strategic planning &amp; prioritization</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Accessibility implementation</Subject><Subject>Implementation toolkit</Subject><Subject>ADA Title II preparation</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Updated Accessibility Quick Cards</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A set of five accessibility quick cards are laid out on a desk with a keyboard, glasses, and a notebook in the background. The cards are designed for different software programs, including Windows, Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat, and Microsoft Word. Each card has its own color-coded header, with icons representing the respective programs (keyboard icon for Windows, PowerPoint logo, Acrobat logo, and Word logo).</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-quick-cards-2025-blog_tcm38-707016.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A set of five accessibility quick cards are laid out on a desk with a keyboard, glasses, and a notebook in the background. The cards are designed for different software programs, including Windows, Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat, and Microsoft Word. Each card has its own color-coded header, with icons representing the respective programs (keyboard icon for Windows, PowerPoint logo, Acrobat logo, and Word logo).</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-quick-cards-2025-blog-thumbnail_tcm38-707019.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2025-9 - Updated Quick Cards</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-706741&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2025-09-24T18:35:09Z</Date><ShortDescription>Learn what’s new in the updated Accessibility Quick Cards—including WCAG 2.1 updates and practical tips you can use right away.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>New practices, new cards.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Minnesota&apos;s Office of Accessibility (OoA), along with a cross-functional group of state agency Digital Accessibility Coordinators and subject matter experts, has updated our Accessibility Quick Reference Cards (Quick Cards).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;These updates reflect:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Changes to each application.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The state&apos;s adoption of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Current accessibility best practices.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We also revised the content to use plain language and active voice, making the cards easier to understand and apply.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;These streamlined, easy-to-use cards support any accessibility training you use, including those on our website. They offer quick reminders and practical tips to help you apply accessibility best practices in your daily work. Some people like a quick overview before exploring a topic in depth, while others just need a fast refresher on a digital accessibility basic. The Quick Cards are designed to support both.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Where to find the Quick Cards&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Whether you&apos;re working in Microsoft Office, Adobe tools, or designing content for the web or social media, these cards can support you in creating more inclusive digital experiences.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Web versions&lt;/strong&gt; - Visit the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/accessibility-quick-cards.jsp&quot;&gt;OoA Quick Cards web page&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Print versions&lt;/strong&gt; - Stop by our table at &lt;strong&gt;in-person events&lt;/strong&gt; (like Global Accessibility Awareness Day) or &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:MNITAccessibility@state.mn.us&quot;&gt;contact us&lt;/a&gt; for other options.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3; margin-top: 50px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-primary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>706741</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2025-09-24T20:24:46Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>The Update to ADA’s Title II series digs deeper into how Quality Assurance plays a critical part in the process—and how accessibility testing fits into the development lifecycle.</Description><Audience/><Title>Preparation for the update to ADA’s Title II series: Accessibility as a Workflow: A QA Perspective</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Accessibility implementation</Subject><Subject>Implementation toolkit</Subject><Subject>ADA Title II preparation</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Preparation for the update to ADA’s Title II series: Accessibility as a Workflow: A QA Perspective</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Illustration showing progress of the Office of Accessibility&apos;s ADA’s Title II newsletter article series. Check marks appear over Scope, Planning &amp; Priorities, Implementation, and Quality Assurance. Recap &amp; Resources is an empty box. A person holding a large pencil points toward the QA box.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/ADA%20Title%20II%20QA_blog_tcm38-706739.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Illustration showing the Office of Accessibility&apos;s ADA Title II newsletter article series. A large check mark is over Quality Assurance, with a person holding a giant pencil next to it.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/ADA%20Title%20II%20QA_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-706740.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2025-9 - ADA’s Title II Series: QA</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-706623&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2025-08-20T23:05:08Z</Date><ShortDescription>The Update to ADA’s Title II series digs deeper into how Quality Assurance plays a critical part in the process—and how accessibility testing fits into the development lifecycle.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Build accessibility into your agency’s workflow from the beginning.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The US Department of Justice (DOJ) added digital accessibility requirements to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for Minnesota’s state and local government entities. This new rule puts into writing practices that the DOJ has followed for decades. Our Update to ADA’s Title II series digs deeper into preparation and implementation resources for state and local governments as they work toward compliance.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In this series, we’ve explored how agencies can prepare for the new rule. We’ve covered understanding your current accessibility scope, setting priorities, and building implementation plans. This month, we turn to a critical part of the process: quality assurance (QA), and how accessibility testing fits into the development lifecycle.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We spoke with Angela Marckel, a QA Analyst with MNIT’s Enterprise Technology Delivery Project Management Office (ETDPMO), who has spent the last decade integrating accessibility into IT projects across the State of Minnesota.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;QA’s Role in Accessibility&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Angela describes QA as “making sure the right steps are followed, and that what we build works well for everyone.” That includes accessibility. Whether software is purchased or built in-house, QA ensures it works for all users, including people with disabilities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For Angela, accessibility is fundamental. “It’s as important as any function of software,” she says. “I have long seen it as the underdog and tried to champion its importance.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How QA testing differs from developer testing&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;While developers test their own work during sprints, QA brings a different lens. “Developer testing is often about speed, making sure the ‘happy path’ works,” Angela explains. “QA testing looks at the details, including what happens when things don’t go as planned.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;QA also considers accessibility in places others might overlook—like error messages or admin tools. “Even if current users haven’t self-identified, they may still rely on accessibility features,” she says. “By ensuring accessibility, we ensure future users don’t have problems.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Common accessibility issues and how QA handles them&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Angela frequently sees issues like:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Applications that don’t meet accessibility standards (e.g., poor color contrast or keyboard traps).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Quick fixes that miss important details like logical tab order.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When issues come up, she logs them like any other problem, whether in a dev-test tool, Excel, or SharePoint. In fast-paced Agile environments, she may alert developers directly for a quick fix and retest.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Fixing and retesting for accessibility&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Angela’s approach is practical: assign the issue, suggest a fix if she knows one, and sometimes fix it herself. “If it’s something like missing alt text, I’ll fix it and let the team know.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;She always retests the fix and the surrounding area: “If a screen’s tab order was the problem, I retest the entire screen, not just the fix.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Making accessibility part of the workflow&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Angela tests each item for accessibility as soon as it’s ready. Early testing prevents problems from spreading and saves time later, because the developers have fixed it once so will include it the next time.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;She also makes sure accessibility is retested after any changes. “Following the usual process helps prevent things from slipping through.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Sustaining accessibility in QA teams&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Angela offers practical advice for making accessibility part of everyday work:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Use accessible templates&lt;/strong&gt;: “They reduce issues and save developers time.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Focus on what’s new&lt;/strong&gt;: “We’ve already learned to account for many requirements, now we can focus on what’s changed.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Support QA with quick answers&lt;/strong&gt;: “Being able to ask, ‘How do we fix this?’ and get a fast, accurate answer is huge.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;She also encourages sharing success stories: “When teams share how they incorporated accessibility, it encourages others to do the same.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility tools that help&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Angela recommends:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Built-in tools&lt;/strong&gt; like Microsoft Word’s accessibility checker.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Software Center tools (for state employees)&lt;/strong&gt; like Colour Contrast Analyser.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Custom testing templates and spreadsheets&lt;/strong&gt; developed with the Office of Accessibility (with the help from Angela and other QA colleagues). Contact &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:MNITAccessibility@state.mn.us&quot;&gt;MNITAccessibility@state.mn.us&lt;/a&gt; if you’d like to learn more.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;View the OoA’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/694314&quot;&gt;High-level Accessibility Testing Report of Findings Template&lt;/a&gt; article&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Final thoughts&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Angela’s insights show that accessibility enhances quality assurance, making it a core part of building stronger, more inclusive software. By embedding accessibility into workflows, QA teams help ensure digital content and services are usable by everyone, now and in the future.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Future articles in this series&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Recap &amp;amp; final resource guide&lt;/strong&gt;: Gathering all resources into one place.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Resources&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A list of resources related to this third part.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;OoA Articles:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/694312&quot;&gt;Conduct a self-audit (first part of this series)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/698989&quot;&gt;Strategic planning and prioritization (second part of this series)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/702120&quot;&gt;Implementation (third part of this series)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/&quot;&gt;Accessibility training&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Using Built-In Software Accessibility Checkers articles:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/650170&quot;&gt;Microsoft Word&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/694305&quot;&gt;Microsoft PowerPoint&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/650174&quot;&gt;Adobe Acrobat&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/621624&quot;&gt;Website Accessibility Testing article&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/implementation-toolkit.jsp&quot;&gt;Minnesota’s 2010-2012 implementation toolkit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Department of Justice:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ada.gov/resources/2024-03-08-web-rule/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Title II Rule fact sheet&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3; margin-top: 50px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-primary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>706623</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2025-09-24T20:29:18Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Get some tips on strategies and tactics to prepare your organization.. The Update to ADA’s Title II series digs deeper into preparation and planning resources for state and local governments as they work toward compliance. This article focuses on how your team can understand your audit results, what actions to take next, and how to communicate your findings to leadership and other key partners.</Description><Audience/><Title>Preparation for the update to ADA’s Title II Series: Strategic planning &amp; prioritization</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Accessibility implementation</Subject><Subject>Implementation toolkit</Subject><Subject>ADA Title II preparation</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Preparation for the update to ADA’s Title II Series: Implementation  </Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Illustration showing progress of the Office of Accessibility&apos;s ADA’s Title II newsletter article series. Check marks appear over Scope, Planning &amp; priorities, and Implementation. Training and Recap &amp; Resources are empty boxes. A person holding a large pencil points toward the Implementation box.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/ADA%20Title%20II%20Implementation_blog_tcm38-702148.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>ADA Title II newsletter article series. A large check mark is over Implementation, with a person holding a giant pencil next to it.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/ADA%20Title%20II%20Implementation_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-702150.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2025-8 - ADA’s Title II Series: Implementation</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-702120&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2025-08-20T14:27:51Z</Date><ShortDescription>The Update to ADA’s Title II series digs deeper into preparation and planning resources for state and local governments as they work toward compliance. This article focuses on planning and developing a sustainable implementation plan and process.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Get some tips on strategies and tactics to prepare your organization.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The US Department of Justice (DOJ) added digital accessibility requirements to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for Minnesota’s state and local government entities. This new rule puts into writing practices that the DOJ has followed for decades. Our Update to ADA’s Title II series digs deeper into preparation and implementation resources for state and local governments as they work toward compliance.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In the article &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/653553&quot;&gt;Update to ADA’s Title II&lt;/a&gt;,&quot; we outlined what the new rule means for government staff and how to begin the accessibility journey. We are following that with a series of articles on preparing for the new rule.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In this “Preparation for Update to ADA’s Title II Series,” we have covered:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Scope:&lt;/strong&gt; A high-level understanding of your agency’s current support for accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Planning and priorities:&lt;/strong&gt; obtaining executive support, convening a team, and setting priorities to address accessibility issues.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This article, the third in the series, explains how to develop an implementation plan by addressing high-priority issues, assigning roles and responsibilities, setting timelines, and incorporating retesting to confirm that the fixes work.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility as a program&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The first step to implementation is for your organization to recognize that &lt;strong&gt;digital accessibility must be a program&lt;/strong&gt; – not a project or task. It must have funding and structure that ensures long-term, ongoing success. The return on this investment will include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Better, more cost-effective technology.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Reduced rework, with development focus on new features rather than backlog remediation.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ensuring every valid user is able to access and use your services.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Reduced risk profile.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Every organization is different, so a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work. Viewing implementation as an ongoing program helps ensure your plan is tailored, adaptable, and effective.  This article shares examples from Minnesota’s program—launched in 2010 and developed over many years—along with other general observations.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Getting started&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Your implementation plan combines the initial scoping and planning activities (mentioned in the introduction) with a strategic process to:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Set a vision and high-level strategic goals.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Codify why you’re doing this in a purpose statement.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Start  a Gap Analysis (this can be ongoing as you learn more). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Create an action plan.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here’s the State of Minnesota’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/TA_Toolkit_Implementation_Plan_Template_tcm38-81129.doc&quot;&gt;implantation plan template (Word)&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/TA_Toolkit_Implementation_Plan_Template_tcm38-61952.pdf&quot;&gt;(PDF)&lt;/a&gt; we used in 2010.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Making it happen&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Any plan you develop will require time, funding, and executive support. An experienced project manager or product manager can help you define the details of the implementation plan. For example, the sample template above breaks down action plans into objectives, then each objective into the following components:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Success criteria&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Assumptions&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Dependencies&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Constraints&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Policies and procedures&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Training strategy &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Communications strategy&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Having a project or program manager on your team can help determine the level of detail needed for each step and decide which actions to start now and which can be scheduled for later.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Next steps&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You can design an implementation plan in the way that works best for your organization. Keys to success include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Designating a Chief Accessibility Officer. Grassroots efforts will only take you so far.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Get funding to go with the title and responsibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Convening a team. This gives the plan credibility and sustainability.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Define a shared vision for accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Draft a plan.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Include both short-term achievable goals and longer-term strategic goals.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Measure progress toward the goals.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Defining accessibility as a program, then crafting a plan with measurable steps, will greatly increase your chances of making it a reality.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Future articles in this series&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Make it ongoing:&lt;/strong&gt; Build accessibility into your agency’s workflow from the beginning&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Recap &amp;amp; final resource guide:&lt;/strong&gt; Gather all resources into one place, including links to each article in the series.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Resources&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A list of resources related to this second part.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/694312&quot;&gt;Conduct a self-audit&lt;/a&gt; (first part of this series)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/698989&quot;&gt;Strategic planning and prioritization&lt;/a&gt; (second part of this series)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/implementation-toolkit.jsp&quot;&gt;Minnesota’s 2010-2012 implementation toolkit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ada.gov/resources/2024-03-08-web-rule/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Title II Rule Fact Sheet&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-primary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>702120</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2025-08-20T14:28:01Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Get some tips on strategies and tactics to prepare your organization.. The Update to ADA’s Title II series digs deeper into preparation and planning resources for state and local governments as they work toward compliance. This article focuses on how your team can understand your audit results, what actions to take next, and how to communicate your findings to leadership and other key partners.</Description><Audience/><Title>Preparation for the update to ADA’s Title II Series: Strategic planning &amp; prioritization</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Accessibility self-audits</Subject><Subject>Accessibility testing and findings</Subject><Subject>ADA Title II preparation</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Preparation for the update to ADA’s Title II Series: Strategic planning &amp; prioritization</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Illustration of two people using giant pencils to organize sticky notes on a project board labeled “To Do,” “Doing,” and “Done,” representing strategic planning to resolve issues found during an agency’s accessibility self-audit.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/ADA%20Title%20II%20Prep_blog_tcm38-698900.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Illustration of two people using giant pencils to organize sticky notes on a project board labeled “To Do,” “Doing,” and “Done,” representing strategic planning to resolve issues found during an agency’s accessibility self-audit.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/ADA%20Title%20II%20Prep_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-698897.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>2025-7 - ADA’s Title II Series: Strategic planning &amp; prioritization</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-698989&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2025-07-23T17:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>The Update to ADA’s Title II series digs deeper into preparation and planning resources for state and local governments as they work toward compliance. This article focuses on how your team can understand your audit results, what actions to take next, and how to communicate your findings to leadership and other key partners.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Get some tips on strategies and tactics to prepare your organization.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The US Department of Justice (DOJ) added digital accessibility requirements to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for Minnesota’s state and local government entities. This new rule puts into writing practices that the DOJ has followed for decades. Our Update to ADA’s Title II series digs deeper into preparation and implementation resources for state and local governments as they work toward compliance.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In the article &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/653553&quot;&gt;Update to ADA’s Title II&lt;/a&gt;,&quot; we outlined what the new rule means for government staff and how to begin the accessibility journey. Today’s article focuses on how your team can understand your audit results, what actions to take next, and how to communicate your findings to leadership and other key partners.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;First steps&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By now, your organization has likely completed—or at least begun—a digital accessibility audit to assess current compliance. If the results show room for improvement, you&apos;re not alone. The odds are you have some work to do So, what’s next? Here’s how to move from assessment to action.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Get a policy in place&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Any strategy that’s going to get your organization to incorporate digital accessibility practices into all your operations requires executive support. Having an organization-wide policy statement is key to getting buy-in and support from all staff.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use that policy to state a shared vision for organization-wide accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Identify resources&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Designate an organization-wide digital accessibility lead. Create a title such as Chief Accessibility Officer (CAO) or Chief Information Accessibility Officer (CIAO). Make this their sole function. If there isn’t enough funding at the start, then assign it to someone who leads a digital information and technology team.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Have that accessibility lead convene an accessibility team. Include the following skill sets:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Procurement&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Website design/development&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Application development&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Communications&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Training and organization development&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;ADA Coordinator&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Scope&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Policy approval can take time at some organizations. During that process, continue to move forward by creating a scope plan.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Set priorities.&lt;/strong&gt; Use the audit data to identify your key challenges. Most likely it will include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Websites and its:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Digital documents, such as PDFs&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Videos and other multimedia&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Forms (both web-based and document-based)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Mobile apps&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Web apps&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Software apps&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Set short- and long-term goals.&lt;/strong&gt; The ADA Title II deadline for most organizations is April 24, 2026. Consider the following questions as you plan:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What needs to be done before then?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What sites get the most traffic?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What forms and documents are most frequently downloaded?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What can you do now and what requires a rebuild?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Examples to guide your planning:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Fixing existing sites or creating new page templates.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Updating the CSS or redesigning the entire site.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Using current tools or procuring a new content management system (CMS).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note&lt;/strong&gt;: You may need to tackle short- and long-term goals at the same time—for example, updating your current CMS to fix issues like color contrast while also planning for a full site redesign and rebuild.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Develop an accessibility communications plan&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tell everyone what is happening and how they can be involved.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Communicate upward&lt;/strong&gt; to managers and executives. Their support is essential for success. Keep them aware of goals, activities, and successes, even small wins.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Communicate outward&lt;/strong&gt; to co-workers, colleagues, and even the public. Everyone has a role in accessibility. Help them know their role and that their efforts matter.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In your plan, use multiple tools to reach different audiences. For example:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Regular news bulletin to key stakeholders.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Monthly bulletins to general employees and/or the public.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Monthly or quarterly check-ins with management and other decision makers.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Future articles in this series&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Implementation&lt;/strong&gt;: Begin to tackle high-priority issues. Determine who will handle the work. Set timelines and include retesting throughout the process.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Make it ongoing&lt;/strong&gt;: Build accessibility into your agency’s workflow from the beginning&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Recap &amp;amp; final resource guide&lt;/strong&gt;: Gather all resources into one place, including links to each article in the series.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Next steps&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This strategic planning aims to help organizations move from audit to action in their digital accessibility journey. Now with an idea of scope and action steps to take, you’ll need to create an implementation plan. We’ll talk more about this in next month’s newsletter.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Resources&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A list of resources related to this second part.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/694312&quot;&gt;Conduct a self-audit&lt;/a&gt; (first part of this series)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/implementation-toolkit.jsp&quot;&gt;Minnesota’s 2010-2012 implementation toolkit&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/653553&quot;&gt;Update to ADA’s Title II&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-primary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>698989</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2025-07-23T20:12:56Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>In a high-level accessibility testing report, document everything you do during the evaluation, including the testing tools used, the accessibility standards assessed, and the specific locations where testing occurred (such as web page URLs, mobile app steps, or document names). Our template can help cover all the details you need.</Description><Audience/><Title>High-Level Accessibility Testing Report of Findings Template</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Accessibility self-audits</Subject><Subject>Accessibility testing</Subject><Subject>Accessibility testing report of findings</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>High-Level Accessibility Testing Report of Findings Template</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Website audit, desktop and mobile views, showing a checklist and magnifying glass reviewing the site&apos;s components for accessibility compliance</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/high-level-testing-blog_tcm38-694563.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Website audit on a desktop showing a magnifying glass reviewing the site&apos;s components for accessibility compliance</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/high-level-testing-blog-thumbnail_tcm38-694562.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2025-6 - High-Level Accessibility Testing Report of Findings Template</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-694314&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2025-06-25T17:01:34Z</Date><ShortDescription>In a high-level accessibility testing report, document everything you do during an evaluation of digital content, including the testing tools used, the accessibility standards assessed, and the specific locations where testing occurred (such as web page URLs, mobile app steps, or document names). Our template can help cover all the details you need.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Use our template to create a high-level accessibility testing report</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Content author&lt;/strong&gt;: MNIT Office of Accessibility&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We perform quick high-level evaluations of websites or web applications for several reasons—for example, to confirm a product’s accessibility for a project manager or to help an agency gauge potential accessibility compliance issues. These evaluations are intended to:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Quickly identify whether the site may present barriers for users with disabilities.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Share findings in a clear, approachable way with those who may not be familiar with digital accessibility, like product managers or executives.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note&lt;/strong&gt;: A high-level evaluation is not a substitute for an accessibility audit. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Completing the high-level evaluation document&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Document everything you do during the evaluation, including the testing tools used, the accessibility standards assessed, and the specific locations where testing occurred (such as web page URLs, mobile app steps, or document names).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Format the final report of this review data for the intended audience&lt;/strong&gt; (who you are reporting to). You want them to understand: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Whether the site is likely to present barriers for users with disabilities.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What that means in terms of risk (exposure) and remediation (cost). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Here is our high-level test reporting template&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;strong&gt;Note&lt;/strong&gt;: We begin at a heading level 1, as it would be set in a Microsoft Word document.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Download the &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/High-Level%20Accessibility%20Testing%20Report%20of%20Findings%20TEMPLATE_tcm38-694319.docx&quot; title=&quot;High-Level Accessibility Testing Cases – Report of Findings TEMPLATE&quot; xlink:title=&quot;High-Level Accessibility Testing Cases – Report of Findings TEMPLATE&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;High-level Accessibility Testing Report of Findings Word template&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h1 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;[Product/Software Name]: High-Level Accessibility Testing Cases – Report of Findings&lt;/h1&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This report outlines a quick accessibility audit (approximately 1-2 hours) of the [name of website, web pages, mobile app or software]. This is not an in-depth accessibility test or audit, or review of usability issues. This report outlines basic findings only.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility standards we test for:&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1, Level AA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Federal rule: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.access-board.gov/ict/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Section 508&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Testing tools used:&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;[&lt;strong style=&quot;color: rgb(191, 0, 0);&quot;&gt;Examples&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Desktop:&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Browser (name) and Browser Zoom&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Keyboard&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accessibility testing bookmarklet:&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Color Contrast tool: ]&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Rating system for issues found&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use the following rating system to communicate impact of issues found:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong style=&quot;font-size: 14pt; color: rgb(255, 255, 255); background-color: rgb(255, 0, 0);&quot;&gt;Barrier&lt;/strong&gt;: Cannot accomplish tasks due to insurmountable showstoppers.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong style=&quot;font-size: 14pt; color: rgb(255, 255, 255); background-color: rgb(128, 0, 128);&quot;&gt;Great challenges&lt;/strong&gt;: Can accomplish task only with a high level of additional effort, training, and/or workarounds.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong style=&quot;font-size: 14pt; color: rgb(0, 56, 101); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 0);&quot;&gt;Some challenges&lt;/strong&gt;: Can accomplish task only with a moderate amount of additional effort, training, and/or workarounds.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong style=&quot;font-size: 14pt; color: rgb(0, 56, 101); background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);&quot;&gt;Pass&lt;/strong&gt;: Can accomplish tasks with same or reasonable level of effort as other users.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Overall review note/summary of findings&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Provide an overall review. Include what is working and meets standards, as well as any barriers that were discovered and which should be addressed first. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Findings&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Collect findings based on ratings.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong style=&quot;color: rgb(255, 255, 255); background-color: rgb(255, 0, 0);&quot;&gt;Accessibility findings: Showstoppers&lt;/strong&gt; (high priority failures to address)&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The audit revealed accessibility issues which will cause barriers to specific users, including [list user types, like screen reader users, keyboard-only users, voice-to-text users]. Disabilities affected will be [list based off user types, like blind, low vision, color contrast, cognitive and mobility]. This means these users will not be able to complete specific tasks on your website/mobile application.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Test case: &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Overview&lt;/strong&gt;: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Challenge&lt;/strong&gt;: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong style=&quot;color: rgb(191, 0, 0);&quot;&gt;WCAG and/or Section 508 failure(s)&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Recommendation&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Testing tool(s):&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;[list]&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Steps to perform testing:&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;[steps]&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong style=&quot;color: rgb(255, 255, 255); background-color: rgb(128, 0, 128);&quot;&gt;Accessibility findings: Great Challenges&lt;/strong&gt; (medium priority partial failures to address)&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In this audit, we have some test cases that cause great challenges for specific users [list] and disabilities affected include [list]. This means users should be able to complete tasks on your website/mobile application but with a high level of difficulty or inconvenience.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;[Use the same test case list from Barriers, as appropriate].&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong style=&quot;color: rgb(0, 56, 101); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 0);&quot;&gt;Accessibility findings: Some Challenges&lt;/strong&gt; (low priority partial failures to address)&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In this audit, we have some test cases that cause some challenges for specific users [list] and disabilities affected include [list]. This means users should be able to complete tasks on your website/mobile application but with some difficulty or inconvenience.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;[Use the same test case list from Barriers, as appropriate].&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong style=&quot;color: rgb(0, 56, 101); background-color: rgb(0, 255, 0);&quot;&gt;Test cases that Pass&lt;/strong&gt; (examples for reference)&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In this audit, we have examples of what is working well and should continue to be implemented in any future iterations of your website/mobile application.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;[list].&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>694314</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2025-06-25T14:42:52Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>A kickoff of a series of articles to dig deeper into preparation and implementation resources for state and local governments as they work toward compliance with the US Department of Justice&apos;s added digital accessibility requirements to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II. 
</Description><Audience/><Title>Preparation for the update to ADA’s Title II series: Conduct an accessibility self-audit</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Department of Justice updated regulations to ADA Title II</Subject><Subject>Americans with Disabilities Act Title II</Subject><Subject>Accessibility self-audits</Subject><Subject>Accessibility testing</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Preparation for the update to ADA’s Title II series: Conduct an accessibility self-audit</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Illustration showing a website on a laptop screen being examined with a magnifying glass, representing an accessibility self-audit of digital content for accessibility issues.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Accessibility_audit_blog_tcm38-694333.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Illustration showing a website on a laptop screen being examined with a magnifying glass, representing an accessibility self-audit of digital content for accessibility issues.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Accessibility_audit_blog_thumbnail_tcm38-694332.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2025-6 - Preparation for the update to ADA’s Title II series: Conduct an accessibility self-audit</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-694312&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2025-06-25T17:01:34Z</Date><ShortDescription>A kickoff of a series of articles to dig deeper into preparation and implementation resources for state and local governments as they work toward compliance with the US Department of Justice&apos;s added digital accessibility requirements to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II. 
</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Learn how to check your websites and mobile apps for accessibility issues</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Content contributors&lt;/strong&gt;: MNIT Office of Accessibility&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The US Department of Justice (DOJ) added digital accessibility requirements to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for Minnesota’s state and local government entities. This new rule puts into writing practices that the DOJ has been following for decades. In the article, &lt;a href=&quot;http://&quot;&gt;Update to ADA’s Title II&lt;/a&gt;,” we outlined what the new rule means for government staff and how to begin the accessibility journey. Now we kick off a series of articles to dig deeper into preparation and implementation resources for state and local governments as they work toward compliance. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If your organization is new to digital accessibility, this article is a great starting point. If you&apos;ve recently begun your accessibility efforts, it can help you prioritize your next steps.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Today’s article focuses on how your team can conduct a self-audit of your websites and mobile applications (apps)  to identify accessibility gaps—and take meaningful action toward compliance.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Begin the process&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;First, let’s understand the scope of this self-audit. Review this checklist to set up your self-audit expectations: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Know the accessibility standards and which apply to your agency&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Title II of the ADA&lt;/strong&gt;: The updated regulations (&lt;a href=&quot;http://&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;official rule&lt;/a&gt;) have specific requirements to ensure web content and mobile apps from &lt;strong&gt;state and local government entities&lt;/strong&gt; are accessible to people with disabilities by April 24, 2026*. The ADA provides a helpful &lt;a href=&quot;http://&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;fact sheet&lt;/a&gt; that everyone should read. The requirement includes:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA&lt;/a&gt; as the technical standard.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;ul style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;There are exceptions. The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ada.gov/resources/2024-03-08-web-rule/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;fact sheet&lt;/a&gt; outlines these.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;*&lt;strong&gt;Note:&lt;/strong&gt; This deadline is for those entities with a population of 50,000 or more. For those entities with less, or are considered a special district government, the deadline is April 26, 2027. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.access-board.gov/ict/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Revised Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;: Governs how federal agencies and their suppliers and contractors must support digital accessibility. It includes WCAG 2.0 in addition to standards for software and hardware, among other required criteria. 
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The State of Minnesota’s executive branch includes revised Section 508 requirements in our state’s digital accessibility standard.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/disability/union-equality-strategy-rights-persons-disabilities-2021-2030/european-accessibility-act_en&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;European Accessibility Act&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;: Applies to those doing business in the European Union (EU). It is a directive that aims to improve the functioning of the internal market for accessible products and services.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Who’s the team?&lt;/strong&gt; Identify people who can devote the time to learn about digital accessibility standards and testing, and who can advocate for your agency addressing the gaps and issues identified. They’ll also likely be the people who implement the fixes or educate the people who will.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Be sure to include people with disabilities, especially from the user experience standpoint. They can provide insight into why the gaps and issues cause problems and put the agency at risk.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Identify your agency’s digital content&lt;/strong&gt;: Specifically, to the Title II update, which includes websites, intranets, extranets, and mobile apps.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Determine origin of the content: Was it provided by a third-party vendor or was it developed in house?
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If a third-party vendor created the digital content, and it exists on your website or mobile application, the ADA Title II update pertains to this content. A first step in the self-audit is to acquire the vendor’s Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR). This is a completed version of the Information Technology Industry Council’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT)&lt;/a&gt;. We cover this in the next section.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For content developed by your agency, you will need to perform the VPAT work. We cover this in the next section.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Understand how many pages exist. This includes public pages and internal pages. Employees have an equal right to accessible digital content as your public users.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Identify scope of templates. If all websites use the same template, your task is far simpler than if every site uses different templates or development platforms.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Prepare to document for each type of page and template. This will be critical in tracking results from the self-audit. We cover this in the next section.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Understand your user’s journey&lt;/strong&gt;: How do they interact with your digital content?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Identify specific paths users take to complete tasks.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Learn the most visited pages and views/downloads (e.g., PDFs, videos, forms).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Consider learning how users get to your site.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Set realistic goals&lt;/strong&gt;: If this is your first time conducting an accessibility audit, expect it to be a significant effort. We recommend starting with a high-level testing approach. The steps outlined above will help your team better understand the scope of your digital content.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Set clear goals to help you focus on the highest-priority items and understand where your agency stands on accessible content. These goals will also help guide your remediation efforts.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;One helpful method is using SMART goals—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. At the State of Minnesota, we use this approach to help employees create clear and actionable objectives. Learn more from this &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/smart-goals/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Ultimate Guide to S.M.A.R.T. Goals article&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Start the audit&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;With a team in place, clear and measurable goals set, and an understanding of what technical standards your agency’s website and mobile app content needs to meet, let’s get to auditing. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Third party-created content&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As mentioned, if the content on your website or mobile app was created by a third party, it needs to meet accessibility standards. Vendors should provide you with an ACR. And your team will need to learn how to review these reports to understand if compliance requirements are met, and the validity of its content.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The ITI offers &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat-training&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;virtual VPAT (ACR) training modules&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What to do if the vendor doesn’t have an ACR?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Ask the vendor if they included any accessibility practices in creating the product. The depth and quality of their answer can give you an idea of your next steps.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Then either:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Assume it is not accessible and expect to add it to your agency’s remediation plan.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Perform your own high-level test to understand what issues exist and help set priorities in your overall remediation plan.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In-house-created content&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Should you hire a vendor?&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Because the scope of the audit will vary for every team, your agency may decide to handle the audit entirely on its own. However, if the scope is large and feels overwhelming, your agency may bring in a third-party vendor to assist. Your team can still assist in the audit process, but the vendor can help bring in tools and expertise.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When selecting an accessibility audit vendor, keep in mind :&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What type of assistance do you need?&lt;/strong&gt; For example, do you want a quick, high-level analysis that can help you benchmark your sites and set priorities? Or are you looking for a more in-depth analysis that provides you with a specific remediation plan for each site?
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Automated scans will identify 30%-40% of the issues with many potential false negatives and positives that need to be validated. These are valuable as a benchmarking tool, but a more extensive evaluation requires manual testing.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Consider using internal resources to conduct high-level analysis to set priorities then have vendors focus on the most high-risk and/or more problematic sites.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Avoid quick fixes&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;.&lt;/strong&gt; Some vendors may claim that their tools can scan and fix your sites’ accessibility issues. Such fixes can &lt;a href=&quot;https://overlayfactsheet.com/en/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;cause more issues than they solve&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Seek experience.&lt;/strong&gt; Accessibility testing used to be a niche service performed by specialized vendors. As the need has expanded, general consulting firms have added that service to their bench. Ask about teams with &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.accessibilityassociation.org/certification-overview&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;IAAP-certified members&lt;/a&gt; and documented experience with accessibility audits.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Internal operations&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Whether or not you hire a vendor, your team needs to learn more about accessibility. Here are a few helpful resources to use when testing websites and mobile apps or evaluating your vendor’s reports:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Get training&lt;/strong&gt;: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility training page&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.accessibilityassociation.org/courses-and-training&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) courses and training&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/services/training/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WebAIM accessibility training page&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.section508.gov/training-home/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Section508.gov&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accessibility curriculums: A number of vendors offer training in addition to their testing or remediation services. A brief sampling includes: &lt;a href=&quot;https://dequeuniversity.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Deque University&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.levelaccess.com/academy-and-training/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Level Access Academy&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://frontier.siteimprove.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Siteimprove’s Frontier&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.funka.com/en/funka-academy/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Funka Academy&lt;/a&gt;, and more. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Use tools&lt;/strong&gt;: Several tools exist to automatically scan and check websites and documents for accessibility issues. It’s also essential to use manual tools, like a keyboard, color contrast checkers, and browser zoom.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Review website tools and create checklists: Our &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/621624&quot;&gt;Website Accessibility Testing article&lt;/a&gt; gives a list of tools our State Digital Accessibility Coordinators use.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Safe usage: Our &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-597293&quot;&gt;Bookmarklets and Browser Extension - Tips for Safe Usage article&lt;/a&gt; outlines how to safely use these types of tools.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Review software tools: Our Using Built-In Software Accessibility Checker articles for &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/650170&quot;&gt;Microsoft Word&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/650174&quot;&gt;Acrobat Pro&lt;/a&gt; give step-by-step instructions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Start with a high-level analysis&lt;/strong&gt;: This will help you determine whether a deeper dive is needed. See our &lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&quot;&gt;tech tip for more information on a &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/index.jsp?id=38-694314&quot;&gt;high-level accessibility testing template&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&quot;&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What about Artificial Intelligence?&lt;/strong&gt; It helped with outlining this series. And we know agencies are beginning to implement its use in identifying accessibility issues and fixing or adding in accessibility. Make sure it is ethical, and the work is reviewed by a human. The state’s Minnesota IT Services outlines their &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/security/ai-standard/&quot;&gt;Public Artificial Intelligence Services Security Standard&lt;/a&gt; to help aid employees in the use of AI.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Document findings&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Make sure you track everything you do during the audit (including testing tools used, WCAG criteria tested for, etc.) and where you complete testing (specific web page names or locations of mobile app steps or documents). &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A final report of this review data needs to be formatted for the intended audience (who you are reporting to) to understand your agency’s current digital accessibility status in terms of compliance and what that means in terms of risk and remediation (i.e., does any content cause barriers for assistive technology users or users with disabilities, which means they cannot access that content or complete a critical task). &lt;strong style=&quot;color: rgb(191, 0, 0);&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&quot;&gt;Review our tech tip for a&lt;/span&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/index.jsp?id=38-694314&quot;&gt;template to create this document&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&quot;&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Next Steps&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You will need to report your findings and determine how your agency will address the barriers identified. We will cover how to handle these critical steps in future articles.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Future articles in this series&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Strategize: Plan and Prioritize&lt;/strong&gt;: In the next article in this series, we’ll cover how to understand your audit results, what actions to take next, and how to communicate your findings to leadership and other key partners.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Implementation&lt;/strong&gt;: Begin to tackle high-priority issues. Determine who will handle the work. Set timelines and include retesting throughout the process.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Make it ongoing&lt;/strong&gt;: Build accessibility into your agency’s workflow from the beginning&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Recap &amp;amp; final resource guide&lt;/strong&gt;: Gather all resources into one place, including links to each article in the series.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Resources&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A list of resources related to this first part.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Regulations &amp;amp; Conformance&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;New Rule on the Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps Provided by State and Local Governments 
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/24/2024-07758/nondiscrimination-on-the-basis-of-disability-accessibility-of-web-information-and-services-of-state&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Official rule&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ada.gov/resources/2024-03-08-web-rule/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Fact sheet &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.access-board.gov/ict/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Revised Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act&lt;/a&gt;   &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/disability/union-equality-strategy-rights-persons-disabilities-2021-2030/european-accessibility-act_en&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;European Accessibility Act&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Information Technology Industry Council’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT)&lt;/a&gt; (when completed is considered an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Training&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility training page&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.accessibilityassociation.org/courses-and-training&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) courses and training&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/services/training/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WebAIM accessibility training page&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.section508.gov/training-home/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Section508.gov&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accessibility curriculums: A number of vendors offer training in addition to their testing or remediation services. A brief sampling includes: &lt;a href=&quot;https://dequeuniversity.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Deque University&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.levelaccess.com/academy-and-training/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Level Access Academy&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://frontier.siteimprove.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Siteimprove’s Frontier&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.funka.com/en/funka-academy/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Funka Academy&lt;/a&gt;, and more. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;ITI &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat-training&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;virtual VPAT (ACR) training modules&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/653553&quot;&gt;Update to ADA’s Title II article&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The MN team put together an &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/implementation-toolkit.jsp&quot;&gt;Implementation Toolkit&lt;/a&gt; documenting the initial work performed in 2010-2012&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/621624&quot;&gt;Website Accessibility Testing article&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-597293&quot;&gt;Bookmarklets and Browser Extension - Tips for Safe Usage article&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/650170&quot;&gt;Using Built-In Software Accessibility Checkers – Part 1: Microsoft Word article&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/650174&quot;&gt;Using Built-In Software Accessibility Checkers – Part 2: Adobe Acrobat Pro article&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/index.jsp?id=38-694314&quot;&gt;Creating a High-Level Accessibility Testing Report of Findings Template article&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-primary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>694312</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2025-06-25T14:42:52Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>View recording and transcript of the Legislative and Judicial offices panelist discussion event</Description><Audience/><Title>MN Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2025 Recap</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Global Accessibility Awareness Day</Subject><Subject>GAAD</Subject><Subject>Minnesota Legislature</Subject><Subject>Minnesota Judicial</Subject><Subject>Minnesota Courts</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>MN Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2025 Recap</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Logo for MNIT&apos;s Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), the acronym is in a circle &amp; has a keyboard icon, set on a dark blue background</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/GAAD%202025_blog_tcm38-680289.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Logo for MNIT&apos;s Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), the acronym is in a circle &amp; has a keyboard icon, set on a dark blue background</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/GAAD%202025_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-680284.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2025 - 06 - GAAD 2025 Recap</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-690437&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2025-06-05T16:09:48Z</Date><ShortDescription>To celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), Minnesota IT Services’ (MNIT) Office of Accessibility hosted a virtual event with our legislative and judicial partners. The event highlighted the unique challenges and opportunities for legislative and judicial offices to adopt digital accessibility practices. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>View recording and transcript of the MN Legislative and Judicial offices panelist discussion event</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), Minnesota IT Services’ (MNIT) Office of Accessibility hosted a virtual event with our legislative and judicial partners. The event highlighted the unique challenges and opportunities for legislative and judicial offices to adopt digital accessibility practices.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We are grateful to our partners at the legislature and the courts for their time and effort to make this such a successful event!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Below are links to a YouTube video recording and presentation slides from the event. The recording includes ASL interpreting, closed captions and a transcript.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Panel Discussion: Expanding Digital Accessibility: Minnesota Legislative and Judicial Office Initiatives&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;View the presentation:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Watch the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNHQC-3sISQ?autoplay=0&amp;amp;rel=0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MN Legislative and Judicial Offices panel discussion (YouTube)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Read the &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/GAAD%202025%20Leg%20and%20Jud%20Panel%20Transcript_tcm38-690639.pdf&quot; title=&quot;GAAD 2025 Leg and Jud Panel Transcript&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;GAAD 2025 Leg and Jud Panel Transcript&quot;&gt;MN Legislative and Judicial Offices panel discussion transcript (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;View the &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/GAAD%202025%20Panelist%20Discussion%20-%20Presentation%20Slides%20-%20FINAL_tcm38-690640.pdf&quot; title=&quot;GAAD 2025 Presentation Slides - Panel Discussion - MN Leg and Jud offices&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;GAAD 2025 Presentation Slides - Panel Discussion - MN Leg and Jud offices&quot;&gt;MN Legislative and Judicial Offices panel discussion presentation slides with links to resources (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;GAAD Event Speakers&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Host:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Jay Wyant, Chief Information Accessibility Officer, State of Minnesota&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Panel Participants:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jim Melby&lt;/strong&gt;, Sr. Accessibility Analyst &amp;amp; Lead, Legislative Coordinating Commission&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Molly Rosentreter&lt;/strong&gt;, Digital Accessibility and Training Coordinator, Legislative Coordinating Commission&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Kate Malmon&lt;/strong&gt;, Senior Project Manager, Minnesota Judicial Branch&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Suzanne Mateffy&lt;/strong&gt;, Communications Analyst, Minnesota Judicial Branch&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;GAAD Experience Lab Event Recap&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;During GAAD, we held our first in-person Experience Lab in more than six years! Thanks to our State of Minnesota staff and Digital Accessibility Coordinators from several agencies who volunteered to run these experiences and the staff who came out to give them a try!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Four labs: Cognitive, Hearing, Motor and Vision, gave participants firsthand experience at how people with disabilities use digital technology, offering new insight and perspective. You can try these activities on your own, visit our &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/experience-lab/index.jsp&quot;&gt;Experience Lab web page&lt;/a&gt; to learn more.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Picture2_tcm38-690438.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Experience Lab&quot; alt=&quot;The Experience Lab in full swing as people check out the four stations&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Experience Lab&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Caption: Experience Lab set up&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Picture1_tcm38-690439.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Experience Lab Motor&quot; alt=&quot;The Motor Lab where people use Assistive Technology to navigate a web page&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Experience Lab Motor&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Caption: Motor Lab in action&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-primary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>690437</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2025-06-09T18:14:18Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Learn about the public panelist discussion on expanding digital accessibility and prepare for the No Mouse Challenge.</Description><Audience/><Title>May 15 is Global Accessibility Awareness Day</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Global Accessibility Awareness Day</Subject><Subject>GAAD</Subject><Subject>Minnesota Legislature</Subject><Subject>Minnesota Judicial</Subject><Subject>Minnesota Courts</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>May 15 is Global Accessibility Awareness Day</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Logo for MNIT&apos;s Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), the acronym is in a circle &amp; has a keyboard icon, set on a dark blue background</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/GAAD%202025_blog_tcm38-680289.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Logo for MNIT&apos;s Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), the acronym is in a circle &amp; has a keyboard icon, set on a dark blue background</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/GAAD%202025_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-680284.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>2025-4 - GAAD 2025</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-680258&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2025-05-14T05:01:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Learn about the public panelist discussion on expanding digital accessibility and prepare for the No Mouse Challenge.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Celebrate GAAD with us!</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), Minnesota IT Services’ (MNIT) Office of Accessibility will host a public event with our legislative and judicial partners. The event will highlight the unique challenges and opportunities for legislative and judicial offices to adopt digital accessibility practices.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We hope you can join us—here are the event details:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Panel Discussion: Expanding Digital Accessibility: Minnesota Legislative and Judicial Office Initiatives&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Time&lt;/strong&gt;: 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m., Central time.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Location&lt;/strong&gt;: Virtual Microsoft Teams Town Hall. &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ZDJiMTMzMjktZDUwMS00ZmZkLThkMzItOWQ3NWZkMWMzODdi%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22eb14b046-24c4-4519-8f26-b89c2159828c%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22cf1a0734-db9f-4e24-aa17-de81b5cca474%22%7d&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Join the MNIT GAAD event&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Join through the Teams App or by Chrome or Edge browser.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A recording of this event will be available in mid-June.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Overview&lt;/strong&gt;: Most digital accessibility efforts in government have focused on the executive branch. The Minnesota State Legislature and Courts have independently adopted accessibility policies. This session will explore how the teams planned and engaged stakeholders to rollout the policies. Presenters will discuss:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Why their respective branches chose to adopt accessibility as a standard or policy.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Key challenges in implementing accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Strategies, tools, and processes that were useful/helpful.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Speakers&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Host:&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Jay Wyant&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Panel Participants:&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Jim Melby, Sr. Accessibility Analyst &amp;amp; Lead, Legislative Coordinating Commission&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Molly Rosentreter, Digital Accessibility and Training Coordinator, Legislative Coordinating Commission&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Kate Malmon, Senior Project Manager, Minnesota Judicial Branch&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Suzanne Mateffy, Communications Analyst, Minnesota Judicial Branch&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Get Ready for our GAAD No Mouse Challenge!&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Prepare to take the challenge on Global Accessibility Awareness Day! Join us for the annual GAAD &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/no-mouse-challenge.jsp&quot;&gt;No Mouse Challenge&lt;/a&gt; and see if you can navigate your computer without a mouse for 15 minutes. Use our &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/keyboard-shortcuts-accessibility-quick-card_tcm38-228375.pdf&quot;&gt;Quick Card&lt;/a&gt; to brush up on common keyboard shortcuts and start practicing! &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Why should I care about navigating with only a keyboard?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Using the keyboard may be the only option for some users, including people who are blind, have low vision, or have difficulty operating a mouse precisely. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Keyboard-only users must be able to navigate to important features of a computer program or web page on their own. They need an accessible experience that supports assistive technology.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-primary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>680258</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2025-05-13T18:21:08Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Accessible Alternatives to inaccessible content should be used when there is a good reason for the &quot;main version&quot; to be inaccessible and should be easy to navigate to from that inaccessible version.</Description><Audience/><Title>Creating Accessible Alternative</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Subject>Web Content Accessibility Guidelines</Subject><Subject>Accessible Alternative</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>What is a Conforming Alternate Version and when would we use it?</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Split-screen showing a website on the left and an accessible, plain text version on the right, illustrating accessible alternatives</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Accessible%20alternatives_blog_tcm38-683744.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Split-screen showing a website on the left and an accessible, plain text version on the right, illustrating accessible alternatives</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Accessible%20alternatives_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-683743.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2025-5 - Creating Accessible Alternative</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-683740&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2025-05-13T17:18:22Z</Date><ShortDescription>Accessible Alternatives to inaccessible content should be used when there is a good reason for the &quot;main version&quot; to be inaccessible and should be easy to navigate to from that inaccessible version.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Learn when inaccessible digital content may be unavoidable and have cause for a secondary accessible version.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Content contributors&lt;/strong&gt;: Greg Schwarz, Digital Accessibility Analyst, MNIT Office of Accessibility; Stephanie Waegener, Digital Accessibility Analyst, MNIT Office of Accessibility&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As the State of Minnesota’s Office of Accessibility, we provide training, guidance, and other resources to help every state agency make their digital content and products accessible. But sometimes there is a reason to have something inaccessible. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some reasons to have an inaccessible primary version include: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Content using new technologies or methods that don’t yet have accessibility guidance. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Visual content such as color-based content for educational or historical purposes. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accessibility training content where the goal is to identify inaccessible elements. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;An official version of a document that must include something inherently inaccessible like a watermark. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This is where alternate versions are important. Even if the primary version of your content needs to be, for example, sound-based and thus disruptive to screen based reader users, they should easily be able to navigate to a usable version of the content from your primary version. Everyone should be able to access your content regardless of what technology they use to do so. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If possible, make your primary content accessible.&lt;/strong&gt; For example, adding detailed text description of a site’s inaccessible images. The less work people have to put in to access the content, the more positive their experience will be.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For more information, read the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Group note on &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/conformance.html#uc-conforming-alt-versions-head&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Conforming Alternate Versions&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you have any accessibility issues with a state agency site, you can use the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/portal/about-minnesota/accessibility-issues/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Report an Accessibility Issue form&lt;/a&gt;. If you experience difficulty navigating or using a required training or other resources necessary for your job, contact your organization’s ADA coordinator for an accommodation.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
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&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-primary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>683740</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2025-05-13T20:02:24Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>WCAG 2.1 introduces 12 new success criteria, sparking valuable discussion among our Digital Accessibility Coordinators as they learn and implement the updates. This article summarizes a recent discussion about user interface (UI) components and how hover states are impacted by WCAG requirements, especially with new success criteria 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast.</Description><Audience/><Title>To hover or not to hover? Understanding WCAG requirements for UI component states.</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Subject>Web Content Accessibility Guidelines</Subject><Subject>Success Criteria (SC) 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast</Subject><Subject>Focus States</Subject><Subject>Accessible User Interface (UI) Components</Subject><Subject>Accessible Hover state</Subject><Subject>Accessible Keyboard focus state</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>To hover or not to hover? Understanding WCAG requirements for UI component states</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Two states of a &apos;Sign In&apos; button. The default state is a dark blue button with white text. The hover state is a white button with a dark blue border and dark blue text, with a cursor icon pointing to it.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Hover%20state_blog%201_tcm38-680288.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Two states of a &apos;Sign In&apos; button. The default state is a dark blue button with white text. The hover state is a white button with a dark blue border and dark blue text, with a cursor icon pointing to it.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Hover%20state_blog-thumbnail%201_tcm38-680287.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2025-4 - Understanding WCAG requirements for UI component states</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-680276&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2025-04-23T19:27:11Z</Date><ShortDescription>WCAG 2.1 introduces 12 new success criteria, sparking valuable discussion among our Digital Accessibility Coordinators as they learn and implement the updates. This article summarizes a recent discussion about user interface (UI) components and how hover states are impacted by WCAG requirements, especially with new success criteria 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>We explore what WCAG requires—and doesn’t—when your interface includes a hover state</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Content contributors&lt;/strong&gt;: Kim Lanahan-Lahti, Digital Accessibility Coordinator, MNIT partnering with Minnesota Department of Transportation; David Miller, Senior Quality Analyst MNIT partnering with Minnesota Department of Corrections; Stephanie Waegener, Digital Accessibility Analyst, MNIT Office of Accessibility&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As the State of Minnesota’s Office of Accessibility, we have a responsibility to uphold the State’s digital accessibility standard. Effective July 1, 2024, Minnesota adopted &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/#new-features-in-wcag-2-1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1, Level AA&lt;/a&gt; as the required standard, replacing WCAG 2.0, Level AA.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1 introduces 12 new success criteria, sparking valuable discussion among our Digital Accessibility Coordinators as they learn and implement the updates. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This article summarizes a recent discussion about user interface (UI) components and how hover states are impacted by WCAG requirements, especially with new success criteria 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Learn the key principles and best practices for applying accessible hover states. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Understanding UI components &amp;amp; their states&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;WCAG defines UI components as interactive parts of a web page—such as buttons, links, text input fields and form elements —that users recognize as separate controls with specific functions. These components must be operable and adaptable, allowing all users, including those using assistive technologies, to access and interact with them in ways that meet their individual needs.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;UI components can have different states. WCAG defines a &quot;state&quot; as a dynamic property that describes characteristics of a component that may change in response to user actions or automated processes. States do not change the component itself but represent data tied to it or possible user interactions. Examples include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Default state&lt;/strong&gt;: Original appearance on the web page.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Keyboard focus state&lt;/strong&gt;: Appearance when the keyboard action lands on it.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hover state&lt;/strong&gt;: Appearance when the mouse hovers over it.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;WCAG success criteria requirements&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When a web page includes user interface (UI) components, those components must meet several WCAG success criteria. This helps users recognize the component as interactive and ensures they can identify when they reached it and can interact with it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;These WCAG 2.0 Level, AA criteria affect UI components — either in how they function, appear, or interact with users (especially those using assistive technologies):&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/contrast-minimum.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SC 1.4.3 – Contrast (Minimum)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/keyboard.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SC 2.1.1 – Keyboard (A)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/no-keyboard-trap.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SC 2.1.2 – No Keyboard Trap&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/focus-order.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SC 2.4.3 – Focus Order&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/link-purpose-in-context.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SC 2.4.4 – Link Purpose (In Context)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/focus-visible.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SC 2.4.7 – Focus Visible&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/on-focus.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SC 3.2.1 – On Focus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/on-input.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SC 3.2.2 – On Input&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/error-identification.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SC 3.3.1 – Error Identification&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/labels-or-instructions.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SC 3.3.2 – Labels or Instructions&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/error-suggestion.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SC 3.3.3 – Error Suggestion&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/error-prevention-legal-financial-data.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SC 3.3.4 – Error Prevention (Legal, Financial, Data)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt; WCAG 2.1, Level AA adds these SC that directly impact UI components:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/orientation.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SC 1.3.4 – Orientation&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/identify-input-purpose.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SC 1.3.5 – Identify Input Purpose&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/reflow.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SC 1.4.10 – Reflow&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/non-text-contrast.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SC 1.4.11 – Non-text Contrast&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/text-spacing.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SC 1.4.12 – Text Spacing&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/content-on-hover-or-focus.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SC 1.4.13 – Content on Hover or Focus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/pointer-gestures.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SC 2.5.1 – Pointer Gestures&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/pointer-cancellation.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SC 2.5.2 – Pointer Cancellation&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/label-in-name.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SC 2.5.3 – Label in Name&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/motion-actuation.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SC 2.5.4 – Motion Actuation&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What about hover state?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;WCAG does not require user interface (UI) components to have hover states. However, if a hover state is included, it must be accessible. Exactly how to meet that requirement can vary—and that’s what sparked a great discussion.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Here’s what we learned:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;It’s a best practice to have visual consistency with UI component’s keyboard focus states and hover states.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Example&lt;/strong&gt;: A &quot;Sign in&quot; button receives keyboard focus and the button’s color changes, along with an addition of a border on the button, offering two visual indicators. Ideally, the hover state would be designed to do the same or similar changes when the mouse hovers over the button.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When a keyboard focus has a visual indicator, it meets SC 2.4.7 Focus Visible (from WCAG 2.0). &lt;strong&gt;However, WCAG 2.1 introduced a new requirement, SC 1.4.11, that layers on to visible keyboard focus.&lt;/strong&gt; Although SC 1.4.11 doesn’t require the focus indicator, when one is used and it&apos;s essential for the user to understand interaction, then it must meet the Non-text contrast ratio of 3:1 (don’t forget that any text on a UI component must also meet SC 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;In the example of the &quot;Sign in&quot; button, this means the button’s color change AND its new border must meet contrast requirements.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If the hover state has used the same design, and the visual indicators are necessary for the user to understand the change, at least one of the visual indicators must also meet non-text contrast.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;An additional point was brought up that a &lt;strong&gt;keyboard focus color change should contrast with the default state of the UI component&lt;/strong&gt;, if necessary for the user to understand the change. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A good example of when to use this is for UI components that show progress or a multi-selection answer. A user needs to tell how far along they are or how many answers they’ve checked.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If a hover state changes the mouse presentation&lt;/strong&gt; (like an arrow to a text cursor) which are handled by the operating system/browser, &lt;strong&gt;it is exempt from WCAG contrast requirements&lt;/strong&gt;. And it isn’t required to have an additional color change on the hover focus. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Even though high contrast color isn’t required here, designing for it makes the hover state more distinguishable and enhances the user experience. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note&lt;/strong&gt;: Many WCAG criterion start with the assumption that people are using a modern browser, and the browser&apos;s default behaviors aren&apos;t overridden. For the examples above where hover state must meet SC 1.4.11, this assumption does not apply, as the default hover state is being altered.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Continued collaboration is key!&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We only covered a few WCAG success criteria in this discussion related to UI components. But the list above had 21 total WCAG 2.1, Level AA criteria that directly or significantly affect UI components. We look forward to continuing these conversations, where we ask questions, challenge assumptions, and refine implementations. We best understand the nuances of these success criteria when we explore them together.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Whether you&apos;re a seasoned accessibility lead or just beginning to align your work with these standards, your insights matter. Through ongoing discussion, shared examples, and collaborative interpretation, we deepen our own expertise and shape a more inclusive digital experience for everyone!&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-primary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>680276</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2025-04-24T16:03:22Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Over the past year (in 2024), we’ve been working with our statewide digital accessibility coordinators to improve the process to request an accessibility exception for technology that does not meet the state&apos;s standard. 

Learn about the components of the new workflow.</Description><Audience/><Title>Updating Minnesota’s Accessibility Exceptions Process</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>accessibility Exceptions</Subject><Subject>inaccessible technology</Subject><Subject>Minnesot&apos;a Digital Accessibility Standard</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Updating Minnesota’s Accessibility Exceptions Process, Part 2</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Illustration of a risk assessment for potentially inaccessible technology, featuring a speedometer-style gauge ranging from 0 to 10, and different variations of technology, including a desktop monitor displaying a webpage layout, a laptop screen with code, and a smartphone with a similar layout, representing evaluation of technology accessibility and potential risks.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/software-purchasing_blog_tcm38-669678.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Illustration of a risk assessment for potentially inaccessible technology, featuring a speedometer-style gauge ranging from 0 to 10. Gauge is pointing near 9, which is red, indicating danger.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/software-purchasing_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-669679.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2025-3 - Accessibility Exceptions at the State-Part 2</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-669671&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2025-03-19T07:30:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Over the past year (in 2024), we’ve been working with our statewide digital accessibility coordinators to improve the process to request an accessibility exception for technology that does not meet the state&apos;s standard. Learn how we have improved the process for state agencies to request accessibility exceptions for non-compliant technology.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>We have improved the process for state agencies to request accessibility exceptions for non-compliant technology.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p style=&quot;margin-bottom: 50px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Content author&lt;/strong&gt;: Office of Accessibility&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Over the past year, we worked with our statewide digital accessibility coordinators to improve the process to request an exception. Today’s article covers the updated process. This is the second part of our two-part series on accessibility exceptions; &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/670471&quot;&gt;part 1 explores the reasons behind having exceptions&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Filing an Accessibility Exception Request&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If an agency chooses to proceed with the purchase or use of a potentially inaccessible application because it best meets their business need, they must file an accessibility exception. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; An exception serves to help the agency:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Acknowledge that the technology may present barriers to some users.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accept the associated risks.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Plan strategies to mitigate those risks.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The original process, which our office inherited in 2012, was an opaque, paper-based approach. Recent advancements in accessible workflow technology allowed us to create a more transparent process that includes all relevant parties.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This process uses a combination of Microsoft&apos;s SharePoint and PowerApps. The site, housed on the Office of Accessibility’s extranet, is available to qualified State of Minnesota employees.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This workflow allows us to apply a risk matrix, helping agencies understand the risks they accept when using an application. The matrix analyzes agency-provided data to assign a risk level. For example, an expensive, hard-to-replace application used by the general public carries significantly more risk than a specialized scientific tool used by three lab technicians.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The risk matrix helps agencies determine whether to proceed with the purchase. If they do move forward, it highlights the need to take additional steps to prevent negative user experiences.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Additionally, since each exception carries a specific level of risk, agencies can access a dashboard of all their filed exceptions to determine their overall exposure.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Over time, agencies will have a better understanding of the scale of their risk and can make more informed decisions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-primary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>669671</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2025-03-20T15:36:47Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>When a State of Minnesota agency needs to buy technology for a particular purpose, they need to find out whether it presents any barriers to users with disabilities. This Part 1 article delves into why we have accessibility exceptions and how we determine whether an application requires one.</Description><Audience/><Title>Accessibility Exceptions at the State of Minnesota, Part 1</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>accessibility Exceptions</Subject><Subject>inaccessible technology</Subject><Subject>Minnesot&apos;a Digital Accessibility Standard</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Accessibility Exceptions at the State of Minnesota, Part 1</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A computer keyboard with a large key labeled &apos;Exception&apos; featuring a warning symbol in place of the traditional Enter key. This visually represents the concept of an accessibility exception, relevant to State of Minnesota agencies technology purchases that may create barriers for users with disabilities.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/exception-button-blog_tcm38-670478.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A computer keyboard with a large key labeled &apos;Exception&apos; featuring a warning symbol in place of the traditional Enter key. This visually represents the concept of an accessibility exception, relevant to State of Minnesota agencies technology purchases that may create barriers for users with disabilities.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/exception-button-blog-thumbnail_tcm38-670476.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2025-2 - Accessibility Exceptions at the State-Part 1</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-670471&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2025-02-26T14:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>When a State of Minnesota agency needs to buy technology for a particular purpose, they need to find out whether it presents any barriers to users with disabilities. This Part 1 article delves into why we have accessibility exceptions and how we determine whether an application requires one.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Part 1 delves into why we have exceptions and how we determine whether an application requires one.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p style=&quot;margin-bottom: 50px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Content author&lt;/strong&gt;: Office of Accessibility&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Like most states and other large organizations, the State of Minnesota buys a lot of its technology. We depend on a wide range of vendors to provide us with digital applications and services. They range from highly specialized apps, such as a laboratory tool, to Software as a Service (SaaS) tools (cloud-based model for delivering software applications over the internet) used by every state employee. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By state law, every one of these digital tools must be accessible – whether it is for use by a single state employee or by the general public. Our &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot;&gt;State&apos;s Digital Accessibility Standard&lt;/a&gt; uses the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1&lt;/a&gt; and the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.section508.gov/manage/laws-and-policies/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;amended Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act&lt;/a&gt; to measure accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When a technology doesn’t meet our accessibility standard, agencies must file an Accessibility Exception.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Identifying inaccessible technology&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When an agency needs to buy technology for a particular purpose, they need to find out whether it presents any barriers to users with disabilities. The quality of information depends on a variety of factors. For example:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The vendor may or may not have clear, credible, accessibility documentation, like an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR), which is the completed version of a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The vendor may or may not provide a road map to address known/reported accessibility issues. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;State employees may or may not get a demonstration from the vendor.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;State employees may or may not be able to test the technology in advance of the purchase.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If an agency gets all the above information, it should have a good idea of whether the technology is accessible. If an agency gets no information, it may have to assume it isn’t accessible until they have an opportunity to use it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It’s important to note that “accessible” doesn’t mean the technology must pass every single WCAG criteria with flying colors. Rather, there are two general, intertwined questions to ask:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Does the application enable people with disabilities to have an experience that is functionally equivalent to those experienced by people without disabilities?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Does the application present any barriers to users with disabilities? Examples of such barriers can include:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Key elements (such as a Submit button) are not accessible by keyboard.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Text or operable elements fail color contrast requirements.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Form labels or other user interface components lack accessible names.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The agency can declare the application accessible if one of the following apply:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The vendor provides a credible, thorough, ACR that shows there are no significant barriers.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The vendor’s ACR does identify some barriers, but 
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;They include a roadmap to fixing the barriers.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;They have a demonstrated commitment to fixing barriers.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The agency has tested the application and found it accessible.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In some cases, even with a credible ACR and a roadmap to fix known issues, the agency may still file a short-term exception with a plan to close it once the fixes are implemented.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In all other cases, the agency must file an exception to purchase the application. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Exceptions&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The purpose of an exception is to help the agency:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Acknowledge that they are buying technology that may present barriers or great challenges to some users with disabilities.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accept the risk associated with the purchase.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use the information to make plans to mitigate that risk.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For example, the agency must:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Take steps to ensure that any users will be able to accomplish the relevant task, whether through alternative means or equivalent facilitation.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ensure that no employee’s job status will be negatively impacted by the application.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Ideally, the agency should also work with the vendor to improve the product’s accessibility. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;All exceptions have a time limit based on the level of risk it represents. The higher the risk, the shorter the exception period. Prior to expiration, the agency reviews the exception and determines whether to:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Renew the exception at the same risk level.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Document a reduction in risk and renew for a longer period.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Document elimination of barriers and close the exception.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Discontinue the app.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Future articles &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In part 2 of this ‘Accessibility Exceptions at the State’ series, we will examine how the state assigns the level of risk to exceptions. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
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&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-primary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>670471</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2025-02-26T20:11:24Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Learn how to enhance accessibility and inclusivity in presentations and webinars with audio description. Discover how to incorporate audio description into your presentations and webinars to ensure they are accessible to all audiences, including those who use assistive technology. </Description><Audience/><Title>A Guide to Audio Description for Inclusive Presentations and Webinars </Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Audio Description</Subject><Subject>AD</Subject><Subject>Accessible presentations</Subject><Subject>Accessible webinars</Subject><Subject>Accessible meetings</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>A Guide to Audio Description for Inclusive Presentations and Webinars</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A laptop screen shows a presentation titled &quot;Accessibility Matters&quot; with a cartoon woman standing on a stage in front of an audience. A speech bubble with &quot;AD&quot; and sound waves indicates audio description. The audio description reads &quot;describer: A cartoon woman gives a presentation.&quot;</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/AD-blog_tcm38-666096.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A laptop screen shows a presentation titled &quot;Accessibility Matters&quot; with a cartoon woman standing on a stage in front of an audience. A speech bubble with &quot;AD&quot; and sound waves indicates audio description. The audio description reads &quot;describer: A cartoon woman gives a presentation.&quot;</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/AD-blog-thumbnail_tcm38-666098.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2025-1 - A Guide to Audio Description for Inclusive Presentations and Webinars</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-666047&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2025-01-23T13:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Discover how to incorporate audio description into your presentations and webinars to ensure they are accessible to all audiences, including those who use assistive technology. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>Learn how to enhance accessibility and inclusivity in presentations and webinars with audio description</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p style=&quot;margin-bottom: 50px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Content author&lt;/strong&gt;: Lolly Lijewski, former Digital Accessibility Coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Human Services.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Audio description (AD) is essential in making visual content accessible to individuals who are blind or have low vision. By offering spoken narration of visual elements—such as facial expressions, body language, settings, and actions—AD ensures full engagement with multimedia presentations. We have previously covered paying attention to your audio to create a more inclusive way to communicate and &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/560867&quot;&gt;techniques to make visuals heard&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In this article, we&apos;ll explore when to hire a professional to produce AD and when to self-produce AD, focusing on best practices for self-produced AD in virtual events.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What is Audio Description &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;AD is defined in &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.access-board.gov/ict/#E103.4&quot;&gt;Section 508 standards within Section E103.4&lt;/a&gt;, as “Narration added to the soundtrack to describe important visual details that cannot be understood from the main soundtrack alone.&quot;  It informs individuals who are blind or who have low vision about visual content essential for comprehension. This includes actions, characters, scene changes, on-screen text, and other visual elements. AD supplements the regular audio track of a program, typically added during pauses in dialogue. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Professional AD services are commonly used for movies, television, and complex visual content. However, accessible experiences can also be created for meetings or webinars. These experiences can be self-produced. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Self-produced AD &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In some situations, the presenter can handle audio description when the content is straightforward, and the visual elements are simple. In these cases, the focus is on providing clear, concise descriptions of the visuals, with minimal preparation required to ensure accessibility. This applies to: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Presentations and webinars: When leading a meeting or webinar with mostly slides or basic charts, the presenter can describe visuals on the spot. Brief but clear verbal descriptions of key images, graphs, or video clips ensure full understanding. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Casual events with limited visuals: For presentations with minimal multimedia, such as a few images or text-based slides, the presenter can incorporate AD during the presentation without extensive planning.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tips for self-produced AD &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here are practical tips to enhance the accessibility of presentations and webinars through AD: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. Plan ahead and be prepared &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Identify key visuals&lt;/strong&gt;: Review the presentation slides or visual content beforehand and identify the elements that need to be described. Focus on visuals that convey essential information or provide context. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Write brief descriptions&lt;/strong&gt;: For more complex visuals, write short descriptions you can smoothly incorporate during the presentation. This helps avoid pauses and ensures all key details are covered. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. Describe visuals clearly and concisely &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Be specific&lt;/strong&gt;: Avoid vague terms. Offer descriptions that explain what the chart or image represents, like “This bar graph shows the increase in sales over the last quarter, with a significant spike in July.&quot; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Be succinct&lt;/strong&gt;: Descriptions should be clear but brief to avoid overwhelming the audience. Focus on the most important visual elements without excessive detail. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3. Integrate descriptions naturally &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Incorporate descriptions into the narrative&lt;/strong&gt;: Blend descriptions into the presentation seamlessly, avoiding interruptions. Briefly mention visuals in the script while maintaining a smooth delivery. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Use pauses effectively&lt;/strong&gt;: Allow enough time between descriptions and main content for everyone to process the information. A small pause ensures understanding before continuing. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4. Use clear and descriptive language &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Be precise&lt;/strong&gt;: Use clear language to describe colors, shapes, and actions, such as “a blue and green gradient background that mimics a sky at dusk.&quot; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Describe actions and expressions&lt;/strong&gt;: When describing video content, mention facial expressions or body language, such as “The speaker smiles as they introduce the topic” or “The person points to a graph with the word &apos;increase&apos; beside it.&quot; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;5. Consider timing &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stay in sync&lt;/strong&gt;: For videos or animations, align descriptions with the visuals. Provide a moment of pause before continuing to ensure the audience has time to process. For example, “Now the chart transitions to show the sales for the last six months.” &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Use brief pauses&lt;/strong&gt;: Pause before describing an image to allow participants to absorb the description without feeling rushed. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;6. Provide resources: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Embed text: When sharing the presentation with the audience, embed the text of the description in the slides so screen reader users can follow along. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;7. Test your setup and tools &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Check your audio settings: Ensure the microphone and sound levels are optimal. Poor audio quality can reduce the effectiveness of AD. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use accessible platforms: Confirm the webinar platform accommodates screen readers, captions, and support for audio description if necessary. Platforms offering live transcription or captioning enhance accessibility. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;8. Engage with your audience &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ask for feedback: After the presentation or webinar, seek feedback from attendees on the helpfulness of the AD. This allows for future improvements. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Professional AD &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Professional AD is best for complex content or situations where visuals are essential for understanding. Professionals offer polished and seamless audio descriptions, ensuring accuracy, appropriate timing, and smooth integration with content. Professional AD should be considered for: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Films, documentaries, or complex visual media&lt;/strong&gt;: Detailed visuals, such as those in movies or high-impact videos, often require professional AD to ensure high-quality, accurate descriptions. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Large-scale productions&lt;/strong&gt;: In events like conferences or theatrical performances with intricate visual details (e.g., lighting, stage design, costumes, expressions), professionals ensure comprehensive descriptions that make the content accessible. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Accessibility compliance&lt;/strong&gt;: When events must meet legal or organizational accessibility standards (e.g., ADA, Section 508), professionals can ensure the event meets compliance and quality standards. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Conclusion &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Accuracy is crucial&lt;/strong&gt;: Whether the AD is self-produced or professional, ensure the descriptions are accurate, concise, and objective.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Consider the audience&lt;/strong&gt;: Tailor descriptions to meet the specific needs of the audience.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Integrate descriptions seamlessly&lt;/strong&gt;: Incorporate AD into the presentation without disrupting its flow. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Follow guidelines&lt;/strong&gt;: Adhere to accessibility standards when creating AD.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
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&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-primary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>666047</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2025-01-22T18:01:39Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Reflect on 2024’s key advancements in digital accessibility and prepare for an even more inclusive future. 2024 brought significant changes in digital accessibility, impacting how Minnesota government agencies deliver accessible content. Explore a curated list of monthly topics, including updates to accessibility guidelines, practical tips, and WCAG 2.1 insights. </Description><Audience/><Title>2024 Reflections: A Year in Review</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>2024 Year in Review</Subject><Subject>Inclusion</Subject><Subject>Office of Accessibility Year in Review</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Subject>State of Minnesota Digital Accessibility Standard Update</Subject><Subject>Department of Justice ADA Title II Update</Subject><Subject>DOJ ADA Title II Update</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>2024 Reflections: A Year in Review</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>The 12 months of the year arranged in a grid. February, June, October, and November are circled to emphasize them</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/calendar-blog_tcm38-666097.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>The 12 months of the year arranged in a grid. February, June, October, and November are circled to emphasize them</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/calendar-blog-thumbnail_tcm38-666099.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2025-1 - 2024 Reflections: A Year in Review</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-666048&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2025-01-23T12:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>2024 brought significant changes in digital accessibility, impacting how Minnesota government agencies deliver accessible content. Explore a curated list of monthly topics, including updates to accessibility guidelines, practical tips, and WCAG 2.1 insights. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>Reflect on 2024’s key advancements in digital accessibility and prepare for an even more inclusive future.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p style=&quot;margin-bottom:50px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Content author&lt;/strong&gt;: Office of Accessibility &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What year! A common expression when reflecting each January. But it rings true again for 2024, especially in the realm of digital accessibility. Two important standard updates impacted Minnesota government agencies and how they will provide accessible digital content to Minnesota residents:  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot;&gt;State of Minnesota’s Digital Accessibility Standard update&lt;/a&gt; (enacted July 1, 2024) &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-publish-final-rule-strengthen-web-and-mobile-app-access-people&quot;&gt;US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II rule&lt;/a&gt; (announced April 2024) &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Because of these important changes, we tailored our monthly newsletter content to these updates and their impacts. And have compiled the list for reference. Grab your favorite beverage and get ready to dive in!  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And as you review these again, or read them for the first time, bookmark the articles for future reference. Then make sure to &lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot;&gt;sign up to receive future newsletters&lt;/a&gt; with even more digital accessibility content sent to your inbox each month. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;February Topic: &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/610208&quot;&gt;Update to State Web Content Accessibility Guidelines&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;June Topic (1): &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/626956:~:text=Minnesota%E2%80%99s%20Commitment%20to%20UX%2C%20CX%2C%20HCD%2C%20%26%20A11y&quot;&gt;GAAD Recap: Minnesota’s Commitment to UX, CX, HCD, &amp;amp; A11y section&lt;/a&gt;   &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;June Topic (2): &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/627481&quot;&gt;Update to State of Minnesota’s Course for eLearning Accessible Word Document Training&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;October Topic (1): &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/650170&quot;&gt;Using Built-In Software Accessibility Checkers – Part 1: Microsoft Word &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;October Topic (2): &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/650174&quot;&gt;Using Built-In Software Accessibility Checkers – Part 2: Adobe Acrobat Pro&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;November Topic: &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/653553&quot;&gt;Update to ADA’s Title II &lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Collection of OoA &apos;WCAG 2.1 - Improving Digital Accessibility&apos; Articles&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As you review these again, or read them for the first time, bookmark the articles for future reference. Then make sure to &lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;sign up to receive future newsletters&lt;/a&gt; with even more digital accessibility content sent to your inbox each month.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1.3.4 Orientation&lt;/strong&gt; (AA) - &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-530231&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;5 Very Simple Steps You Can Take for Accessibility Improvement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose&lt;/strong&gt; (AA) - &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/600376&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1 Makes Maps Easier to Use&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1.4.10 Reflow&lt;/strong&gt; (AA) - We have three articles on this criterion:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/584554&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Oh Snap! Startling Discoveries When You Reflow Your PDF&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/538604&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Easy Read that will Demystify Tables, Reflow, and Magnification&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/641673&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Understanding WCAG 2.1’s Success Criteria 1.4.10 Reflow&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1.4.11 Non-Text Contrast&lt;/strong&gt; (AA) - We have two articles on this criterion:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/544858&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;More Attractive, Engaging, Accessible: How to Use Color with Intention&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/534351&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;How to Improve Non-text Contrast: Color Schemes and Interface Components&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1.4.12 Text Spacing&lt;/strong&gt; (AA) - &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/600376&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1 Makes Maps Easier to Use&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus&lt;/strong&gt; (AA) - We have two articles on this criterion:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/607342&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Data Visualization with WCAG 2.1: Content on Hover or Focus, and Pointer Gestures&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/584530&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1 – Improving Digital Accessibility of Web Applications: 1.4.13 and 4.1.3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2.1.4 Character Key Shortcuts&lt;/strong&gt; (A) - &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/604881&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1 Developer Tips: Character Key Shortcuts and Label in Name&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2.5.1 Pointer Gestures&lt;/strong&gt; (A) - &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/607342&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Data Visualization with WCAG 2.1: Content on Hover or Focus, and Pointer Gestures&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2.5.2 Pointer Cancellation&lt;/strong&gt; (A) - &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/640722&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1&apos;s Success Criteria for Pointer Cancellation: What is a Click?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2.5.3 Label in Name&lt;/strong&gt; (A) - &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/604881&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1 Developer Tips: Character Key Shortcuts and Label in Name&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2.5.4 Motion Actuation&lt;/strong&gt; (A) - &lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/index.jsp?id=38-643133&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1&apos;s Success Criteria for Motion Actuation: Don&apos;t rely on sensors&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4.1.3 Status Messages&lt;/strong&gt; (AA) - &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/584530&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1 – Improving Digital Accessibility of Web Applications: 1.4.13 and 4.1.3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Have an accessibility topic you’d like us to cover? &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:MNITAccessibility@state.mn.us&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Email us&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-primary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>666048</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2025-01-22T18:01:39Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Learn how Artificial Intelligence is impacting the future of Assistive Technology </Description><Audience/><Title>The Future of Assistive Technology – Where Are We Going? </Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Assistive Technology</Subject><Subject>AT</Subject><Subject>Artificial Intelligence</Subject><Subject>AI</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>The Future of Assistive Technology – Where Are We Going? </Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A robotic hand with palm facing upward creating a futuristic, tech-oriented theme. Surrounding the robotic hand are interconnected icons and symbols, including a brain, lightbulb, a globe, and gears, symbolizing AI, innovation, data and technology.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Assisstive%20Technology%20and%20AI_blog_tcm38-661472.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A robotic hand holds tech symbols like a brain, lightbulb, graphs, and gears, symbolizing AI, innovation, data, and global connectivity.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Assisstive%20Technology%20and%20AI_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-661471.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2024- 12 -Future of Assistive Technology</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-661415&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2024-12-18T14:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>In this article we explore an area of Assistive Technology (AT) that is bringing exciting improvements for the future that can be life-changing for people with disabilities. Learn about this positive impact, along with how it benefits everyone when assistive technology evolves.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Learn how Artificial Intelligence is impacting the future of Assistive Technology </Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​Understanding what Assistive Technology is ​&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As we consider the future of assistive technology (AT), we need to define it first. AT is any item (device, software, or tool) that helps someone with a disability or functional limitation increase their independence.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Different types of AT can assist a person in a variety of areas:  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​For a person with physical limitations, a specialized keyboard can make the task of typing easier.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​For a person who is blind, a screen reader may allow them to use their computer.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​For a person who is hard of hearing, captioning may allow them more inclusion in a meeting. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​AT and AI &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​One area of AT that has seen great and exciting improvements is artificial intelligence (AI). The term “artificial intelligence” was introduced in 1955 but has become popular in the last decade due to deep learning breakthroughs. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​Today we all benefit from, or actively use AI in our daily lives. We leveraged it to provide this article! If you stream movies through an online provider, have you wondered how it recommends movies for you?  Those tools use a form of AI called Machine Learning (ML). Have you asked virtual assistants (like smart home devices) where the nearest coffee shop is? Both use AI Natural Language Processing (NLP). Computer Vision is another example of AI that provides facial recognition on your phone, or can detect a tumor in an X-ray.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​Positive Impacts for People with Disabilities &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​These are just a few examples of how we use AI. For many of us it is very convenient. For a person with a disability, AI can be life changing. Here are some examples of how this is currently happening. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​John was recently diagnosed with ALS and over time he will lose his ability speak. As his disease progresses, it is important to John that his voice is still heard. He is currently working with his Speech Language Pathologist to “bank” his voice. Voice banking is a process that allows individuals to record and preserve their voice for future use. AI plays a central role in capturing, processing, and reproducing natural sounding, personalized speech. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​Amir is legally blind and is grateful for the AT that he uses in his daily life. One tool that he uses is a pair of specialized AI-powered glasses. The eyewear provides real-time audio descriptions of visual information such as printed text on his mail or an email on his computer. Additionally, the glasses can tell him what his shirt looks like or let him know who walked into the room. With a wrist movement it will tell him the time of day. If he holds money in front of the glasses, they tell him the value of the bill. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​Ellen is a professional who has dyslexia. Through the years she has struggled to write reports, draft emails, and take notes during meetings. Through the use of AI, today Ellen is able to perform these tasks without the frustration she previously faced. Built-in features in Microsoft 365 such as Microsoft Editor include spelling and grammar correction tools, and refinement tools for clarity, conciseness, punctuation conventions and vocabulary. Additionally, she can have the computer read the text aloud to her. While attending Microsoft Teams meetings she uses the transcribe feature, which captures everything spoken. This allows Ellen to focus on the content knowing that she can access the transcript later as a notes tool. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​What’s next? &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​Self-driving vehicles! Minnesota has an exciting project called goMARTI – Minnesota’s Autonomous Rural Transit Initiative. This self-driving shuttle pilot program has three ADA-compliant vehicles that use data from cameras, radar, GPS, and LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging remote sensing technology) to understand their current environment. Additionally, goMARTI can recognize and respond to pedestrians, vehicles, and other obstacles. The shuttle can make decisions regarding lane changes and turns without human intervention. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​Another cutting-edge AI tool in development is the humanoid robot. Dr. Arshia Khan from the University of Minnesota Duluth has conducted a number of clinical trials at nursing homes throughout the U.S. using humanoid robots to enhance delivery of care in persons affected with Alzheimer’s and related dementia. The robots can facilitate social interactions, stimulate group activities, administer therapies, assist with physical and emotional wellbeing. Dr. Khan’s work demonstrates that humanoid robots can be help patients stay independent longer.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​Challenges &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​These are just a few examples of AI’s current and potential impacts. It is important to remember even though AI can provide many benefits for people with disabilities, there are also potential challenges. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​&lt;strong&gt;Accessibility barriers may exist&lt;/strong&gt;. Some of the tech may have touchscreens, small fonts, or require mouse use that can prevent some users with motor, visual or cognitive disabilities. Additionally, algorithms may reinforce social biases which can make the tool less helpful or discriminatory. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​&lt;strong&gt;Some AI systems make decisions or assumptions on behalf of users which can cause over-automation&lt;/strong&gt;. For example, a navigation system may reroute someone with a mobility impairment based on an assumption about their ability. It may route them to avoid stairs where their personal preference may be a shorter route with assistance. The AI tool may oversimplify by eliminating advanced features, assuming they are “too complex” for someone with a disability rather than allowing the person to choose. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​&lt;strong&gt;Cost can be a factor as many AI-powered tools carry a hefty price tag&lt;/strong&gt;. We also know that a digital divide exists. Some people may have limited or no access to the internet, newer technology, or tech training which may make using AI difficult or impossible. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​&lt;strong&gt;Another major concern is privacy and security&lt;/strong&gt;. AI tools are usually cloud based and we must limit sharing private, personal data. Insecure systems may leave the user vulnerable to data breaches, misuse of information or exposure to unwanted marketing. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​Considerations when incorporating AI with AT &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​As we think about the future of AI as a tool for people with disabilities it is important that inclusive design and ethical considerations are at the forefront. Even more importantly, there must be active involvement of the disability community in the development of the process.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>661415</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2024-12-18T18:24:15Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Chief Information Accessibility Officer Jay Wyant answers questions about the update to the Americans with Disabilities Act Title II and its impact for Minnesota government agencies, including legislative and judicial branches, Tribal Nations, municipalities, counties, K-12 and higher education, and more. </Description><Audience/><Title>Making Maps Accessible to Screen Readers</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Title II</Subject><Subject>ADA</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Update to ADA’s Title II</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Tablet with an audio section that has ”no hearing” and “caption“ 3D icons. A visual section with ”no vision” and ”volume control” 3D icons. A testing output section with ”test tube,” ”ruler,” and ”cognitive” 3D icons.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/ADA%20Title%20II_blog_tcm38-653562.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Tablet with an audio section that has ”no hearing” and “caption“ 3D icons. A visual section with ”no vision” and ”volume control” 3D icons. A testing output section with ”test tube,” ”ruler,” and ”cognitive” 3D icons.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/ADA%20Title%20II_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-653564.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog 2024 - 11 - Update to ADA’s Title II</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-653553&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2024-11-20T21:04:36Z</Date><ShortDescription>Chief Information Accessibility Officer Jay Wyant answers questions about the update to the Americans with Disabilities Act Title II and its impact for Minnesota government agencies, including legislative and judicial branches, Tribal Nations, municipalities, counties, K-12 and higher education, and more. </ShortDescription><Subtitle/><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The US Department of Justice (DOJ) added digital accessibility requirements to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for Minnesota’s state and local government entities. This new rule puts into writing practices that the DOJ has been following for decades. It also spells out specific exceptions and other guidelines to help government entities plan their digital content strategy. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This article is aimed at people who work for state and local government entities who need to know how the new rule impacts them and how to get started on their accessibility journey. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Digital Accessibility Enforcement isn’t New &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The DOJ has pursued settlements and consent decrees with local governments and businesses for much of the 21&lt;sup&gt;st&lt;/sup&gt; century. The difference is that now instead of just being case law that has impacted some cities and counties, it’s spelled out as a detailed rule that applies to all state and local government entities. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;ADA Title II Background  &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/04/24/2024-07758/nondiscrimination-on-the-basis-of-disability-accessibility-of-web-information-and-services-of-state&quot;&gt;official rule&lt;/a&gt; is 320 pages long. However, they provide a very helpful &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ada.gov/resources/2024-03-08-web-rule/&quot;&gt;fact sheet&lt;/a&gt; that everyone should read. Here’s a quick summary: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/docs/&quot;&gt;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1&lt;/a&gt; is the technical standard.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The rule applies to web content and mobile apps that a state or local government provides or makes available, &lt;strong&gt;regardless of whether it is created by the government or a third party&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Web content includes electronic documents, videos, and other embedded or downloadable content. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Non-web software is not covered under this rule. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;There are some exceptions: 
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Archived web content. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Pre-existing conventional electronic documents.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Content posted by a third party that’s not part of a contract or licensing arrangement.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Individualized, password-protected (or otherwise secured) electronic documents.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Pre-existing social media posts.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;There’s a phase-in period: 
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;April 2026 for entities with populations of 50,000 or more. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;April 2027 for entities with populations under 50,000.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Next steps to Prepare for the Deadlines &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If your government entity doesn’t have an active digital accessibility program, what should you do? &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Policy &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Engage with your leadership to draft and adopt a policy. Put a summary in writing on your website as an &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot;&gt;accessibility statement&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This is not a claim that you’re in conformance with the rule. The primary roles of a policy are to: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;State intent&lt;/strong&gt; – you are aware of your responsibilities and have plans and/or processes to address them.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Provide a contact&lt;/strong&gt; – if people experience issues, they can let you know about them.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Enable action&lt;/strong&gt; – staff can use the policy to justify resource allocation toward improving accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Recognize it’s a journey, not a task list &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility works best when it becomes part of the organizational culture. There are many similarities between security and accessibility. For example, teaching everyone to watch for phishing emails and how to use two-step or multi-factor authentication builds a culture of secure operations just as teaching everyone how to create accessible documents and emails builds a culture of accessible content. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Share the responsibility &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Make sure your organization staff understands that digital accessibility is a shared responsibility. For example, it’s not solely an IT issue. Web content, applications, and documents all start out as an idea, get framed as a set of goals or requirements, then become a project that involve the work of designers, writers, editors, developers, and others. For the product to be accessible, it needs to be a consideration from the beginning – at the idea stage. Otherwise, you risk expending extra money and resources re-doing the work to ensure accessibility. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Get to know digital accessibility &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility is measurable and testable. There are some relatively simple steps you can take to learn more. All digital content, whether a web page, document, or mobile app, share common traits: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Structure&lt;/strong&gt;: This includes properties, headings, and other content structure such as bullets and lists.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Navigation&lt;/strong&gt;: The interface and content need to be consistent, predictable, and support multiple access methods, such as mouse, keyboard, or assistive technology (AT).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Images and non-text elements&lt;/strong&gt;: Always provide means for visual elements to read out to non-visual users. For example, many phone users don’t automatically download pictures in emails. Accessible emails will include a text description of the picture instead.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Color contrast&lt;/strong&gt;: All text should be distinct from background, and adjoining colors (such as in charts) from each other. There are specific tools to help you with this.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Meaningful links&lt;/strong&gt;: Don’t use the full URL except for paper media. Use text to tell the user what the link is about, as we do in the list of resources in the following paragraphs.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Learn more about the basics of accessibility:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/word-document-training.jsp&quot;&gt;How to create accessible Word documents (7 short modules)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-intro/&quot;&gt;World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) introduction to web accessibility&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/intro/&quot;&gt;WebAIM’s introduction to web accessibility&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-544858&quot;&gt;Use color with intention&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How do you know if your content is accessible? &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are some simple tools and tests you can do to find out where you are in your journey. For example, Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat Pro have built-in accessibility checkers. While not a guarantee of accessibility, they give you a good idea of what you need to know and do. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;More about:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/650170&quot;&gt;Microsoft Word’s checker&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/650174&quot;&gt;Adobe Acrobat Pro’s checker&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Other free tools help you evaluate your web content. And the keyboard-only test can help you determine in minutes whether assistive technology users and others without a mouse can navigate your site: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/621624&quot;&gt;Some helpful testing tools&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-565776&quot;&gt;Basics of keyboard testing&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What About a Quick Fix? &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Suppose you run a few of these tests and discover that your sites present a lot of challenges to users with disabilities. Is there a quick fix? &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some vendors would say yes. They offer solutions that add code to your site to “fix” the accessibility issues. For example, if you were to run one of the testing tools from the previous section, it may come back with a perfect score. All that means is that the code hid the issues from the testing tool. It did not solve the issues and may have made the site more challenging for some users.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Such quick fix tools are called overlays: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-574507&quot;&gt;Introduction to overlays and how to evaluate them&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://overlayfactsheet.com/en/&quot;&gt;Overlay fact sheet&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What needs to be done if your website needs a lot of work? Again, start with a policy. Get an idea of what you’re dealing with. Then develop a road map and communicate it to everyone. Engage your residents by asking for their feedback. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Start now and show your progress. Then when 2026/2027 rolls around, you’ll be in much better shape. &lt;span style=&quot;color: rgb(46, 46, 42); font-family: &amp;quot;Segoe UI&amp;quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>653553</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2024-11-20T21:05:27Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>An overview of a helpful accessibility testing tool &amp; the decision-making process for addressing accessibility failures. Welcome to part three of our built-in accessibility checkers series. In this article, we explore the accessibility features of PowerPoint, including the built-in accessibility checker.</Description><Audience/><Title> Using Built-In Software Accessibility Checkers – Part 3: Microsoft PowerPoint</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Subject>Accessibility testing</Subject><Subject>Accessibility Checkers</Subject><Subject>Microsoft PowerPoint</Subject><Subject>Accessible Presentations</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Using Built-In Software Accessibility Checkers – Part 3: Microsoft PowerPoint</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Laptop screen showing PowerPoint with the Accessibility Checker open, highlighting tools to improve accessibility in presentations.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Accessibility%20Checker%20-%20PowerPoint_blog_tcm38-698899.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Laptop screen showing PowerPoint with the Accessibility Checker open, highlighting tools to improve accessibility in presentations.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Accessibility%20Checker%20-%20PowerPoint_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-698896.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>2025-7-Using Built-In Software Accessibility Checkers-Part 3-Microsoft PowerPoint</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-694305&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2024-10-23T17:15:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Welcome to part three of our built-in accessibility checkers series. In this article, we explore the accessibility features of PowerPoint, including the built-in accessibility checker.</ShortDescription><Subtitle/><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Content Author: Stephanie Waegener, MNIT Office of Accessibility Digital Accessibility Analyst&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In this article, we explore the built-in PowerPoint Accessibility tools and how they can help you ensure accessibility features are present in your presentations. We will demonstrate how to use the tools while you work and for initial testing.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;State of Minnesota Standard for Accessible Electronic Documents&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It is important to understand the specific elements that must be present in an electronic document to ensure an accessible experience. The State of Minnesota has a &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot;&gt;Digital Accessibility Standard&lt;/a&gt; that requires our digital content, including electronic documents, to meet &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Website Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.section508.gov/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Section 508 of federal law&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you want to dig deeper into understanding how these standards were developed, view our July 2024 blog “&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/610208&quot;&gt;Update to State of Minnesota Digital Accessibility Standard Launches July 1.&lt;/a&gt;”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In general, accessible documents must have structural formatting in the form of headings and lists in logical reading order that allow users to navigate the document. They use descriptive alternative text that describe photos, charts, and graphs to users. When your documents are accessible, everyone can use them.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;PowerPoint’s Accessibility Tab&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As you build your PowerPoint presentation, you can make your content easier for people to view by using the “Accessibility” tab. It contains several tools, including:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;“Inspect Without Color” to check slides for high contrast.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;“Reading Order Pane” to show the flow of content within a slide.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;“Check Accessibility” to scan the presentation for accessibility issues and provide a list of errors and warnings, with how-to-fix recommendations. It also has a &lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/check-accessibility-while-you-work-in-office-apps-ae9e8ea7-1f22-41af-ad04-cc2919daebae#:~:text=To%20be%20notified%20of%20accessibility,running%20while%20I%20work%20checkbox.&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;feature to run continuously while you work&lt;/a&gt;. It shows up in your status bar so you can tell at a glance if you have issues without even opening up the Accessibility Checker pane.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To manually launch the Accessibility tab with its set of tools, select Review &amp;gt; Check Accessibility (Alt+R+A1+A). The Accessibility tab opens, and you can now review and apply accessibility features, as well as check for accessibility issues. You’ll also notice an “Accessibility” tab is now available in the Ribbon.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/PowerPoint-Accessibility-tab_tcm38-696721.png&quot; title=&quot;PPT Acessibility tab&quot; alt=&quot;PowerPoint Acessibility tab&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto; margin: 20px 0;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;PPT Accessibility tab&quot; /&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Reading Order Pane Tool&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Reading Order Pane tool displays the order in which the slide’s content will be read or navigated. There’s a number next to each piece of content (object) on the slide to indicate its order in the sequence. &lt;strong&gt;Note&lt;/strong&gt;: Objects without a number will not be read or navigated when they are marked decorative.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Example&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
If the order of the objects in the Reading Pane is not the way you intended for your presentation order, you can rearrange them. To change the order that the objects are read in:
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select one or more items in the list.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Drag the selection upward or downward or click the up arrow (Move Up) or down arrow (Move Down).
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/PowerPoint-Accessibility-Tab-Reading-Order-Tool-Pane-Changing-Order_tcm38-696733.png&quot; title=&quot;PPT Accessibility Reading Order 1&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of PowerPoint&apos;s Reading Order Pane tool with the first object highlighted and a red line indicator displaying its new position if moved, which will be below the second object in reading order.&quot; style=&quot;width: 31%; height: auto; margin: 20px 0;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;PPT Accessibility Reading Order 1&quot; /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The new order will display:
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/PowerPoint-Accessibility-Tab-Reading-Order-Tool-Pane-Changed-Order-logical_tcm38-696732.png&quot; title=&quot;PPT Accessibility Reading Order 2&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of PowerPoint&apos;s Reading Order Pane tool with the first object highlighted and it is a new order (originally in position two and now in position one) to make it logical.&quot; style=&quot;width: 30%; height: auto; margin: 20px 0;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;PPT Accessibility Reading Order 2&quot; /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note&lt;/strong&gt;: Using the Reading Pane to change the reading order may affect the layout of the slide if object layering was used. You can undo the changes, but then you’ll need to find another way to make your slide accessible. You may want to ask someone who is knowledgeable in PowerPoint remediation to help.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Inspect without Color Tool&lt;/h3&gt;
The Inspect without Color tool helps ensure color isn&apos;t the only way crucial information is conveyed in your presentation. This tool allows you to view your content in grayscale and see if you can understand it. 
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Example&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Slide with content which includes a warning message and only uses color to convey the importance:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/PowerPoint-Slide-Important-Message-in-Color-Only_tcm38-696737.png&quot; title=&quot;PPT Accessibility Color 1&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of PowerPoint slide with content about Poison Ivy. The final paragraph is a shade of red to alert visual warning about exposure to poison ivy exposure.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto; margin: 20px 0;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;PPT Accessibility Color 1&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Now the same slide with the Inspect without Color tool still applied:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/PowerPoint-Slide-Inspect-Without-Color-Tool_tcm38-696738.png&quot; title=&quot;PPT Accessibility Color 2&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of PowerPoint slide in grayscale with content about Poison Ivy. The final paragraph which alerts about exposure to poison ivy exposure no longer has a visual cue of red to indicate its importance.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto; margin: 20px 0;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;PPT Accessibility Color 2&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Adjusted slide to use text and color to convey importance:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This is the same slide, but the word &quot;Warning!&quot; was added in addition to the red color. With the Inspect without Color tool in use, the &quot;Warning&quot; text is still visible:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/PowerPoint-Slide-Inspect-Without-Color-Tool-fixed_tcm38-696739.png&quot; title=&quot;PPT Accessibility Color 3&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of PowerPoint slide in grayscale with content about Poison Ivy. The final paragraph which alerts about exposure to poison ivy exposure has added the word &quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto; margin: 20px 0;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;PPT Accessibility Color 3&quot; /&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Check Accessibility Tool&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Within the Accessibility tab, the Check Accessibility tool will open an Accessibility Pane with the Inspections Report. This report moves a user through the issues in the presentation and recommendations on how to address each error or warning identified. It even points to the slide number the issue is located on.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/PowerPoint-Accessibility-Checker-tool-Inspection-Results-Slide-Number-Example_tcm38-696715.png&quot; title=&quot;PPT Acessibility checker&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of PowerPoint&apos;s Accessibility Pane Inspection Report. Highlighted is an error for missing alt text. The submenu on the error gives the slide number in parentheses (Slide 4)&quot; style=&quot;width: 31%; height: auto; margin: 20px 0;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;PPT Accessibility checker&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note:&lt;/strong&gt; If the Accessibility Checker’s Inspection Results state there are no accessibility issues found, it does not mean your work is done. As mentioned in the challenges section, you must perform manual tests. As you perform manual testing, keep in mind the POUR principals of accessibility. Is the document Perceivable, Operable, Understandable and Robust for the end user? Meaning, can the end user read it in the correct order while using their AT and understand what you’re asking for with no assistance form someone else? If the answer is “no” to any of these questions, then the document isn’t accessible, even if it “passes” the checker.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Manual Accessibility Testing &amp;amp; Addressing Testing Failures&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In previous articles about &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/650170&quot;&gt;Microsoft Word&apos;s&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/index.jsp?id=38-650174&quot;&gt;Acrobat Pro’s built-in Accessibility Checkers&lt;/a&gt;, our state Digital Accessibility Coordinators provided a checklist to use during a manual review and gave tips about addressing testing failures. Check them out, they are relevant to PowerPoint, as well.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Final Takeaways&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;While tools are excellent to help aid the creation and testing of documents, having a knowledgeable person perform manual testing is also a necessity to ensure you capture all accessibility failures for your presentations.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We hope this article provides another tool you can add to your repository to ensure accessible digital content for everyone! In case you missed it, we also covered &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/621624&quot;&gt;recommended testing tools for web pages&lt;/a&gt; in our April 2024 article “Website Accessibility Testing.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Additional Resources&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/quickref/?versions=2.1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1 Quick Reference Guide&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/powerpoint-101.jsp&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility (OoA) PowerPoint 101 Training&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;OoA’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/accessibility-quick-cards.jsp&quot;&gt;Microsoft PowerPoint Accessibility Quick Card (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/make-your-powerpoint-presentations-accessible-to-people-with-disabilities-6f7772b2-2f33-4bd2-8ca7-dae3b2b3ef25&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Microsoft&apos;s “Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities” support page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-primary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>694305</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2025-07-22T18:50:18Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>An overview of a helpful accessibility testing tool &amp; the decision-making process for addressing accessibility failures. Welcome to part two of our built-in accessibility checkers series. In this article, we explore the Adobe Acrobat Pro Accessibility Checker tool and how it can help you ensure accessibility features are present in your PDFs. </Description><Audience/><Title>Using Built-In Software Accessibility Checkers – Part 2: Adobe Acrobat Pro</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Subject>Accessibility testing</Subject><Subject>Accessibility Checkers</Subject><Subject>Adobe Acrobat Pro Accessibility</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Using Built-In Software Accessibility Checkers – Part 2: Adobe Acrobat Pro</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Laptop with Acrobat on screen and the Accessibility Icon overlaid with a pop out of the Accessibility tool list of options, including Accessibility Check</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Accessibility%20Checker%20-%20Acrobat_blog%201_tcm38-650212.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Laptop with Acrobat on screen and the Accessibility Icon overlaid with a pop out of the Accessibility tool list of options, including Accessibility Check</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Accessibility%20Checker%20-%20Acrobat_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-650211.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>2024-10-24-Using Built-In Software Accessibility Checkers-Part 2-Adobe Acrobat Pro</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-650174&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2024-10-23T17:05:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Welcome to part two of our built-in accessibility checkers series. In this article, we explore the Adobe Acrobat Pro Accessibility Checker tool and how it can help you ensure accessibility features are present in your PDFs. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>An overview of a helpful accessibility testing tool &amp; the decision-making process for addressing accessibility failures </Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Content Contributors: Becky Bernauer, Web and Accessibility Coordinator, MNIT partnering with the Minnesota Department of Health; Rebecca Blomquist, Digital Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; Samantha Clayton, Digital Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development; and Tamara Sawyer, Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota Management and Budget.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Welcome to part two of our built-in accessibility checkers series. In this article, we explore the Adobe Acrobat Pro Accessibility Checker tool and how it can help you ensure accessibility features are present in your PDFs. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As we mentioned in &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/index.jsp?id=38-650170&quot;&gt;part one of this series&lt;/a&gt;, we checked with our Digital Accessibility Coordinators (DACs) across Minnesota state agencies who have a combined 40+ years of experience remediating PDF documents. We asked them why they use the tool, how they use the tool for initial testing, and how they address the errors the tool finds. Part one also covered the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot;&gt;State of Minnesota Digital Accessibility Standard&lt;/a&gt;, which our electronic documents must meet.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor’s Note&lt;/strong&gt;: This article references Adobe Acrobat Pro 64-bit, Continuous Release, version 2024.003.20180. The user experience will vary depending on the user’s version of Acrobat Pro. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Acrobat Pro’s Accessibility Checker Tool Background &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Adobe claims the checker can test to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0* and PDF/UA (&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/en/#iso:std:iso:14289:-1:ed-2:v1:en&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Universal Access, or ISO 14289&lt;/a&gt;) using the software’s Accessibility tools. Within the Accessibility tool is the option “Accessibility Check” which scans an entire document for accessibility issues. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Acrobat%20Pro%20Accessibility%20Tools%20Panel%20with%20Check%20Accessibility%20option%20highlighted_tcm38-650213.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Acrobat Pro Accessibility Tools Panel with Check Accessibility option highlighted&quot; alt=&quot;Acrobat Pro Accessibility Tools Panel with Check Accessibility option highlighted&quot; style=&quot;width: 36%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Acrobat Pro Accessibility Tools Panel with Check Accessibility option highlighted&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note:&lt;/strong&gt; If you do not have Accessibility as a part of your Acrobat Pro’s tools panel, use the “More Tools” option to review all tool options. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Acrobat%20Pro%20Tool%20Panel_tcm38-650214.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Acrobat Pro Tool Panel&quot; alt=&quot;Acrobat Pro Tool Panel&quot; style=&quot;width: 30%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Acrobat Pro Tool Panel&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Under the “Protect &amp;amp; Standardize” section, find the Accessibility tool and select “Add.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Acrobat%20Tools%20Options%20Panel%20-%20Add%20highlighted%20for%20Accessibility%20Tool_tcm38-650215.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Acrobat Tools Options Panel - Add highlighted for Accessibility Tool&quot; alt=&quot;Acrobat Tools Options Panel - Add highlighted for Accessibility Tool&quot; style=&quot;width: 80%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Acrobat Tools Options Panel - Add highlighted for Accessibility Tool&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our DACs share their favorite features, some challenges and how they address the errors while using the Accessibility Checker tool. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;*The Office of Accessibility is working to update their training pages to include how to make PDFs accessible to WCAG 2.1, Level AA. Check back on our &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/&quot;&gt;training page&lt;/a&gt; later this year. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tool Functionality &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Once you have added the Accessibility tool to your Tools panel and found the Accessibility Check option, you can select the checker to scan your document. The Accessibility Checker’s Options dialog box will appear. The default options selected will ensure you are checking all issues the Accessibility Checker scans for (including tags, document structure, document title and more). You can select “Start Checking” and the Checker creates an accessibility report.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Acrobat%20Pro%20Accessibility%20Checker%20Options%20popup_tcm38-650216.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Acrobat Pro Accessibility Checker Options popup&quot; alt=&quot;Acrobat Pro Accessibility Checker Options popup&quot; style=&quot;width: 70%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Acrobat Pro Accessibility Checker Options popup&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Our DACs’ favorite features: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It tests for more accessibility issues than the Word Accessibility Checker tool, so you get a more thorough check. Additional issues reported include identifying missing document title/properties and heading hierarchy failures. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It finds issues with tables and recommendations on how to fix them.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It allows for adjusting color in the document to meet contrast minimum. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It serves as a good reminder to walk the tag tree. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It gives a reminder to do manual testing, even if no accessibility issues are found. For example, you will always get a reminder to check the reading order. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Challenges: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It does not check to the State’s WCAG 2.1 standard. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It can’t tell if the information provided is meaningful. For example, it can tell an image has alt text, but it doesn’t know the difference between meaningful alt text that helps a screen reader interpret the importance of what is being conveyed visually or placeholder text, “add alt text here,” left by a content creator as a reminder.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It can’t tell if a link is functioning properly. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It can’t test for everything. You must perform manual testing.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tool Output &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Once the accessibility check is complete, the Accessibility Checker panel to the left lists the accessibility issues. Select each issue type’s dropdown menu to view the details and make fixes immediately.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Acrobat%20Pro%20Accessibility%20Report%20example_tcm38-650217.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Acrobat Pro Accessibility Report example&quot; alt=&quot;Acrobat Pro Accessibility Report example&quot; style=&quot;width: 35%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Acrobat Pro Accessibility Report example&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note&lt;/strong&gt;: If the Accessibility Report states there are no accessibility issues found, it does not mean your work is done. As mentioned in the challenges section, you must perform manual tests. As you perform manual testing, keep in mind the POUR principals of accessibility. Is the document Perceivable, Operable, Understandable and Robust for the end user? Meaning, can the end user read it in the correct order while using their AT and understand what you’re asking for with no assistance form someone else? If the answer is “no” to any of these questions, then the document isn’t accessible, even if it “passes” the checker. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our DACs also provided a checklist to use during a manual review. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Make sure headings are marked AND have the correct hierarchy (can view this in the Accessibility tags). 
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tags should be structured properly (and in logical reading order), especially tags with complex/multi-layered structure such as tables, lists, links, and form fields. To view the structure of the document, open the Accessibility Tags panel. To view the document’s logical reading order, select tags and their corresponding content is highlighted in the document (just like with issues in the accessibility report).  &lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Acrobat%20Pro%20Accessibility%20Tags%20panel%20and%20focus%20in%20document_tcm38-650218.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Acrobat Pro Accessibility Tags panel and focus in document&quot; alt=&quot;Acrobat Pro Accessibility Tags panel and focus in document&quot; style=&quot;width: 89%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Acrobat Pro Accessibility Tags panel and focus in document&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;ul style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For our remediation experts, check that lists have the correct components (&amp;lt;L&amp;gt;, &amp;lt;LI&amp;gt;, and &amp;lt;LBody&amp;gt; at a minimum) and tables have the correct components (&amp;lt;Table&amp;gt;, &amp;lt;TR&amp;gt;, &amp;lt;TD&amp;gt; and &amp;lt;TH&amp;gt; for header row). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Images must have meaningful alt text (not placeholder) or be marked as an artifact (meaning decorative or background). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Properties must be filled out appropriately. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Links must function properly and are meaningful. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Addressing Accessibility Testing Failures &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Becky B&lt;/strong&gt;: We always try to fix issues in the PDF. We do have to keep in mind the time commitment to make the changes (and the capacity of our team) versus the reach of the audience. Sometimes, we may not address an issue, especially if the issue does not create a barrier to people who use AT. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rebecca B&lt;/strong&gt;: I do my best to fix everything. On the rare occasion I can’t solve the problem, I evaluate its potential to prevent someone from reading or using the document. If it’s minor, I let it go. Otherwise, I keep trying to fix it. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Samantha C&lt;/strong&gt;: If there is an issue but it was done intentionally (e.g., white text on white background to provide a tip to screen readers), then the accessibility failure is acceptable. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tamara S&lt;/strong&gt;: I fix all issues that may pose a problem to the end user. There are times that I choose to ignore a failure. This is usually when it has been done intentionally. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Final Takeaways &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;While tools are excellent to help aid the testing process, having a knowledgeable person perform manual testing is also a necessity to ensure you capture all accessibility failures for your documents.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We hope this article provides another tool you can add to your repository to ensure accessible digital content for everyone! In case you missed it, we also covered &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/621624&quot;&gt;recommended testing tools for web pages&lt;/a&gt; in our April 2024 article “Website Accessibility Testing.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Additional Resources&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/quickref/?versions=2.1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1 Quick Reference Guide&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/pdf-101.jsp&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility PDF 101 Training &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/AcrobatQuickCard2017_tcm38-294077.pdf&quot;&gt;Adobe Acrobat Pro Accessibility Quick Card (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/AcrobatQuickCard2017_tcm38-294077.pdf&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/AcrobatQuickCard2017_tcm38-294077.pdf&quot; /&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/AcrobatQuickCard2017_tcm38-294077.pdf&quot; /&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>650174</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2024-10-23T21:54:56Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>An overview of a helpful accessibility tool &amp; the decision-making process for accessibility failures. We want to expand on your accessibility testing tool list and explore tools that are built into commonly used content drafting software and are easy to use. In this first of two articles, we explore Microsoft Word’s Accessibility Checker tool and how it can help you ensure accessibility features are present in your document. 
</Description><Audience/><Title>Using Built-In Software Accessibility Checkers – Part 1: Microsoft Word </Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Subject>Accessibility testing</Subject><Subject>Accessibility Checkers</Subject><Subject>Microsoft Word Accessibility</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Using Built-In Software Accessibility Checkers – Part 1: Microsoft Word </Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Laptop with Word on screen and the Accessibility Icon overlaid with a pop out of the Check Accessibility tool icon.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Accessibility%20Checker%20-%20Word_blog%201_tcm38-650193.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Laptop with Word on screen and the Accessibility Icon overlaid with a pop out of the Check Accessibility tool icon.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Accessibility%20Checker%20-%20Word_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-650192.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>2024-10-24-Using Built-In Software Accessibility Checkers-Part 1-Microsoft Word</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-650170&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2024-10-23T17:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>We want to expand on your accessibility testing tool list and explore tools that are built into commonly used content drafting software and are easy to use. In this first of two articles, we explore Microsoft Word’s Accessibility Checker tool and how it can help you ensure accessibility features are present in your document. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>An overview of a helpful accessibility tool &amp; the decision-making process for accessibility failures</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Content Contribution: Becky Bernauer, Web and Accessibility Coordinator, MNIT partnering with the Minnesota Department of Health; Rebecca Blomquist, Digital Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; Samantha Clayton, Digital Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development; and Tamara Sawyer, Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota Management and Budget.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Earlier this year, we spruced up your &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/621624&quot;&gt;accessibility testing checklist&lt;/a&gt;. Now we want to expand on that list and explore tools that are built into commonly used content drafting software and are easy to use. In this first of two articles, we explore Microsoft Word’s Accessibility Checker tool and how it can help you ensure accessibility features are present in your document. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We checked with our Digital Accessibility Coordinators (DACs) across Minnesota state agencies who have a combined 40+ years of experience remediating Word documents. We asked them why they use the tool, how they use it for initial testing, and how they address errors the tool finds. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;State of Minnesota Standard for Accessible Electronic Documents &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It is important to understand the specific elements that must be present in an electronic document to ensure an accessible experience. The State of Minnesota has a &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot;&gt;Digital Accessibility Standard&lt;/a&gt;, that requires our digital content, including electronic documents, to meet &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Website Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.section508.gov/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Section 508 of federal law&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you want to dig deeper into understanding how these standards were developed, view our July 2024 blog “&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/610208&quot;&gt;Update to State of Minnesota Digital Accessibility Standard Launches July 1&lt;/a&gt;.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In general, accessible documents must have structural formatting in the form of headings, tables, and lists that allow users to navigate the document. They use descriptive text that describes photos, charts, and graphs to users. When your documents are accessible, everyone can access them. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Microsoft Word’s Accessibility Checker Tool Background &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Before you finish your Word document and publish it for the end user to review, you can make your content easier for people to view or edit by running the Accessibility Checker tool. The checker will scan the document for accessibility issues and provide a list of errors and warnings, with how-to-fix recommendations. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our DACs share their favorite features, some challenges and how they address the errors while using the Accessibility Checker tool. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tool Functionality &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Accessibility Checker is found under Word’s Review tab. Selecting the Check Accessibility option will open the Accessibility pane on the right of your document. This pane provides the accessibility findings under Inspection Results. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Word%20Check%20Accessibility%20option%20under%20Review%20tab_tcm38-650189.png&quot; title=&quot;Word Check Accessibility option under Review tab&quot; alt=&quot;Word Check Accessibility option under Review tab&quot; style=&quot;width: 34%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Word Check Accessibility option under Review tab&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Our DACs’ favorite features: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It’s so easy! With the press of a button, you get advice on how to make your document more usable by people who use assistive technology (AT).  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It can help content creators find accessibility issues quickly in their document, including missing alt text, issues with the document’s tables, and checking color contrast for text. It also highlights where in the document the issue exists. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It explains why the issue poses problems for some users and why the issue should be fixed. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The Recommended Actions, found in the checker’s dropdown menu, helps the content creator fix issues immediately. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It can &lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/check-accessibility-while-you-work-in-office-apps-ae9e8ea7-1f22-41af-ad04-cc2919daebae#:~:text=To%20be%20notified%20of%20accessibility,running%20while%20I%20work%20checkbox.&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;run continuously while you work&lt;/a&gt;. It shows up in your status bar so you can tell at a glance if you have issues without even opening up the Accessibility Checker pane. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Challenges: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It does not report a missing document title, incorrect heading hierarchy, or improper indentation in a list (which creates blank spaces read by AT). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It can’t tell if the information provided is meaningful. For example, it recognizes that an image has alt text, but it doesn’t know the difference between meaningful alt text that helps a screen reader interpret the importance of what is being conveyed visually or placeholder text, “add alt text here,” left by a content creator as a reminder.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It can’t tell you if a link is functioning properly. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It can’t test for everything. Some manual testing must be completed, and it can be hard to remember to do those tasks. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tool Output &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Accessibility Checker will open an Accessibility Pane with the Inspections Report. This report moves a user through the issues and recommendations on how to address. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Word%20Accessibility%20Checker%20Inspection%20Results%20Example_tcm38-650190.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Word Accessibility Checker Inspection Results Example&quot; alt=&quot;Word Accessibility Checker Inspection Results Example&quot; style=&quot;width: 34%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Word Accessibility Checker Inspection Results Example&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note:&lt;/strong&gt; If the Accessibility Checker’s Inspection Results state there are no accessibility issues found, it does not mean your work is done. As mentioned in the challenges section, you must perform manual tests. As you perform manual testing, keep in mind the POUR principals of accessibility. Is the document Perceivable, Operable, Understandable and Robust for the end user? Meaning, can the end user read it in the correct order while using their AT and understand what you’re asking for with no assistance form someone else? If the answer is “no” to any of these questions, then the document isn’t accessible, even if it “passes” the checker. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our DACs also provided a checklist to use during a manual review. Make sure:  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Document properties are filled in. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Headings are marked AND have the correct hierarchy. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Images have meaningful alt text (not placeholder). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Table header cells are marked appropriately. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Links function properly and are meaningful. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Unnecessary tabbing, spacing, and indenting are removed (turn on paragraph markers to help uncover these). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Addressing Accessibility Testing Failures &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our contributors offer these additional tips.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Becky B&lt;/strong&gt; : When working in Word, we rarely ever leave anything that creates an accessibility issue. If we do, and the document is going to be turned into a PDF, the issue is easily fixed in the PDF. &lt;strong&gt;Editor’s note&lt;/strong&gt;: &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/&quot;&gt;Read part two of this Accessibility Checker series&lt;/a&gt;, where these DACs provide their insight on Acrobat Pro’s Accessibility Checker.    &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rebecca B&lt;/strong&gt; : Even though the checker lists the errors in order of severity (error, warning, or tip), I fix everything. Everything flagged causes issues for people with disabilities, and I don’t want our documents to be a barrier. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Samantha C&lt;/strong&gt; : I will leave issues alone if they were done intentionally (e.g., white text was placed on white background to give a tip to a screen reader user).  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tamara S&lt;/strong&gt; : I fix all issues that may pose a problem to the end user. There are times that I choose to ignore a failure. This is usually when it has been done intentionally. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Final Takeaways &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;While tools are excellent to help aid the testing process, having a knowledgeable person perform manual testing is also a necessity to ensure you capture all accessibility failures for your documents.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We hope this article provides another tool you can add to your repository to ensure accessible digital content for everyone! In case you missed it, we also covered &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/621624&quot;&gt;recommended testing tools for web pages&lt;/a&gt; in our April 2024 article “Website Accessibility Testing.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Additional Resources&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/quickref/?versions=2.1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1 Quick Reference Guide&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/word-document-training.jsp&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility Word Training&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/WordQuickCard2017_tcm38-294085.pdf&quot;&gt;Microsoft Word Accessibility Quick Card (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
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&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>650170</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2024-10-23T21:54:56Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>The State of Minnesota’s State Agency GIS Collaborative gave a presentation to state employees about listening to your maps. This article summarizes that presentation and provides resources to help digital map designers incorporate accessibility into their maps. We have also included information about how the state’s new Digital Accessibility Standard and WCAG 2.1, Level AA impacts digital map design. </Description><Audience/><Title>Making Maps Accessible to Screen Readers</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Subject>Accessible Maps</Subject><Subject>GIS</Subject><Subject>Screen Readers</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Making Maps Accessible to Screen Readers</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>World globe with headphones on it and the globe is sitting on a map</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/listen-to-your-maps-mnit-blog_tcm38-645705.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>World globe with headphones on it and the globe is sitting on a map</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/listen-to-your-maps-mnit-blog-thumb_tcm38-645729.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>2024 - 09 - Making Maps Accessible to Screen Readers</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-645700&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2024-09-26T12:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>The State of Minnesota’s State Agency GIS Collaborative gave a presentation to state employees about listening to your maps. This article summarizes that presentation and provides resources to help digital map designers incorporate accessibility into their maps. We have also included information about how the state’s new Digital Accessibility Standard and WCAG 2.1, Level AA impacts digital map design. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>Learn how to make your map’s information accessible to screen reader users </Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;​Content contribution:&lt;/strong&gt; Jason Ewert, GIS Application Analyst, MNIT partnering with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, member of the Accessible Maps Community of Practice. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Maps are visual by nature. But have you ever listened to your map? Imagine that was the only way you could understand a map. Recently, the State of Minnesota’s State Agency GIS Collaborative gave a presentation to state employees about listening to your maps and provided resources from the State’s Accessible Maps Community of Practice (CoP) group. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This article summarizes that presentation and provides resources to help digital map designers incorporate accessibility into their maps. We have also included information about how the state’s new Digital Accessibility Standard and WCAG 2.1, Level AA impacts digital map design. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor’s Note:&lt;/strong&gt; A basic understanding of digital accessibility will help to follow along with this article. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;State of Minnesota’s GIS Bytes Presentation Recap: Listen to Your Maps  &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The presentation included creative solutions using JavaScript to address web map accessibility issues that make it difficult for screen reader technology to read maps. It included simple tests to check for map accessibility and ensure that any assistive technology including screen readers can properly read digital maps for the user. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Commonly Missed Accessibility Items&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Structure and keyboard accessibility &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Structure allows a screen reader user to understand the framework of the digital content. Keyboard accessibility ensures the content is navigable using only the keyboard, which is often how a screen reader user moves through digital content. Structure adds to keyboard accessibility by allowing users to execute common keyboard shortcuts and have the screen reader jump to the content they are most interested in. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Example:&lt;/strong&gt; Use semantic HTML to add headings, paragraph and list elements, as well as main content areas to the map. This adds information into an Accessibility Tree in the Document Object Model (DOM). &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px; color: rgb(0, 56, 101);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;header&amp;gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px; color: rgb(0, 56, 101);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;nav&amp;gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px; color: rgb(0, 56, 101);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;main&amp;gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 60px; color: rgb(192, 0, 0);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;h1&amp;gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 80px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 60px; color: rgb(192, 0, 0);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;h2&amp;gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 80px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt; &amp;lt;li&amp;gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 80px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;ol&amp;gt; &amp;lt;li&amp;gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px; color: rgb(0, 56, 101);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&amp;lt;footer&amp;gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Important map descriptions &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Having proper descriptions for map elements allows a screen reader to understand what is being viewed on the map and to know what is happening, so it can read the information to the user. Description needs include titles, labels and roles for attributes, along with alternative text for images.   &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Example:&lt;/strong&gt; Set the role and title of a div. The name of the div that contains the map is: myViewDiv. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;myViewDiv.setAttribute(‘role’, ‘application’) &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;myViewDiv.setAttribute(‘title’, A map of Minnesota showing satellite images. The map displays city boundaries from the search results list’) &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Example:&lt;/strong&gt; Handling dynamic content for search results, error and success messages, or navigating in an interactive map. You can use ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) live regions to define dynamic content. ARIA inserts itself into the Accessibility Tree in the DOM. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;resultsDiv.setAttribute(‘aria-live’, ‘polite’) &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use the ‘polite’ mode rather than ‘assertive’ &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;resultsDiv.setAttribute(‘aria-atomic’, ‘true’) &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The aria-atomic setting will re-read the full div, not just the changes made. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Logical reading order &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It is important to create linear paths (logical element flow) in the structure of the map, along with properly incorporating an after-action item into the flow so a screen reader can properly convey the intention of the map to the user. For example: The user enters search criteria, and the search results popup is the next item in tab order; The user selects a location on the map and the next item in tab order is the details for the selected location. Linear paths also ensure a user does not get disoriented while listening to the information presented by the map through the screen reader.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Example:&lt;/strong&gt; Run a search and then send the focus to the search results.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;GetElementById(“searchResults”).focus() &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This requires tabindex &amp;gt;=0.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;E&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt;xample:&lt;/strong&gt; Send the user to the new DOM element and then back to the natural flow of elements when they exit (Enter a search item, visit search item popup, close search item popup, and return the user to the search box). &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;SearchWidget.on(“search-complete”, () =&amp;gt; myFunction()) &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Shift the focus flow to the popup using view.popup.focus() &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;On popup close, shift the focus back to the search: once !view.popup.visble =&amp;gt; view.search.focus()&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Three Simple Accessibility Tests for Maps &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are a few tools available that allow you to check your maps for accessibility.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hover&lt;/strong&gt; – A “Hover test” is a quick way to check if your map’s accessible components work as intended. 
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Example:&lt;/strong&gt; You must be able to control a mouse for this test. When you hover over elements with your mouse and an element has a description popup, then the screen reader will also read it.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/MN%20EQB%20Example%20of%20Hover%20Test_tcm38-645736.png&quot; title=&quot;State-of-MN-EQB-Example-of-Hover-Test&quot; alt=&quot;State-of-MN-EQB-Example-of-Hover-Test&quot; style=&quot;width: 40%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;State-of-MN-EQB-Example-of-Hover-Test&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Keyboard only&lt;/strong&gt; – Are you able to use your keyboard tab key to navigate to every part of your map? Do keyboard shortcuts create expected behaviors (Enter key makes an action activate, Tab key moves logically between interactive elements and receives focus, Spacebar opens menus and dropdowns). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;WAVE&lt;/strong&gt; – Use the &lt;a href=&quot;https://&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WebAIM WAVE accessibility evaluation tool&lt;/a&gt; to check your map’s ARIA, structure, and alt text along with other essential accessibility criteria such as contrast and links. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Map Examples with Accessible Components Added &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://&quot;&gt;Minnesota Environmental Quality Board Environmental Review Projects map&lt;/a&gt; provides a description of the map, is keyboard accessible (using the Tab key), and provides keyboard access to the project locations’ modals. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://jasonewert.github.io/listen-to-maps/wimn-demo/wimn-demo.html&quot;&gt;Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s What’s in My Neighborhood map&lt;/a&gt; (a demo map created by Ewert) creates logical reading order by setting up linear paths. Using the search term “Quality Bike Products,” the screen reader then reads the proper search results and where the location on the map adjusted to, along with how much it zoomed in. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What’s New for Map Accessibility with WCAG 2.1 &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;With the recent update to the state’s Digital Accessibility Standard (as of July 1, 2024), several new success criteria have been added for digital maps. Additional requirements make digital content more accessible for screen reader users. The GIS Bytes presentation included the following tips.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose&lt;/strong&gt; (AA) - This helps assistive technology communicate the purpose of user input fields in alternative ways. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus&lt;/strong&gt; (AA) - This is particularly relevant for web maps with vector data interactions or an identify tool. As the user selects features on a map either by clicking or hovering, we need to ensure that any pop-ups can be dismissed by pressing escape or by selecting a different feature.   &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2.5.1 Pointer Gestures&lt;/strong&gt; (A) - Users who cannot accurately perform path-based pointer gestures - on a touchscreen or with a mouse - will have alternative means for operating the content. This only affects tools where intermediate locations are recorded. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2.5.2 Pointer Cancellation&lt;/strong&gt; (A) - The objective is to prevent the user from taking an unintended irreversible action based only on a pointer down-event, such as a key press, mouse button press, or touching a control on a screen. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2.5.3 Label in Name&lt;/strong&gt; (A) - This helps to ensure that the words which visually label a component are also the words associated with the component programmatically. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4.1.3 Status Messages&lt;/strong&gt; (AA) - Ensures users are aware of important changes in content that are not given focus, and to do so in a way that doesn&apos;t unnecessarily interrupt their work. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note:&lt;/strong&gt; The Accessible Maps CoP is updating their accessibility guides for maps to incorporate the new WCAG 2.1 criteria. Watch the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/maps/&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility (OoA) Accessible Maps web pages&lt;/a&gt; for updates to the guides for Map Design, Static Maps and Interactive Maps.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Additional Training &amp;amp; Resources for Creating Accessible Maps&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/maps.jsp&quot;&gt;OoA Accessible Maps Training web page&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/accessibility-quick-cards.jsp&quot;&gt;OoA Maps Accessibility Quick Reference Cards &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-382609&quot;&gt;OoA Article: Maps for All &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-600376&quot;&gt;OoA Article: WCAG 2.1 Makes Maps Easier to Use &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/quickref/?versions=2.0&amp;amp;currentsidebar=%23col_customize&amp;amp;levels=aaa&amp;amp;showtechniques=321&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Worldwide Web Consortium’s (W3C) How to Meet WCAG 2.0 Quick Reference web page &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/quickref/?versions=2.1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;W3C’s How to Meet WCAG 2.1 Quick Reference web page&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/ARIA/apg/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;W3C’s Aria Authoring Practices Guide &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/techniques/javascript/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WebAIM’s How to Build Accessible JavaScript web page &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/js-api-arcgis/developers/build-accessibility-into-your-web-maps-with-arcgis-maps-sdk-for-javascript/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;esri&apos;s ArcGIS Blog: Build Accessibility into your Web Maps with ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript (2024) &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/js-api-arcgis/developers/build-accessible-web-apps-with-arcgis-maps-sdk-for-javascript-and-calcite-design-system/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;esri&apos;s ArcGIS Blog: Build Accessibility into your Web Maps with ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript and Calcite Design System (2023) &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nvaccess.org/download/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;NVDA Screen Reader &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For State of MN Employees&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn365.sharepoint.com/sites/MNIT-OfficeofAccessibility/SitePages/Training/wcag/maps-gis.aspx&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;OoA extranet Role-based training for Maps/GIS&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://intranet.mnit.mn.gov/contact/communities-of-practice.jsp&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Accessible Maps CoP&lt;/a&gt; (MNIT Employees only)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>645700</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2024-09-25T18:50:24Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Motion Actuation is about allowing the user a choice to use normal controls or motion controls, like shaking or tilting.</Description><Audience/><Title>Blog - 2024 - 08 - WCAG 2.1: SC 2.5.4 Motion Actuation</Title><Publisher/><Subject>digital accessibility</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Subject>Motion Actuation</Subject><Subject>Success Criteria 2.5.4</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>WCAG 2.1&apos;s Success Criteria for Motion Actuation: Don&apos;t rely on sensors</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Two mobile phones on screen. First phone has “Undo” highlighted with a hand to click on it. Caption says “Click to undo. Then “and” is between the two phone images. Second phone is in a hand and displays the shaking motion. Caption says “Shake to undo.” </AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Motion-Actuation_Blog%201_tcm38-643077.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText/></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Motion-Actuation_Blog%20Thumb%201_tcm38-643078.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2024 - 08 - WCAG 2.1: SC 2.5.4 Motion Actuation</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-643133&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2024-09-25T18:49:48Z</Date><ShortDescription>Motion Actuation is about allowing the user a choice to use normal controls or motion controls, like shaking or tilting.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Learn what Motion Actuation is and why conventional controls matter.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor’s Note:&lt;/strong&gt; The content for this tech tip combines information from World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Technique web page (available to the public) and the Office of Accessibility’s (OoA) role-based training pages (available to only state employees). Links are provided in this tip for the public pages. If you are a state employee, email us at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:MNITAccessibility@state.mn.us&quot;&gt;MNITAccessibility@state.mn.us&lt;/a&gt; to receive the OoA links.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The OoA July blog post, &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-638350&amp;amp;utm_medium=email&amp;amp;utm_source=govdelivery#:~:text=Additional%20WCAG%202.1%2C%20Level%20AA%20Success%20Criteria&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1 Addresses Needs for Users with Cognitive &amp;amp; Mobility Disabilities&lt;/a&gt;, mentions success criterion, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/motion-actuation&quot;&gt;2.5.4 Motion Actuation&lt;/a&gt;. This standard ensures that functionality operated by device motion or user motion can also:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Be operated by conventional user interface components, such as touch, and&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Motion responses can be disabled to prevent accidental actuation.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How Motion Actuation Works&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Devices often have sensors that can act as inputs. These sensors allow the user to control something by simply changing the orientation or moving the device in particular ways. In other situations, web content can interpret user gestures via the camera or other sensors to actuate functions. For example, shaking the device might issue an &quot;undo&quot; command, or a gentle hand wave might be used to move forward or backward in a sequence of pages.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some users with disabilities are not able to operate these device sensors (either not at all, or not precisely enough) to benefit from the sensors. Their device may be on a fixed mount (perhaps a wheelchair), or they physically are unable to move the device.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Motion actuation requires developers to ensure an alternative control scheme is ready, and either:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;has it set to always available, or&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;is available by disabling the motion controls (making sure the motion control settings aren’t themselves motion-controlled).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In addition, some users may accidentally activate sensors due to tremors or other motor impairments. The user must have the ability to turn off motion actuation to prevent such accidental triggering of functions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How to successfully incorporate motion actuation&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Check operating system settings and allow the user to disable motion detection at the system level.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provide conventional controls and an application setting for motion activated input.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Support system level features which allow the user to disable motion actuation.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Examples&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Shake to undo&lt;/strong&gt;: After text is entered in a field, shaking a device displays a dialog allowing users to undo the entry. Supporting use of the backspace key and/or providing a clear button next to the text field offers the same functionality.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Shake to undo can be turned off in a settings page.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Advance pages&lt;/strong&gt;: A user can tilt a device to advance to the next or a previous page. Buttons are also provided to perform the same function.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Interactive elements&lt;/strong&gt;: A user can move or pan a device to change the view in an interactive photo. A control is also available to perform these same functions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Gestures&lt;/strong&gt;: A user can gesture towards the device to navigate content. Controls are also available to navigate.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Motion Activated Slider&lt;/strong&gt;: A slider can be adjusted by tipping the device to the left and right. There are also buttons to achieve the same functionality, and a tick-box that prevents the motion from having an effect.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Web Accessibility Initiative’s (WAI) working &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/working-examples/device-motion-sensor-input/&quot;&gt;example of a slider with motion actuation&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Testing&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For each function that is triggered by a motion sensor:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Check if the use of a motion sensor is essential or required to make the function accessible is supported.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Check if there is a user setting which disables the motion detection.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Resources&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/quickref/?versions=2.1&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1 Quick Reference Guide&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/general/G213.html&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1 Technique G213: Provide conventional controls and an application setting for motion activated input&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/DeviceMotionEvent&quot;&gt;Mozilla Developer Network (MDN) DeviceMotionEvent&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Device_orientation_events/Detecting_device_orientation&quot; style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Open Sans&amp;quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;MDN Detecting device orientation&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Open Sans&amp;quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Open Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note:&lt;/strong&gt; This is the latest article in our series “WCAG 2.1 – Improving Digital Accessibility.” Missed the first installments? While on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/&quot;&gt;Accessibility News web page&lt;/a&gt; review the feed for WCAG 2.1 in titles and/or the summary.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
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&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>643133</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2024-09-25T18:50:24Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Celebrate National IT Professionals Day by honoring MNIT technologists for their innovation, dedication, and award-winning projects that drive digital government and support Minnesotans!</Description><Audience/><Title>Happy IT Professionals Day</Title><Publisher/><Subject>IT Professionals Day</Subject><Subject>Employee recognition</Subject><Subject>Digital government</Subject><Subject>Careers at MNIT</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>General</Title><Id>641</Id><Key/></Category><Category><Description/><Title>Digital Government</Title><Id>232500</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Happy IT Professionals Day</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Technologist smiling and working on her laptop. The text reads, &quot;Happy National IT Professionals Day.&quot;</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/it-professionals-day-facebook-and-blog_tcm38-644801.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Technologist smiling and working on her laptop.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/it-professionals-day-blog-thumb_tcm38-644802.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2024 - 09 - IT Professionals Day</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-644800&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2024-09-16T13:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Celebrate National IT Professionals Day by honoring MNIT technologists for their innovation, dedication, and award-winning projects that drive digital government and support Minnesotans!</ShortDescription><Subtitle/><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;MNIT technologists can stand up today and take a bow for helping Minnesotans get the services they need. The third Tuesday in September is designated as National IT Professionals Day to honor those who take care of technology infrastructure, help drive innovation to support state agencies and troubleshoot software and hardware issues.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A dedicated group of IT professionals stand behind MNIT’s push to promote a digital government. We rely on their hard work and dedication to turn our agency and state’s mission into reality.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Kudos to MNIT employees&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;MNIT staff play a key role in shaping our future by understanding business and customer needs and delivering a top-class user experience. As a testimony to their continuing success, we are proud to share that &lt;a title=&quot;Original URL: https://vmm0dj30.r.us-west-2.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F%2Fwww.nascio.org%2Fpress-releases%2Fnascio-announces-finalists-for-nascio-2024-state-it-recognition-awards%2F%3Futm_medium=email%26utm_source=govdelivery/1/01010191fcc1c1fe-cd1ca382-b990-4d6d-ba01-09fabd170543-000000/UJrYkeHqlUvCHAVVpQP_ZvanyAk=392. Click or tap if you trust this link.&quot; href=&quot;https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvmm0dj30.r.us-west-2.awstrack.me%2FL0%2Fhttps%3A%252F%252Fwww.nascio.org%252Fpress-releases%252Fnascio-announces-finalists-for-nascio-2024-state-it-recognition-awards%252F%253Futm_medium%3Demail%2526utm_source%3Dgovdelivery%2F1%2F01010191fcc1c1fe-cd1ca382-b990-4d6d-ba01-09fabd170543-000000%2FUJrYkeHqlUvCHAVVpQP_ZvanyAk%3D392&amp;amp;data=05%7C02%7Cnate.barber%40state.mn.us%7C4c19499e821b44feeb7108dcd69748ea%7Ceb14b04624c445198f26b89c2159828c%7C0%7C0%7C638621192462730198%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;amp;sdata=%2Fg07uxDR5012U47MPo1s0s9kpGxlTOnG8lZNO%2BzNOwI%3D&amp;amp;reserved=0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot;&gt;tech projects from the State of Minnesota are finalists in the 2024 State IT Recognition Awards&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Cybersecurity Category –&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/626579&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Turning Risk into Reward with Cyber Risk Quantification&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Data Management, Analytics &amp;amp; Visualization Category –&lt;/strong&gt; Improving Access to Food for Minnesota’s Most Vulnerable Children&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Digital Services: Government to Business –&lt;/strong&gt; Filling the Childcare Gap with Licensing Innovation in Minnesota&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We salute all those who contributed to this award-winning work!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What MNIT employees have to say&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;At MNIT, employees find more than just a job—they discover a career with purpose. From working on projects that directly benefit the people of Minnesota to being part of a supportive team, MNIT staff have plenty of reasons to be proud of their work. We reached out to MNIT employees to learn more about what makes their work meaningful and why they enjoy being part of the team.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;MNIT employees shared what they value most about their roles, the projects they&apos;re passionate about, and why they love being part of Minnesota’s tech-driven future.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Original URL: https://vmm0dj30.r.us-west-2.awstrack.me/L0/https:%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FeKpDCCXMWZ4%3Futm_medium=email%26utm_source=govdelivery/1/01010191fcc1c1fe-cd1ca382-b990-4d6d-ba01-09fabd170543-000000/nOfaoPIBg5ZalXXrR4U5GxBsqaw=392. Click or tap if you trust this link.&quot; href=&quot;https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvmm0dj30.r.us-west-2.awstrack.me%2FL0%2Fhttps%3A%252F%252Fyoutu.be%252FeKpDCCXMWZ4%253Futm_medium%3Demail%2526utm_source%3Dgovdelivery%2F1%2F01010191fcc1c1fe-cd1ca382-b990-4d6d-ba01-09fabd170543-000000%2FnOfaoPIBg5ZalXXrR4U5GxBsqaw%3D392&amp;amp;data=05%7C02%7Cnate.barber%40state.mn.us%7C4c19499e821b44feeb7108dcd69748ea%7Ceb14b04624c445198f26b89c2159828c%7C0%7C0%7C638621192462739851%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;amp;sdata=aWUWHo7080Bd5RDlfEauMY9ijCF%2FMFBfRr7v7MmhGjY%3D&amp;amp;reserved=0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot;&gt;Watch the video&lt;/a&gt; to see firsthand the meaningful experiences and impactful work that make MNIT such a special place!&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>644800</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Awards</Title><Id>232631</Id><Key/></Tag><Tag><Description/><Title>NASCIO</Title><Id>232630</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2024-09-17T18:21:16Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>We wanted to dig further into how Reflow impacts the roles of developers and quality assurance experts, and what they need to consider for building desktop and mobile web applications and native mobile apps and testing for conformance. </Description><Audience/><Title>Understanding WCAG 2.1’s Success Criteria 1.4.10 Reflow </Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Subject>Reflow</Subject><Subject>Accessible Mobile applications</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Understanding WCAG 2.1’s Success Criteria 1.4.10 Reflow</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText/></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Text-Reflow_Blog_tcm38-641686.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText/></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Text-Reflow_Blog%20Thumb_tcm38-641687.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2024 - 08 - WCAG 2.1 Reflow</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-641673&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2024-08-21T17:22:59Z</Date><ShortDescription>​We wanted to dig further into how Reflow impacts the roles of developers and quality assurance experts, and what they need to consider for building desktop and mobile web applications and native mobile apps and testing for conformance.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Learn how Reflow impacts the development of web and mobile applications.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;​Content contribution:&lt;/strong&gt; Dai Green, Quality Assurance, MNIT partnering with Minnesota Management and Budget; JoAnn Rautio, Quality Assurance, MNIT partnering with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development; Kim Wee, Webmaster, MNIT partnering with the Minnesota Department of Education. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor’s note:&lt;/strong&gt; This is the latest article in our series “WCAG 2.1 – Improving Digital Accessibility.” Missed the first installments? While on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/&quot;&gt;Accessibility News page&lt;/a&gt; review the feed for WCAG 2.1 in titles or the summary. &lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our monthly newsletter&lt;/a&gt; to be sure you get each installment in this series! &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​We’ve explored Reflow in two previous articles, which covered the benefits of Reflow, how it impacts PDFs, and where it isn’t required, such as in tables: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/538604&quot;&gt;​Easy Read that will Demystify Tables, Reflow, and Magnification&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/584554&quot;&gt;​Oh Snap! Startling Discoveries When You Reflow Your PDF&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​We wanted to dig further into how Reflow impacts the roles of developers and quality assurance experts, and what they need to consider for building desktop and mobile web applications and native mobile apps and testing for conformance. This article is aimed at those who have familiarity with digital accessibility. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What is Reflow? &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​Here’s a quick refresher on what Reflow is: It enables users to zoom content to 400% without having to scroll in two directions, and that text reflows within the width of the user’s device (regardless of what that device is). &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​Why Reflow? &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​WCAG 2.0 already addressed text resizing and magnification (1.4.4 Resize Text), so why has another zooming standard been added? &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/610208&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1 aims to address gaps in prior versions&lt;/a&gt;. Reflow helps to better meet the needs of users with disabilities, most notably for people who have low vision, cognitive disabilities, can’t move easily, or use mobile devices. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​Reflow &amp;amp; Web Development &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​Reflow impacts the user agent*. For web and mobile applications, the user agents are: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​Desktop browsers. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​Mobile device browsers. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​Native mobile apps – unlike with a desktop browser or mobile web application, these apps are built for Apple (iOS computers, iPhone, iPad) or Android mobile phones and tablets. Apps are downloaded and installed via an app store. They may have access to system resources, like Global Positioning Systems (GPS) or the camera. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​*We spoke about other types of user agents in the previous articles mentioned, including PDF readers. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​Design &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​It is important that web content be responsive to a user’s behavior and environment (e.g., screen size, changing viewport, platform, and orientation) and not adaptive (i.e., displaying an alternate version dependent on user agents or other factors).  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​If web pages are built according to the principals of responsive web design, Reflow should happen automatically. This design is enabled by CSS media queries that reformat the web content for different viewport widths at particular breakpoints. This provides optimized layouts for mobile devices such as tablets or smartphones. Importantly, these breakpoints are triggered by narrower viewports and also when using the browser’s zoom function. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​Responsive design is also efficient. One design will work regardless of the device, eliminating the need for different versions.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;​Note&lt;/strong&gt;: It’s important to mention that most native mobile apps do not combine Reflow and Resize Text in the same way as desktop browsers. Native mobile apps can support Reflow to adjust the content to the new viewport width when the device orientation changes. However, these apps often can only zoom content to 200% with one-dimensional scrolling (which meets SC 1.4.4 Resize Text) but cannot maintain the one-dimensional scroll to 400%. Developers should make sure there is no limit to change the landscape on mobile, as it will further restrict the reflow of content. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​How to ensure Reflow in Web Design &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​Ensure that horizontal scroll is not introduced at a width equal to 320 CSS pixels for vertical content.   &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​Ensure that vertical scroll is not introduced at a height of 256 CSS pixels for horizontal content.   &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​Ensure that long URLs and strings of text support Reflow.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;​Exceptions &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​Reflow may not be possible for web content that requires two-dimensional layout for usage or meaning where it is necessary to keep toolbars in view while manipulating content. Examples include maps and diagrams, video, games, presentations, data tables (not individual cells), and interfaces.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​Testing &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​Although development and design are critical points to incorporate accessibility, testing is crucial to ensure content is, and remains, accessible. Here are pointers to test your web content (make sure to test on multiple devices*):&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​​Set the device’s browser zoom level to 400%.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​Set the browser window size to be 1280 pixels wide and 1024 pixels high.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​Open a separate window or screen to the same web page. Set the zoom level to 100 % and maintain the window size at 1280px by 1024px. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​Compare the two displays to check that functionality remains the same and content is not missing on the magnified view. 
&lt;ol&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​If content is missing, verify it has been made available in an accessible alternative way (i.e., a drop-down menu or popup) which can be accessed through a button or link, or another simple and intuitive action. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​In the magnified display (400% zoom), check for: 
&lt;ol&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​One scroll in one dimension.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​For content read horizontally, check that all content and functionality is available without horizontal scrolling. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​For content read vertically, check that all content and functionality is available without vertical scrolling. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​If the browser is not capable of zooming to 400%, you can reduce the width or height of the browser proportionally. For example, at 300% zoom, the viewport should be sized to 960px wide. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​Content is not cropped or expanded out of its frame. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​Content doesn’t overlap. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​Content remains sufficiently contrasted (for text and non-text elements).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​For a web page designed to adjust container sizes as text size changes: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​Increase the text size up to 200% using the browser&apos;s text size adjustment (not the zoom feature). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​Examine the text to ensure the text container size is adjusted to accommodate the size of the text. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​Ensure that no text is &quot;clipped&quot; or has disappeared. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​*Native mobile apps will require slight modifications to test Reflow. We recommend working with a developer who specializes in building these apps to ensure your test plan properly accommodates the capabilities. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;​Training &amp;amp; Resources &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/quickref/?versions=2.1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;How to Meet WCAG 2.1 Quick Reference Guide&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/reflow.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Understanding SC 1.4.10 Reflow&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​WCAG 2.1 Techniques that apply to Reflow: 
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Techniques/css/C31&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;​C31: Using CSS Flexbox to reflow content&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Techniques/css/C32&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;C32: Using media queries and grid CSS to reflow columns&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/css/C33&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;​C33: Allowing for Reflow with Long URLs and Strings of Text&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/css/C38&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;​C38: Using CSS width, max-width and flexbox to fit labels and inputs&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/general/G206&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;​G206: Providing options within the content to switch to a layout that does not require the user to scroll horizontally to read a line of text&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/client-side-script/SCR34&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;​SCR34: Calculating size and position in a way that scales with text size&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/CSS/CSS_layout/Responsive_Design&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;​Mozilla Developer Network (MDN): Responsive Design&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;​If you are a state employee, there are &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn365.sharepoint.com/sites/MNIT-OfficeofAccessibility/SitePages/Training/wcag/wcag-role-based-information.aspx&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;role-based trainings specific to WCAG 2.1&lt;/a&gt; criteria. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/test-evaluate/tools/list/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;​Web Accessibility Initiative’s (WAI) Accessibility Evaluation Tools List&lt;/a&gt;.​ &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>641673</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2024-08-29T14:32:49Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Pointer Cancellation is about allowing you to move away from where you were while still pressing the button, and when you release it what would have been activated isn&apos;t.</Description><Audience/><Title>Blog - 2024 - 08 - WCAG 2.1: SC 2.5.2 Pointer Cancellation</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Subject>Pointer Cancellation</Subject><Subject>Success Criteria 2.5.2</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>WCAG 2.1&apos;s Success Criteria for Pointer Cancellation: What is a Click?</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Phone upright with screen text &quot;WCAG 2.1&quot; transitions to horizontal with same screen text.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Pointer%20Cancellation_blog_tcm38-638372.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText/></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Pointer%20Cancellation_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-642017.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2024 - 08 - WCAG 2.1: SC 2.5.2 Pointer Cancellation</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-640722&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2024-08-01T12:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Pointer Cancellation is about allowing you to move away from where you were while still pressing the button, and when you release it what would have been activated isn&apos;t.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Learn what Pointer Cancellation is and why it is widely used.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Pointer Cancellation is a standard that allows users to cancel an action that would occur on a click (or equivalent action) by moving the pointer away from the target area.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note:&lt;/strong&gt; This requirement applies to web content that interprets pointer actions. This does not apply to actions that are required to operate the user agent or assistive technology.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How Pointer Cancellation Works&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The event should activate on the “up input” (releasing the mouse button) or be activated for as long as the button is pressed, reverting once it is no longer being pressed, except for actions where activation on the “down input” (when you press the mouse button) is necessary or intuitive, such as keyboard emulation.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The technique is applicable to any technology that supports pointer input, such as mouse pointer, touch on touch screen or trackpad, stylus input, or laser pointer input. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How to Successfully Incorporate Pointer Cancellation&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/general/G210#examples&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Drag-and-Drop Action Cancellation Examples&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A site shows a file directory. Files can be picked up and moved over a trash can icon to delete it. When the picked-up file is released outside this target, it reverts to the old position.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A site shows a file directory. Files can be picked up and moved over a trash can icon to delete it. When the picked-up file is released over the trash can, a modal dialog asks the user to confirm or cancel the delete action.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/general/G212#examples&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Native Control Examples&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;When using JavaScript, do not use on mouse down. Mouse down will override onclick.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;When using a native button or link in HTML, the HTML native &amp;lt;button&amp;gt; or &amp;lt;a href ....&amp;gt; onclick events are triggered on the up-event by default.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;When using a native button in iOS or Android, the onclick events are triggered on the up-event by default.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Testing&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For content that is draggable, check whether the drag-and-drop action can be reversed by:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Releasing the picked-up item outside a drop target.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Dragging the picked-up item back to its old position.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A confirmation dialog or an undo control appears after the item has been dropped.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For input controls:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Examine each input that has adjacent text which serves as its label.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For each input, check that the entire string of text (disregarding letter case and punctuation) matches the accessible name for the input, according to the accessible name computation.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For buttons, links, menus, and other non-input controls examine each control that contains text which serves as its label.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For each non-input control, check that the entire string of text (disregarding letter case and punctuation) matches the accessible name for the input.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Recommended Training*&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/presentations/2022/mnit/&quot;&gt;WebAIM Virtual Web Accessibility Training from MNIT Office of Accessibility&lt;/a&gt;: What&apos;s New in WCAG 2.1 &amp;amp; Evaluation Tools&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3schools.com/accessibility/&quot;&gt;W3C Schools: Accessibility Introductory Tutorial&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;*This list is not comprehensive. We have provided references used successfully by state employees.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Why is Pointer Cancellation Needed?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It is important to have pointer cancellation for people who can’t accurately use a mouse/keyboard, because they might accidentally press something they didn’t mean to. When you want to put mouse down (button pressed) events in your web page, ask yourself if the page functions as well with a mouse up (button released) event instead.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;References&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbM9UDWjI_I&quot;&gt;WebAIM: Introduction to WCAG 2.1 Video&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rl3lqS1l6k&quot;&gt;MNIT: WCAG 2.1 - A Deeper Dive Presentation&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/standards/wcag/checklist&quot;&gt;WebAIM&apos;s WCAG 2 Checklist&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>640722</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2024-09-23T18:22:28Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Minnesota&apos;s Office of Accessibility and state subject matter experts updated the Accessible Word Document course to address changes to Microsoft Word, the state’s adoption of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, and updated accessibility best practices.</Description><Audience/><Title>Update to State of Minnesota’s eLearning Course for Accessible Word Document Training</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Accessible Documents</Subject><Subject>Training</Subject><Subject>eLearning</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Update to State of Minnesota’s eLearning Course for Accessible Word Document Training</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Laptop with microsoft word icon</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Word%20eLearning_blog_tcm38-627960.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Laptop with microsoft word document icon</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Word%20eLearning_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-627957.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2024-6 -Accessible Document Training Update</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-627481&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2024-06-17T17:46:01Z</Date><ShortDescription>Minnesota&apos;s Office of Accessibility and state subject matter experts updated the Accessible Word Document course to address changes to Microsoft Word, the state’s adoption of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, and updated accessibility best practices. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>Minnesota’s popular accessible document training program got even better.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Minnesota&apos;s Office of Accessibility and state subject matter experts updated the Accessible Word Document course to address changes to Microsoft Word, the state’s adoption of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, and updated accessibility best practices.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We are pleased to announce the upcoming release of the updated Accessible Word Document training, planned for late July 2024. This training will be available on:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The State of Minnesota’s Learning Management system (for state employees). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/&quot;&gt;MNIT Office of Accessibility Training public web page&lt;/a&gt; (for anyone, including vendors).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Background&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In 2016, MNIT’s Office of Accessibility, along with a group of subject matter experts, created the Accessible Word Document course. Changes to Microsoft Word, the state’s Digital Accessibility Standard’s upcoming adoption of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, as well as updated accessibility best practices meant we needed to modify the training. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A cross-agency team of state digital accessibility experts, particularly with creating accessible digital documents, worked together to thoroughly review the training content and enhance accessibility features.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What to Expect from the Updated Training Modules&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Accessible Word Document training consists of seven short modules designed to teach people how to make their documents accessible. While the focus is on Microsoft Word, users can apply the same principles to any document platform, such as Google Docs. The training gives users the ability to take the course one module at a time and gives people the option to return to any one module to refresh their skills.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Updated Course Details&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This training has seven modules on how to create accessible Word documents. In addition, there is an eighth module (Module 0) on how to access and use the features found in the training.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Module 0: How to Navigate this Course.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Module 1: Introduction to Accessible Documents.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Module 2: Working with Styles.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Module 3: Working with Colors.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Module 4: Formatting.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Module 5: Working with Tables.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Module 6: Document Basics and Accessibility Checker.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Module 7: Converting Word documents to PDF.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Benefits and Features of the Accessible Word Document Training&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This new course has been designed to incorporate important changes in creating an accessible Word document, as well as be fully accessible for all people.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Module 0 provides an overview of the helpful features to navigate each module, including a menu of accessibility options and course speed control.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Why should I take the training?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This training helps you create documents that are accessible and usable for all. For state employees, creating accessible documents makes the State of Minnesota a more inclusive workplace. This aligns with our state’s One Minnesota Plan.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The top three reasons to take this updated Word training are:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Follows the new WCAG 2.1 Guidelines.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Incorporates state-branded templates.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Includes updated best practices for document accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What if I take the training now before the new modules are available? Will my course completion be valid?&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Yes, if you take the current training, your course completion will be valid. However, there are new, updated practices and procedures in the upcoming training, and we highly encourage you to also take the updated course when it comes out.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What if I already took this course, do I need to take this again?&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;While you may not be required to take the course again, we highly encourage you to go through the updated materials.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Are there other trainings I can take to make accessible digital materials?&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are many free and paid training opportunities out there. &lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our monthly newsletter&lt;/a&gt; to stay up to date on accessibility topics and training opportunities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Visit our &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/&quot;&gt;Training page&lt;/a&gt; for links to courses on accessible PDFs and PowerPoint decks.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/courses/foundations-course/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;good introduction to accessibility fundamentals&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;State employees can visit the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn365.sharepoint.com/sites/MNIT-OfficeofAccessibility/SitePages/Training/wcag/wcag-2.1.aspx&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility extranet for additional, role-specific training&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Why is Digital Accessibility important? What exactly does it cover?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility matters. Digital accessibility helps ensure everyone, including people with disabilities, has equal access to information, resources and services. This encompasses all things digital, from electronic documents to websites to kiosks.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Can I report an accessibility issue with a state website or digital program? Or offer a digital accessibility suggestion?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Absolutely! &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/portal/&quot;&gt;MN.gov&lt;/a&gt; has a link in the footer, &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/portal/about-minnesota/accessibility-issues/index.jsp&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Report an accessibility issue&lt;/a&gt;. Use that link to report issues or offer suggestions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author>Content contribution: Rebecca Blomquist, Digital Accessibility Coordinator, DNR and Tamara Sawyer, Accessibility Coordinator, MMB</Author><id>627481</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2024-06-18T21:43:15Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>As Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) events kick off, we’re breaking down common buzz words that impact your digital experience, and how they intersect with accessibility. </Description><Audience/><Title>HCD, UX, &amp; CX - What Does it All Mean and How Does it Intersect with a11y?</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>CX Customer experience</Subject><Subject>HCD Human centered design</Subject><Subject>UX user experience</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>HCD, UX, &amp; CX - What Does it All Mean and How Does it Intersect with a11y?</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Venn diagram of Customer Experience, Human centered design, and accessibility, under a GAAD logo.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/GAAD-newsletter_blog_tcm38-624264.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Venn diagram of Customer Experience, Human centered design, and Accessibility, under a GAAD logo.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/GAAD-newsletter_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-624267.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2024-5 -HCD, UX, &amp; CX</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-624261&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2024-05-16T13:40:41Z</Date><ShortDescription>As Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) events kick off, we’re breaking down common buzz words that impact your digital experience, and how they intersect with accessibility. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>Discover the importance of these abbreviations and how they come together to make a better digital experience for all.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Defining HCD, UX, &amp;amp; CX&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A confluence of technology and cultural trends are driving a renewed focus on improving customer experience (CX). These trends include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Increasing competition for brand loyalty.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;New engagement tools, including AI-based interactions and virtual reality technology.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Higher expectations from current and potential customers.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Multiple spheres of customer influence, from professional “influencers” and other social media sources.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;So, what is CX, and how is it different from other similar terms, including:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Human-Centered Design (HCD) &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Design Thinking&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;User Experience (UX)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And, because we’re a digital accessibility blog, what do they have to do with accessibility, or a11y?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Human-Centered Design (HCD)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;HCD is a problem-solving technique or practice based on:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;People and their context.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Identifying root problems.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Recognizing all interconnected influences.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Solving through small, incremental interventions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;HCD shares a lot with its cousin, user-centered design. Most view HCD as a slightly more holistic approach.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Design thinking&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Like HCD, design thinking is an approach toward solving problems. Like HCD, it promotes an iterative process of prototyping and testing. &lt;a href=&quot;https://dschool.stanford.edu/resources/getting-started-with-design-thinking&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Stanford University’s d.school&lt;/a&gt; is probably the best-known proponent of design thinking. Design thinking proponents approach problems in stages, such as:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Empathize: research your users&apos; needs.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Define: state your users&apos; needs and problems.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ideate: challenge assumptions and create ideas.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Prototype: start to create solutions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Test: try your solutions out.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;User Experience (UX)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nngroup.com/articles/definition-user-experience/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Nielsen Norman Group (NNG)&lt;/a&gt; is widely credited with popularizing the term. They say that user experience, “encompasses all aspects of the end-user&apos;s interaction with the company, its services, and its products.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Usability is a subset of UX. NNG describes usability as “a quality attribute that assesses how easy user interfaces are to use,” based on these &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nngroup.com/articles/definition-user-experience/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;5 measurables&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Learnability.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Efficiency.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Memorability.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Errors.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Satisfaction.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;UX practitioners likely incorporate principles of HCD and/or design thinking in their work.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Customer Experience (CX)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;CX is a broader, more general term than UX. While UX is based on how people use and perceive an organization’s products, CX is the overall impression customers have of the organization’s brand, based on every interaction they’ve had with the organization. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Governor Tim Walz’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mmb/one-mn-plan/measurable-goals/customer-experience.jsp&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;One Minnesota Plan&lt;/a&gt; states, “Customer experience refers to how Minnesota residents feel and what they think when they use government services.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Organizations that focus on CX likely incorporate HCD, design thinking, and UX in their entire organization’s culture. This would encompass everything from:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Deciding what they do as an organization.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Planning their programs and products.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Building and delivering their products and services.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Communicating about who they are and what they do.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accessibility (a11y)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility (a11y)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Digital accessibility is the practice of using measurable, testable criteria to plan, design, and create digital content and technology so that it is usable by everyone, including people with disabilities. Incorporating a11y practices into your design thinking and HCD processes as well as your organization’s UX and CX missions helps avoid potential blind spots and limit variables. Organizations with a culture of a11y have greater confidence that what they do will serve the greatest number of people.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Conclusion&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It’s not the buzzwords you use – it’s how you build them into your culture. A11y and other well-established practices like HCD are key tools toward building a CX culture.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>624261</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2024-05-24T13:41:09Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>How our Digital Accessibility Coordinators (DACs) across Minnesota state agencies conduct initial testing for website accessibility failures, the tools they use, and how they decide to fix the issue or determine to leave it alone. </Description><Audience/><Title>Website Accessibility Testing</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Web accessibility</Subject><Subject>Testing</Subject><Subject>Tools</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Website Accessibility Testing</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Person holding magnifying glass to website next to accessibility checklist.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-web-testing_blog_tcm38-621652.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Person holding magnifying glass to website next to accessibility checklist.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-web-testing_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-621648.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2024-4- Web Accessibility Testing</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-621624&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2024-04-25T16:00:58Z</Date><ShortDescription>How our Digital Accessibility Coordinators (DACs) across Minnesota state agencies conduct initial testing for website accessibility failures, the tools they use, and how they decide to fix the issue or determine to leave it alone. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>Helpful tools &amp; the decision-making process for accessibility failures</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Spring is here and we have Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) on our minds! WebAIM recently conducted a survey to uncover the most common accessibility failures on website homepages. The results are featured on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://accessibility.day/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;GAAD homepage&lt;/a&gt;. It got us thinking about how our Digital Accessibility Coordinators (DACs) across Minnesota state agencies conduct initial testing for website accessibility failures, the tools they use, and how they decide to fix the issue or determine to leave it alone. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;State of Minnesota Standard for Website Accessibility Testing&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It is important to understand the specific elements that must be present in a web page to ensure an accessible experience. The State of Minnesota has a &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot;&gt;Digital Accessibility Standard&lt;/a&gt;, which requires our digital content, including state web pages, to meet WCAG 2.0, Level AA and Section 508 of federal law.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you want to dig deeper into understanding how these standards were developed (and the State’s planned update to WCAG 2.1 on July 1, 2024), view our February 2024 blog “&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/?id=610208&quot;&gt;Update to State of Minnesota Digital Accessibility Standard Launches July 1&lt;/a&gt;.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility testing should happen early and often during all System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) processes: requirements analysis, design, implementation, testing and deployment. Testing for accessibility along the way can help to identify problems early in the process and ensure every state agency is delivering accessible government digital content for everyone.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Meet three of our DACs and this month’s contributors&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Let’s meet the DACs that provided their expertise and recommendations for the tools they use to perform web accessibility testing. Between the three, they have more than 60 years of website accessibility testing experience!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Emily Lu&lt;/strong&gt;, DAC, Minnesota Department of Transportation.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;JoAnn Rautio&lt;/strong&gt;, CSM, DHS Certified Trusted Tester v5, Quality Assurance and DAC, MNIT partnering with the Minnesota Department of Human Services.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Kim Wee&lt;/strong&gt;, CPWA, DHS Certified Trusted Tester v5, Webmaster and DAC, MNIT partnering with the Department of Education. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Are you a State of Minnesota employee and want to learn who your agency’s DAC is? Reach out to us by email at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:mnitaccessibility@state.mn.us&quot;&gt;mnitaccessibility@state.mn.us&lt;/a&gt; and we would be happy to connect you.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;DAC Recommendations for Website Accessibility Testing Tools&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;These web accessibility evaluation tools are software programs or online services that help determine if web content meets accessibility standards. Each DAC shared: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;how they discovered their testing tools, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;if training was required to begin to use it, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;how the tool works, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;their favorite and most challenging features of the tool(s), and &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;how the tool outputs accessibility failure results.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tool Background&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;table border=&quot;1&quot; cellpadding=&quot;1&quot; cellspacing=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; border-collapse:collapse&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr style=&quot;background-color: #003865; color: white;&quot;&gt;
&lt;th style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;Web A11y Testing Tool&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;Vendor&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;Cost&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;Recommended Training&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style=&quot;background-color: #F0F9FF&quot;&gt;
&lt;th style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Keyboard&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;N/A&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;Free*&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;View &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/keyboard-shortcuts-accessibility-quick-card_tcm38-228375.pdf&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility’s common keyboard shortcuts quickcard&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Read &lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/techniques/keyboard/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WebAIM’s overview of keyboard accessibility&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;th style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Browser DevTools – Accessibility Tree&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;Any web browser&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;Free&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For Chrome: &lt;a href=&quot;https://developer.chrome.com/docs/devtools/accessibility/reference&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Accessibility features reference&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For Edge: &lt;a href=&quot;https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/devtools-guide-chromium/accessibility/accessibility-tab&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Accessibility Tab Overview&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For Firefox: &lt;a href=&quot;https://firefox-source-docs.mozilla.org/devtools-user/accessibility_inspector/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Accessibility Inspector Source Doc&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Tester must know how Assistive Technologies interface with the &lt;a href=&quot;https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Document_Object_Model/Introduction&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Document Object Model (DOM)&lt;/a&gt; and understand &lt;a href=&quot;https://knowbility.org/blog/2022/accessibility-apis-part1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;accessibility application programming interface (API)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style=&quot;background-color: #F0F9FF&quot;&gt;
&lt;th style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Accessibility Insights for Web Browser Extension&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;Accessibility Insights&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;Free&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;To get started, watch &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVvBJoEe4Is&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Accessibility Insights’ overview video&lt;/a&gt; and read &lt;a href=&quot;https://accessibilityinsights.io/docs/web/overview/#get-started&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Accessibility Insights’ tutorials&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;th style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;WAVE Browser Extension&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;WebAIM&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;Free&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Watch WebAIM’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITUDiTgAZY0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WAVE introduction video&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;WAVE also provides instruction within its output details.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style=&quot;background-color: #F0F9FF&quot;&gt;
&lt;th style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;aXe DevTool Browser Extension&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;Deque&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Free&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Also a paid version.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Visit &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdhQLgcmuKTu08j68DrRorc0dJEobBPNr&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Deque’s video playlist web page for aXe DevTool introduction videos&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;aXe also provides an overview of issues within its output details.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;th style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;JAWS Inspect&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;TGPi&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;Free &amp;amp; paid license versions. Costs vary.&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot;&gt;View &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.tpgi.com/arc-platform/jaws-inspect/#:~:text=JAWS%20Inspect%20Report%20Demonstrations&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;JAWS Inspect’s report demonstrations&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;*We assume you already own a computer with a keyboard, which makes your keyboard a tool that is available to use for testing with no additional cost.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tool Functionality&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Each DAC provided details on how the tool performs, with their favorite features and biggest challenges, if any.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Keyboard &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Favorite features:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ease of use.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Free.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Identifies components on the page that need further investigation. 
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Can the user get to all links, buttons, menu items, and other interactive elements?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Can the user see where they are (“Visible focus” on content)?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Does the focus order make sense?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Do all hoverable components (like a pop-up on an info icon) also receive keyboard focus?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Browser DevTool – Accessibility Tree&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Favorite features:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ease of use.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Free.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Reviews the code for Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A reliable way to troubleshoot issues identified during the testing process.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Challenges:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Advanced technical knowledge may be needed to understand what the Accessibility Tree identifies as issues and how those relate to what is being tested.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility Insights for Web Browser Extension&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Favorite features:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Can find common accessibility issues very quickly.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Verifies web pages are compliant up to WCAG 2.1, Level AA.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Challenges:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;This is a newer testing tool, and DACs are still learning how to use the tool to its full advantage.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;WAVE Browser Extension&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Favorite features:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Web-based with no application download required. There’s also a small browser extension provided at no cost.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The report is designed for easy comprehension, offering explanations and references to WCAG guidelines and why it matters.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provides a color Contrast tab, allowing testers to easily select the appropriate colors to achieve the required contrast ratio.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provides an Order tab with all navigable page elements listed. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provides a Reference tab that verifies for WCAG.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Challenges:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Like other automated scanning tools, WAVE may overlook certain issues or generate false positive results. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Navigating the overlay of icons can be challenging, particularly when inspecting invisible elements on the page.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;aXe DevTool Browser Extension&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Favorite features:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ease of use.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Free.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Can be used by developers in their local environment – all you need is a browser.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provides results for ARIA issues.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Challenges:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Takes time to learn and interpret the results. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Advanced technical knowledge may be needed to understand what the aXe DevTool identifies as issues.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;JAWS Inspect&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Favorite features:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Has a speech viewer which provides a live log of JAWS speech. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Full page reports which identify issues at the component and element level.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Allows testers to check for duplicate button labels (like JAWS keyboard commands).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Challenges:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Takes time to learn and interpret the results.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tool Output&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Keyboard&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The output comes from the tester’s interaction (this is a manual process). There is no screen with output results. You will want to have a way to capture your results (e.g., in an Excel spreadsheet).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Browser DevTool – Accessibility Tree&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The DevTool opens within any browser. To launch DevTool in a browser window, either select F12 or right click and select “Inspect.”  Within the Accessibility tab is the Accessibility Tree. It contains tabs for ARIA Attributes, Computed Properties and Secure Order Viewer. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Note: The Accessibility tab does not allow you to make edits to the page nor export its content. You will need to keep a report of your findings to reference when you make edits or submit a request for edits.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/DevTools-Accessibility-Tree_tcm38-621792.png&quot; title=&quot;Accessibility tree view showing code.&quot; alt=&quot;Accessibility tree view showing code.&quot; style=&quot;width: 26%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;DevTools-Accessibility-Tree&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;WAVE Browser Extension&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;WAVE will display the original web page with embedded icons and indicators that highlight the accessibility components. The output results are divided into six categories: Summary, Details, Reference, Order, Structure and Contrast. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To review the details about each icon added to the scanned web page, view the Details tab. To pinpoint the specific issue or feature of an icon, click or tab+enter on any icon and review the details provided under the Reference tab.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Note: WAVE does not allow you to make edits to the page nor export its content. You will need to keep a report of your findings to reference when you make edits or submit a request for edits.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/WAVE-report_tcm38-621659.JPG&quot; title=&quot;Web page with list of issues and features on left sidebar and visual indicators on web page.&quot; alt=&quot;Web page with list of issues and features on left sidebar and visual indicators on web page.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;WAVE-report&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility Insights for Web Browser Extension&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This tool offers a launch pad with different types of tests to perform: FastPass, Quick Assess, Assessment and Ad Hoc Tools. Each option provides a different output that allows you to navigate through identified accessibility issues.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Accessibility-Insights-Browser-Launch-Pad_tcm38-621654.png&quot; title=&quot;List of available Insights tests.&quot; alt=&quot;List of available Insights tests.&quot; style=&quot;width: 50%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Accessibility-Insights-Browser-Launch-Pad&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/accessibility-insights-output_tcm38-621657.png&quot; title=&quot;Visual of website with line indidcating tab order.&quot; alt=&quot;Visual of website with line indidcating tab order.&quot; style=&quot;width: 67%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessibility-insights-output&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;aXe DevTool Browser Extension&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;aXe opens in your browser. You can select the &quot;Scan ALL of my page” or “Scan PART of my page” button and then review the list of identified accessibility issues.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/aXe-DevTool-output_tcm38-621790.png&quot; title=&quot;aXe report page: You have (0) automatic issues, nice!&amp;quot;&quot; alt=&quot;aXe report page: You have (0) automatic issues, nice!&amp;quot;&quot; style=&quot;width: 67%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;aXe-DevTool-output&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;JAWS Inspect&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;JAWS provides output in a few ways: screenshot, code snippet and a unique tracking ID. Note: You do not need to have the JAWS software to perform JAWS Inspect.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/JAWS-inspect-output_tcm38-621791.png&quot; title=&quot;Inspect report screen, listing browser and app versions and an accordion menu of test results.&quot; alt=&quot;Inspect report screen, listing browser and app versions and an accordion menu of test results.&quot; style=&quot;width: 67%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;JAWS-inspect-output&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Addressing Accessibility Testing Failures&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Emily Lu&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For common errors with straightforward solutions, like low contrast, missing alt text, empty links, unclear link text, empty buttons, and missing labels, I promptly request that web editors fix them.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For more complex errors [or issues which] require more time to fix, I usually recommend conducting a risk assessment and prioritize based on the impact and severity of the issues. If this issue occurs frequently and critically impacts the usability of our service, then we will want to address these issues first, before moving on to issues that have a lesser impact on accessibility and usability.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;JoAnn Rautio&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our projects are broken out into sprints. During a sprint, the issue is documented as a SPRINT BUG and fixed within that sprint. When found during regression testing it is documented as a work item called BUG and assigned to a future sprint based on risk level.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are times we cannot fix an issue due to third-party tools or widgets that are used in an application. We create a work item called Analysis. We research, discuss, and document whether it can be fixed or needs a vendor-updated release or replacement.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Kim Wee&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We prioritize into high impact and low effort repairs:    &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;High impact repairs (user impact, multiple pages, navigation, home page, etc.).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Low effort repairs (less time to fix, requires less testing).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Final Takeaways&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There isn’t one tool that does it all, so having a library of tools can be very beneficial to ensure a well-rounded website accessibility testing process. While tools are excellent to help aid the testing process, having a knowledgeable person perform manual testing is also a necessity to ensure your testing process is sufficient to capture accessibility failures for your web pages.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It’s also important to understand the impact  of the identified accessibility issues on your web pages. Have a process on how to address each one, whether to let them be (and the reason/rationale behind that decision) or to fix them  and how/when that occurs. The impact is on a spectrum from low to high and will affect different groups. For example each of these issues have a different potential impact on users:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A screen reader or keyboard user cannot complete a form because the “Submit” button isn’t properly identified and not able to be tabbed to.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Color contrast failure may require a website redesign that involves several agency departments to review and approve.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Missed links or alt text needs a content manager to fix.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We hope this article provides insight on how to spruce up your own website accessibility testing tools and checklist to ensure accessible government digital content for everyone.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Additional Resources &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/test-evaluate/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;W3C’s Evaluating Web Accessibility Overview web page&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/quickref/?versions=2.0&amp;amp;currentsidebar=%23col_customize&amp;amp;levels=aaa&amp;amp;showtechniques=321&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.0 Quick Reference Guide&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/quickref/?versions=2.1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1 Quick Reference Guide&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tools:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://accessibilityinsights.io/downloads/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Accessibility Insights&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://wave.webaim.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WAVE&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.deque.com/axe/browser-extensions/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;aXe&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/jawsinspect/ildbfpaelempeokjfldpclbfggjkhdhl&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;JAWS Inspect for Chrome&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;State of MN employees: &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn365.sharepoint.com/sites/MNIT-OfficeofAccessibility/SitePages/Tools/home.aspx&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility extranet: Tools page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>621624</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2024-04-25T16:01:06Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>The Office of Accessibility works closely with Minnesota IT Services’ Communications team to develop and produce its blogs and other messages. The Communications team shares guidelines here about plain language and why it’s important. They also give some great tips on how to write with plain language in mind.</Description><Audience/><Title>Plain Language &amp; Accessibility</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>plain language</Subject><Subject>writing tips</Subject><Subject>everyday language</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Plain Language &amp; Accessibility</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A head full of clutter faces a neatly organized head.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/plain-language_blog_tcm38-614418.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A head full of clutter faces a neatly organized head.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/plain-language_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-614419.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2024-3- Plain Language &amp; Accessibility</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-614411&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2024-03-22T15:02:09Z</Date><ShortDescription>The Office of Accessibility works closely with Minnesota IT Services’ Communications team to develop and produce its blogs and other messages. The Communications team shares guidelines here about plain language and why it’s important. They also give some great tips on how to write with plain language in mind.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>How writing in plain language makes digital content more accessible.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By: Minnesota IT Services Communications&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What is plain language?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Plain language is communication that all readers can understand the first time they read it and know what they need to do next. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Plain language follows these universal guidelines: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use “everyday” language.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Write in short and complete sentences.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Present information in a format that is easy to find and easy to understand.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Clearly state directions and deadlines to the audience.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Why is it important?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Plain language provides Minnesotans with better state services by reducing confusion, saving time, and improving customer satisfaction. As government employees, we recognize the right of all members of the public to access public information. We must commit to providing access to all individuals – with or without disabilities – who wish to use government websites, documents, applications, or services to get information or resources. Using language that is commonly understood is a big part of making information accessible to everyone. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When should you use it?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use plain language in all communications, whether it is for printed materials, emails, or web content. When writing technical or legal documentation, you should use plain language as much as possible. However, we always check with the subject matter expert to verify the accuracy of the content.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It’s the law&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.plainlanguage.gov/law/&quot;&gt;Plain Writing Act of 2010&lt;/a&gt; was signed on October 13, 2010. The law requires all federal agencies to use clear government communication that the public can understand.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In 2014, then-Governor Mark Dayton signed &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.leg.mn.gov/archive/execorders/14-07.pdf&quot;&gt;Executive Order 14-07 (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;, Implementing Plain Language in the Executive Branch, which required the Office of the Governor and all state agencies to communicate with the public using plain language principles. Governor Tim Walz continued the executive order to implement plain language when he issued &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/governor/assets/2019_04_05_EO_19-29_tcm1055-379049.pdf&quot;&gt;Executive Order 19-29 (PDF) in 2019&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Is plain language accessible?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Plain language principles increase cognitive accessibility, particularly for people with intellectual, developmental, and learning disabilities. Plain language concepts in layout design and formatting help everyone locate the information they need easily.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Do you lose important information when writing in plain language?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Always check with the subject matter expert to make sure that your plain language rewrite hasn’t changed the meaning or the accuracy of the content. If you need to use complex or technical terms, provide a short, plain language explanation of the term. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Can you give example(s) of plain language writing?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We took the following from &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.plainlanguage.gov/&quot;&gt;PlainLanguage.gov&lt;/a&gt; examples. This was part of a speech given by Vice President Al Gore on June 1, 1998, at the National Small Business Week Awards.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Here’s a great example—an old regulation from OSHA:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The title of the old regulation is “Means of Egress.” Egress, by the way, means exit. The word is so little known, practical joker P.T. Barnum used to put up a sign at the circus that said: “To the Egress.” People followed the sign, thinking they were about to see some exotic animal, and suddenly found themselves in the street!!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;So…back to our regulation:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Means of Egress: Ways of exit access and the doors to exit to which they lead shall be so designed and arranged as to be clearly recognizable as such. Hangings or draperies shall not be placed over exit doors or otherwise so located as to obscure any exit. Mirrors shall not be placed on exit doors. Mirrors shall not be placed in or adjacent to any exit in such a manner as to confuse the direction of the exit.&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;That was the old regulation. Here is a proposal for the new regulation:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Exit routes: An exit door must be free of signs or decorations that obscure its visibility.&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;That’s it. From 76 words to 14. But we still might be able to make it a bit better. The words “obscure its visibility” are a little like the old gobbledygook.” How about: “Don’t put up anything that makes it harder to see the exit door.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What are some plain language writing tips?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Plain language means writing to your readers. People are in a hurry. They skim and scan, looking for fast answers to their questions. That’s why it is important to quickly get to the point. Help your readers complete their tasks with these writing tips.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Write to your reader&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Imagine your reader as an actual person. Do this by making a &quot;persona.&quot; Now, write to that person. For example, a persona for an end user might be something like this:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Meet Jane. She works for the Department of Natural Resources. In her daily work, Jane regularly types letters and documents in Microsoft Word and uploads them to the division&apos;s SharePoint site. She uses Outlook to coordinate emails and meetings.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Focus on people&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Help readers see themselves in the text. Use words like I, me, we, our, ours, you, your.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use personal pronouns or name the person
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;I am writing in response…&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Suzy Smith will contact you…&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;You may copy this certificate…&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use active voice, not passive:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Passive voice:&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&quot;We will be asking that all homeowners must complete Form C.&quot;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&quot;Form C must be completed by all homeowners.&quot;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Active voice:&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&quot;All homeowners must complete Form C.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&quot;You must complete Form C.&quot;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use short, simple sentences&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;People rarely read letters, reports or web content word by word. Instead, they scan the page. Use the following tips to make sure your readers get your point:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Start with the conclusion or the action the reader needs to take.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Have one idea per paragraph.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use half the number of words you would use in conventional writing.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Avoid unnecessary words:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Weak: The purpose of this letter is to tell you that we have accepted your claim…&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Strong: We have accepted your claim…&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Weak: There are three forms that must be completed.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Strong: You must fill out three forms.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use words readers know&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use short and simple words:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stop&lt;/strong&gt; not cease&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Before&lt;/strong&gt; not prior to&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Get&lt;/strong&gt; not procure&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Keep&lt;/strong&gt; not retain&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Don&apos;t use nouns that hide verbs:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Deny&lt;/strong&gt; not denial&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Maintain&lt;/strong&gt; not maintenance&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Assign&lt;/strong&gt; not assignment&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Define acronyms
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Spell out the first use of an acronym, followed by its abbreviation. You can use the abbreviated acronym in the rest of the document.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Examples:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&quot;The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is published in a volume … ITIL describes processes …&quot;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&quot;The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) provides technical expertise. In an early release, the MPCA …&quot;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Make the text visual&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Make information stand out. Use:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Bullets for lists,&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Numbers for steps, and&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tables for data or parallel statements.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Format pages to help users&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use bold headings and white space to help users locate information.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Group similar information together and use white space around it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How can I learn more about plain language?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are many resources for writing in plain language. Here are a few.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;LinkedIn Learning offers a 42-minute course: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.linkedin.com/learning-login/share?account=86888522&amp;amp;forceAccount=false&amp;amp;redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Flearning%2Fwriting-in-plain-language%3Ftrk%3Dshare_ent_url%26shareId%3DJ%252F4x0EhmRV%252BbjXmi0oWQKg%253D%253D&quot;&gt;Writing in Plain Language&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The Minnesota Department of Revenue produced a video on plain language, “&lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/9X8RVXAskPU&quot;&gt;Introduction to Plain Language: Say it Simply.&lt;/a&gt;”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://plainlanguage.gov/&quot;&gt;PlainLanguage.gov&lt;/a&gt; is an official website of the United States government. This site includes:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Information on federal law and requirements.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;Plain language guidelines. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.plainlanguage.gov/resources/&quot;&gt;Lots of great resources&lt;/a&gt;, such as:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.plainlanguage.gov/examples/&quot;&gt;examples&lt;/a&gt; of plain language, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.plainlanguage.gov/training/videos/&quot;&gt;training videos&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot;&gt;and just for fun, some &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.plainlanguage.gov/resources/humor/&quot;&gt;humorous examples&lt;/a&gt; of how &lt;strong&gt;not&lt;/strong&gt; to write in plain language. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>614411</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2024-03-22T15:02:20Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>In this edition of the “WCAG 2.1 - Improving Digital Accessibility” series, Chief Information Accessibility Officer Jay Wyant answers questions about the update to the State of Minnesota’s Digital Accessibility Standard effective July 1, 2024. </Description><Audience/><Title>Update to State of Minnesota Digital Accessibility Standard Launches July 1</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Accessibility standard</Subject><Subject>updated standard</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Update to State of Minnesota Digital Accessibility Standard Launches July 1</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>&quot;WCAG 2.1 Update&quot; with ticking clock and computer.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/WCAG-2.1-update-release-date-_blog_tcm38-610390.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Ticking clock</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/WCAG-2.1-update-release-date-_blog-thumbnail_tcm38-610391.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2024-2 - Update to State of Minnesota Digital Accessibility Standard Launches July 1</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-610208&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2024-02-22T16:44:36Z</Date><ShortDescription>In this edition of the “WCAG 2.1 - Improving Digital Accessibility” series, Chief Information Accessibility Officer Jay Wyant answers questions about the update to the State of Minnesota’s Digital Accessibility Standard effective July 1, 2024. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>Chief Information Accessibility Officer Jay Wyant answers questions about the updated Standard and its impact.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When the update will be effective?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In February 2024, the Office of Accessibility announced the new Standard will go into effect on July 1, 2024. Efforts to create awareness and provide training will be ongoing through July, 2024.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Can you provide a brief history of Minnesota’s Standard for state government? &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The State of Minnesota published the first Digital Accessibility Standard September 1, 2010. The 2009 State Legislature had required that this new standard include Section 508 of Federal law and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Level AA.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/Stnd_State_Accessibility_tcm38-61585.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Stnd_State_Accessibility - 2018&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Stnd_State_Accessibility - 2018&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;current version (PDF)&lt;/a&gt; was effective June 14, 2018 to reflect the Section 508 refresh.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In 2018, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) published WCAG 2.1.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In 2021, a cross-agency team of State Digital Accessibility Coordinators (DACs) and Office of Accessibility staff launched a study to determine the benefits of WCAG 2.1. They recommended that Minnesota should update the State’s Standard and provide relevant outreach and training for State of Minnesota employees.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;From 2021 to present, the Office of Accessibility coordinated several statewide events to provide information on WCAG 2.1 and collect feedback on what State employees needed to get ready. We also revised the current Standard with updated 2.1 content.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We worked with a steering committee and subject matter expert groups beginning in April 2023. Leaders from a variety of roles throughout the state provided direction, reviewed available training, and created information to prepare state employees.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Why is Digital Accessibility important? What exactly does it cover?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility matters. Digital accessibility helps ensure everyone, including people with disabilities, has equal access to information, resources and services. This encompasses all things digital, from electronic documents to websites to kiosks.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What is WCAG?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) provide a framework to plan, design, build and test digital information and technology so that it is accessible for all. The World Wide Web Consortium, or W3C for short, provides standards and guidelines for how the web works. For example, what you see at the beginning of a URL, https://, is a  W3C recommendation. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The W3C set up the Web Accessibility Initiative, or WAI. WAI in turn manages the Working Groups that research and propose updates to WCAG. The most recent updates are:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.0 (2008)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1 (2018)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.2 (2023)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Each update adds new criteria to the previous set, as well as removes the occasional criteria that is no longer relevant.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/wcag3/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WCAG 3&lt;/a&gt; is currently a working draft designed to be a complete reorganization on how to define and measure accessibility. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What is Section 508?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.access-board.gov/ict/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Section 508&lt;/a&gt; is a Federal rule governing how Federal agencies must include accessibility requirements and processes when creating or buying digital technology, formally termed Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Section508.gov provides a broad framework of resources, training and guidance on how to support and comply with the rule. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Why did the State decide to update its Standard? And why was WCAG 2.1 chosen specifically?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The cross-agency team of Digital Accessibility Coordinators determined that supporting 2.1 would provide significant benefits to users of State government information and technology. The WCAG 2.1 Steering Committee evaluated the teams’ findings and supported the conclusion.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1, published 10 years after 2.0, addressed significant gaps in 2.0, notably support for users with:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Cognitive or learning disabilities.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Low vision.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Disabilities impacting their use of mobile devices.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Who participated in the WCAG 2.1 Steering Committee? &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We wanted to involve a wide range of stakeholders to ensure a positive response when rolling out our awareness and training. We viewed the Standard update as an opportunity to significantly improve the State’s ability to deliver accessible content and technology to State employees and Minnesotans. While we didn’t get representation from every category we targeted, we ended up with a great group that had a real impact on our ability to succeed, with representation from the following categories:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Advisory Committee for the Office of Accessibility&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Advisory Committee for MNIT&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Chief Information Accessibility Officer&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Statewide Accessibility Analyst&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Project Manager/Business Analyst/QA&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Digital Accessibility Coordinator&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Deputy Chief Business Technology Officer&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Disability agency&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;PDF subject matter expert &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Developer subject matter expert&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;MNIT Communications&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Training subject matter expert&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Legislative staff&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Security subject matter expert&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Project Management Office &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What changes does the update bring specifically?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The update adds &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/#new-features-in-wcag-2-1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;12 new success criteria at the A and AA levels&lt;/a&gt;. Supporting these criteria make it easier for people to use digital technology. Some of the criteria reinforce what should be well-established practice, such as the ability to orient a device horizontally or vertically. Other criteria, such as reflow, help us push our vendors to improve their support for accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The updated Standard also removes minimum dollar amounts for when the Standard applies.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.2 was released in October 2023. Shouldn’t Minnesota be updating to that?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The cross-agency team evaluated 2.2 and determined that it would be challenging to implement all the new criteria before vendors had enough time to build support for it in their technologies.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What should we expect with the new Standard? &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Since last summer, volunteer teams have worked hard to analyze how WCAG 2.1, Level AA impacted their specific role, and what they needed in order to prepare for success. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For State Employees&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We built out a website specifically for State employees that details how the new criteria impacts each role and what to do to effectively incorporate the new criteria into their work. Sample roles include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Content author&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Developer&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;eLearning designer/creator&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Map/GIS professional&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;PDF creator/remediator&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The list is more exhaustive than that, and we expect to add more roles as we mature.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For Vendors working with State agencies&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Currently our public website’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/it-procurement.jsp&quot;&gt;accessible procurement site&lt;/a&gt; provides guidance for vendors (review it under the Products tab). We will update this tab to include WCAG 2.1 AA criteria.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For Minnesotans&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Minnesotans expect State services and apps to simply work and be hassle-free. As we implement the new Standard over the next few years, we expect State apps and services to be even more accessible and easier to use. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Where can I find accessibility training?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are many free and paid training opportunities out there. &lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our newsletter&lt;/a&gt; to stay up to date on accessibility topics and training opportunities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The W3C has a good introduction to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;accessibility fundamentals&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;State employees can visit the Office of Accessibility extranet for additional, role-specific training.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Can I report an accessibility issue with a state website or digital program? Or offer a digital accessibility suggestion?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Absolutely! MN.gov has a link in the footer, &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/portal/about-minnesota/accessibility-issues/&quot;&gt;Report an accessibility issue&lt;/a&gt;. Use that link to report issues or offer suggestions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>610208</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2024-02-22T16:44:45Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>This is the latest article in our series “WCAG 2.1 – Improving Digital Accessibility.” This month we asked the lead authors of our data visualization WCAG 2.1 advisory to discuss what data visualization creators need to know to support two WCAG 2.1 criteria: 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus, and 2.5.1 Pointer Gestures.</Description><Audience/><Title>Data Visualization with WCAG 2.1: Content on Hover or Focus, and Pointer Gestures</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Hover or Focus</Subject><Subject>Pointer Gestures</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Data Visualization with WCAG 2.1: Content on Hover or Focus, and Pointer Gestures</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Multiple icons displaying various types of graphs and charts.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/data-visualization-blog_tcm38-607454.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Icon of pie chart showing pull out detail.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/data-visualization-blog-thumb_tcm38-607455.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2024-1 - Content on Hover or Focus, and Pointer Gestures</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-607342&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2024-01-24T18:53:21Z</Date><ShortDescription>This is the latest article in our series “WCAG 2.1 – Improving Digital Accessibility.” This month we asked the lead authors of our data visualization WCAG 2.1 advisory to discuss what data visualization creators need to know to support two WCAG 2.1 criteria: 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus, and 2.5.1 Pointer Gestures.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Two of our data visualization experts discuss how to support and test the Guidelines Content on Hover or Focus, and Pointer Gestures for more accessible and usable websites and apps.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By: Nancy Rice, Research Scientist, Health Risk Assessment Unit for Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), and Becky Bernauer, Digital Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota IT Services partnering with MDH.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Editor’s note: This is the latest article in our series “WCAG 2.1 – Improving Digital Accessibility.” Missed the first installments? Use the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/list/appId/1/filterType/Category/filterValue/Accessibility/page/1/sort//order/&quot;&gt;#Accessibility tag on our blog page&lt;/a&gt; then search the page for WCAG 2.1. Subscribe to be sure you get each installment in this series! (The link is at the bottom of this page.)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This is a quick review of two WCAG 2.1 success criteria – 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus, and 2.5.1 Pointer Gestures. The article is aimed at data visualization designers and developers who already have some familiarity with digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Content on Hover or Focus (AA)&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This success criterion is intended to ensure the user is aware of content that pops up, and that the pop-up content is dismissible, hoverable, and persistent. Within visualizations, tooltips are often set to pop up when a person uses the mouse to hover over a feature, like a county in a map or a bar in a bar chart. At times, the tooltip will offer information that can’t be obtained elsewhere. A tooltip that disappears too quickly could prevent some users from getting the information, like keyboard-only users or blind or low-vision users. Therefore, a tooltip should persist until the user dismisses it by moving away from the feature or dismissing the content another way. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;On the other hand, if a tooltip is already showing or pops up unexpectedly, dismissing the content be can difficult, especially without using a mouse, making the visualization less accessible for some users.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;One solution is to ensure that the tooltip is available to both keyboard and mouse users. However, some platforms, such as Tableau, do not currently support this functionality.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A simpler solution is to avoid the use of hover pop ups and tooltips within data visualizations. If tooltips are necessary, offer the information in another way, such as:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Directly from the web page in a table.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;In text coded in html.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Via an accessible PDF file.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Within a downloadable table. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When using pop-up tooltips, provide instructions when possible within the tooltip on how to dismiss the popup window, such as “Select the Escape (Esc) key to dismiss.” Data visualization creators should test for accessibility using only a keyboard for navigation and create a workaround when needed to provide sufficient information.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;References&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;See &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/content-on-hover-or-focus.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;2.5.1 Pointer Gestures (A)&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This success criterion concerns using a path-based gesture to accomplish a goal with a visualization. There are some examples in Tableau (and possibly other data visualization software) that could require complex keystrokes or mouse clicks. A couple of examples are: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Making multiple selections from areas on maps while holding down the Control key.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Using a mouse to select multiple points in a scatter plot while holding the Control key. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This complex action might be difficult for some users. In these cases, another option for making the selection would be needed, such as a pre-set group of points that can be selected with one click. For example, a pre-set filter for a group of counties in a region or a group of facilities. Fortunately, users can accomplish most tasks with simple gestures or by using filters within interactive visualizations. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;On mobile devices, some screen readers may require complex gestures to focus or read information. For example, Voiceover on iPhones and iPads natively require a rotor action (twisting two fingers in a circle, like turning a dial), to make a selection. This might be a hindrance to some users, but this interaction with the screen reader and mobile device is beyond the control of the data visualization creators. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Testing&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Data visualization creators should test their dashboards to ensure that users can easily access the elements without complex gestures on mobile devices (e.g., touch screens) and on desktops without a mouse. If gestures are complex, the data visualization creator will need to provide another way to accomplish the same outcome, such as:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Setting a button programmed to accomplish basic common data requests.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Providing information in an easily accessible format, such as a table available from a panel that can be revealed by selecting a link.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;References&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;See &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/pointer-gestures.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2.5.1 Pointer Gestures.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>607342</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2024-09-23T18:22:27Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>Two of our technical experts take a quick dive into how to support and test character key shortcuts (2.1.4) and label in name (2.5.3) for more accessible and usable websites and apps. The article is aimed at experienced developers who already have some familiarity with digital accessibility.</Description><Audience/><Title>WCAG 2.1 Developer tips: Character Key Shortcuts and Label in Name</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>labels in name</Subject><Subject>character key shortcuts</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>WCAG 2.1 Developer Tips: Character Key Shortcuts and Label in Name</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Woman taking notes in front of computer surrounded by imagery of notes and jottings. Text: &quot;WCAG 2.1 Developer Tips.&quot;</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/developer-tips-blog_tcm38-604904.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Woman taking notes in front of computer surrounded by imagery of notes and jottings.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/developer-tips-blog-thumb_tcm38-604908.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2023-12 - Character Key Shortcuts and Label in Name</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-604881&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2023-12-27T18:55:25Z</Date><ShortDescription>This is a “quick dive” into two WCAG 2.1 success criteria – 2.1.4 Character Key Shortcuts and 2.5.3 Label in Name. The article is aimed at experienced developers who already have some familiarity with digital accessibility.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Two of our technical experts take a quick dive into how to support and test character key shortcuts and label in name for more accessible and usable websites and apps.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By: Kim Wee, Webmaster, Minnesota IT Services partnering with MN Department of Education and David Miller, Quality Assurance Lead, Minnesota IT Services partnering with MN Department of Corrections.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Editor’s note: This is the latest article in our series “WCAG 2.1 – Improving Digital Accessibility.” Missed the first installments? Use the #Accessibility tag on our blog page then search the page for WCAG 2.1. Subscribe to be sure you get each installment in this series! (The link is at the bottom of this page.)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This is a “quick dive” into two WCAG 2.1 success criteria – 2.1.4 Character Key Shortcuts and 2.5.3 Label in Name. &lt;strong&gt;The article is aimed at experienced developers&lt;/strong&gt; who already have some familiarity with digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/keyboard-shortcuts-blog_tcm38-604917.png&quot; title=&quot;keyboard-shortcuts-blog&quot; alt=&quot;keyboard-shortcuts-blog&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;keyboard-shortcuts-blog&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;2.1.4 Character Key Shortcuts &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If a keyboard shortcut is implemented in content using only letter (including upper- and lower-case letters), punctuation, number, or symbol characters, then at least one of the following is true:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Turn off - A mechanism is available to turn the shortcut off.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Remap - A mechanism is available to remap the shortcut to include one or more non-printable keyboard keys (e.g., Ctrl, Alt).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Active only on focus - The keyboard shortcut for a user interface component is only active when that component has focus.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Examples and key messages&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Don&apos;t do single key shortcuts. It could interfere with assistive technology (AT) shortcuts. For example, a JAWS user using the &quot;B&quot; key to jump from button to button on the page.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ensure character-only shortcut keys can be turned off or modified.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Be sure to test for single-key shortcut functionality when considering off-the-shelf software. If single-key shortcuts exist, the software must also provide a way to turn them off or remap them.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Discoverability of keyboard shortcuts that are available for use.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How to&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/general/G217&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Provide a mechanism to allow users to remap or turn off character key shortcuts&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Testing tools&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Keyboard-only testing of all characters.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Testing&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For each character key shortcut:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Determine if the user has the ability either to turn off the shortcut or to remap it to a combination that includes one or more modifier keys.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;An initial challenge for testers is to identify if author-created shortcuts exist, and then determine if existing shortcuts are triggered by character keys without modifiers. 
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Where testers have access to the development team, the existence and nature of shortcut keys can often be determined by asking involved designers and developers. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Where reliable information from the authors is not available, the presence of shortcuts can possibly be identified by checking code (for example, in JavaScript, the presence of keydown, keyup and keypress listeners).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Another means of identifying shortcuts is to review documentation. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Where none of these strategies provide information on the presence of keyboard shortcuts, manual tests will need to be completed to search for the existence of character key shortcuts.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Training&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Search for training by qualified resources on:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Device-Independent User Input Methods.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;WCAG Conformance Testing, Detailed Methodology.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.w3schools.com/accessibility/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;W3C Schools&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;References&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/character-key-shortcuts.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Understanding character key shortcuts&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Barriers&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;None.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/label-in-name-blog_tcm38-604918.png&quot; title=&quot;label-in-name-blog&quot; alt=&quot;label-in-name-blog&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;label-in-name-blog&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;2.5.3 Label in Name&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For user interface components with labels that include text or images of text, the name contains the text that is presented visually.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A best practice is to have the text of the label at the start of the name.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Examples and key messages &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The visual label for controls is a trigger for speech activation.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Where practical, make the control’s text label and name match.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The criteria have  potential for big impact on development across the work we do, including how we apply “accessible name” to elements such as buttons, links, etc. (for example, &quot;edit&quot; or &quot;view&quot; links/buttons in a table).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Assistive technology uses the name to identify the control to the user. This means it can be programmatically determined and why it is often referred to as the accessible name. The accessible name is not related to the name attribute on input elements.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Visually present the &quot;label.&quot; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Where two strings cannot be grammatically or seamlessly combined using aria-labelledby, you can use aria-label to make a new name which includes the visible label. For example: ...end of news story. &amp;lt;a href=&quot;poor.html&quot; aria-label=&quot;Read more about Insufficient link names&quot;&amp;gt;Read more&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use aria-labelledby to concatenate generic link text with other information.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The aria-label property affects assistive technology users in one of two ways, depending on the role of the element. When applied to an element with one of the roles that supports naming from child content, aria-label hides descendant content from assistive technology users and replaces it with the value of aria-label. However, when applied to nearly any other type of element, assistive technologies will render both the value of aria-label and the content of the element.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Three principles of accessible name: &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;ol style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;All interactive elements must have an accessible name. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;An element can only have one accessible name. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;To be sure of the name, you must test with a screen reader or inspect the HTML.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How to&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/general/G208&quot;&gt;Including the text of the visible label as part of the accessible name&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/general/G211&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Matching the accessible name to the visible label&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Testing tools&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Dev Tools (browser).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ssa.gov/accessibility/andi/help/install.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;ANDI&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.deque.com/axe/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Axe Dev Tools Extension&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Browser accessibility tab to see the accessibility tree.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Testing&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For all controls with a visible label, check that:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The accessible name of the control contains the same letters in the same order as the visible label.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For input controls:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Examine each input that has adjacent text which serves as its label.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For each input, check that the entire string of text (disregarding letter case and punctuation) matches the accessible name for the input, according to the accessible name computation.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For buttons, links, menus, and other non-input controls, examine each control that contains text which serves as its label.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For each non-input control, check that the entire string of text (disregarding letter case and punctuation) matches the accessible name for the input.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Training:&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Search for training by qualified resources on:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Device-Independent User Input Methods.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;WCAG Conformance Testing, Detailed Methodology.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.w3schools.com/accessibility/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;W3C Schools&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;References&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/accname-1.1//&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Accessible Name and Description Computation 1.1&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/html-aam-1.0/#accessible-name-and-description-computation&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;HTML Accessibility API Mappings 1.0&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Using &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/aria#ARIA7&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;aria-labelledby&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/aria#ARIA8&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;aria-label&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Barriers&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Title tag - for label (screen readers do not read this and it does not get picked up in the accessibility API of the browser).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>604881</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2024-09-23T18:22:28Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>WCAG 2.1 provides useful tools to help map creators improve the accessibility of their maps. Two of our map experts take a quick dive into how to use identify input purpose and text spacing for more accessible and usable maps.</Description><Audience/><Title>What Does the A Mean in DEAI? </Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>DEAI</Subject><Subject>DEI</Subject><Subject>Disability</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>WCAG 2.1 makes maps easier to use</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Haloed text &quot;Autocomplete and Text Spacing&quot; in a callout box over a map.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/autocomplete-text-spacing-blog_tcm38-600423.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Haloed text &quot;Aa&quot; in a callout box over a map.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/autocomplete-text-spacing-blog-thumb_tcm38-600424.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2023-11 - Autocomplete and Text Spacing for Maps</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-600376&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2023-11-20T18:39:35Z</Date><ShortDescription>WCAG 2.1 provides useful tools to help map creators improve the accessibility of their maps. Two of our map experts take a quick dive into how to use identify input purpose and text spacing for more accessible and usable maps.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Two of our map experts take a quick dive into how to use identify input purpose and text spacing for more accessible and usable maps.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By: Greta Poser, GIS Specialist, Minnesota IT Services and Jennifer Strahan, Geospatial Application Developer, Minnesota IT Services.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Editor’s note: This is the latest article in our series “WCAG 2.1 – Improving Digital Accessibility”. Missed the first installment? Read it in the March Newsletter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/570818&quot;&gt;Improving Navigation Menus and Focus Indicators&lt;/a&gt;. Subscribe to be sure you get each installment in this series! (The link is at the bottom of this page.)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;At the State of Minnesota, role-based teams are looking at the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 criteria to:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Determine which criteria apply to their role.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What their peers need to learn about the relevant criteria.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What, if any, guidance to provide.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This article shares what the maps team came up with on two WCAG 2.1 success criteria:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose (AA)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;1.4.12 Text Spacing (AA)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose (AA)&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Greta Poser, GIS Specialist at Minnesota IT Services (MNIT), noted that &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/#identify-input-purpose&quot;&gt;Identify Input Purpose&lt;/a&gt; can improve map accessibility by making it easier for the user to enter information. Every input field should, besides a label, also be coded to reflect the field’s purpose. This enables the browser’s autocomplete function and helps assistive technology (AT) communicate the purpose of user input fields in alternative ways.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Page creators do this through HTML type and autocomplete attributes, although there are a limited number of html type and autocomplete attribute options. It is likely that user input fields in a web map application may not have an appropriate autocomplete attribute value. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some common examples in GIS where you would leverage the autocomplete attribute include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If a user submits a report about a location and you want to follow up with the user, use autocomplete attributes for their name, phone number, and email inputs. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If a user wants to search a map for their home address to find features in their neighborhood, use autocomplete for the address search box. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use autocomplete when a user can input their preferred language to render the map.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here’s a sample code for using autocomplete in a map: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Provide your home address for a map to your polling place:&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;div&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;label for=”address”&amp;gt;Address&amp;lt;/label&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;input autocomplete=”street-address” id=”address” type=”text”&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;div&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;label for=”city”&amp;gt;City&amp;lt;/label&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;input autocomplete=”address-level2” id=”city” type=”text”&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;div&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;label for=”state”&amp;gt;State&amp;lt;/label&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;input autocomplete=”address-level1” id=”state” type=”text”&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;div&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;label for=”zip”&amp;gt;ZIP code&amp;lt;/label&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;input autocomplete=”postal-code” id=”zip” type=”text”&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;lt;div&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Keep in mind that the autocomplete attribute values are intended to be about personal user information (their address, their name, their photo), so they will not apply in a GIS situation when gathering information about other features. For example, you would not use the “name” attribute for a field used to input the name of a place or the name of a photo. The “name” attribute would only apply to a field asking for the user’s name.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Other Uses of Input Purpose&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose isn’t just about autocomplete. For example, the type attribute for input fields in HTML identifies a general classification of expected values, such as “tel” for a telephone number and “date” when a date value is expected. The type attribute does not imply the value entered is the user’s personal information, so it can take a wider variety of inputs. For example, “type=date” could be used when asking the user to provide a search date to display data on a map. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This isn’t limited to text. Page designers can use other methods for identifying input purpose, such as Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) symbols. As more map creators and page designers become familiar with the criterion, we can expect a richer, more robust use of this technology.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tools and Techniques:&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use HTML type and autocomplete attributes to state input purpose when applicable. Preview your application in landscape and portrait mode to test compatibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Training:&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/#input-purposes&quot;&gt;W3C on input purpose&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/html/H98&quot;&gt;Using HTML 5.2 autocomplete attributes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;References:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/identify-input-purpose.html&quot;&gt;Understanding Input Purpose&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/quickref/?showtechniques=136#identify-input-purpose&quot;&gt;Show techniques Input Purpose&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;1.4.12 Text Spacing (AA)&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;MNIT Geospatial Application Developer Jennifer Strahan noted that the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/#text-spacing&quot;&gt;Text Spacing criterion&lt;/a&gt; ensures that content is still available, legible, and functional if users increase the text spacing of the web map application. The web application does not need to provide tools or options for users to increase the spacing. Users likely have their own tools and techniques. If content overflows a fixed-size container due to the spacing changes, it is acceptable to truncate with an ellipsis, as long as the truncated text is still available (either on focus or as a linked page). &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Legends and popups are common examples of text spacing, as shown in these two illustrations. Figure 1 presents a typical view and Figure 2 shows the same page with text spacing applied. Note how the text fields enlarged to accommodate the spacing.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/eqb_map_tcm38-600420.png&quot; title=&quot;Minnesota Environmental Quality Review Board map. Legend lists color and shape coding for different types of environmental review projects. Focus on one project shows popup providing project detail.&quot; alt=&quot;Minnesota Environmental Quality Review Board map. Legend lists color and shape coding for different types of environmental review projects. Focus on one project shows popup providing project detail.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;eqb_map&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Figure 1: Map example with standard text spacing.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/eqb_map_spacing_tcm38-600419.png&quot; title=&quot;The same Minnesota Environmental Quality Review Board map as shown previously. This version has more spacing between text in the legend and popup. The display boxes are slightly larger to accommodate the extra white space.&quot; alt=&quot;The same Minnesota Environmental Quality Review Board map as shown previously. This version has more spacing between text in the legend and popup. The display boxes are slightly larger to accommodate the extra white space.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;eqb_map_spacing&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Figure 2: Map example with text spacing applied by user.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The legend widget in ArcGIS Maps SDK for JS handles text spacing increases well, wrapping text when necessary. Map designers should consider using brief names for layers so that the user does not have to scroll as much to see other legend items.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Map popups in the ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript (a developer product for building mapping and spatial analysis applications for the web) resize dynamically when the text spacing changes, so there should be no issues with popups. If the popup has a lot of content, consider docking it. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What about the map itself, outside of the legend and popups?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For the map itself, the user-specified text spacing settings will not alter labels on the map unless the labels are generated client-side and can be styled with CSS. Interactive maps are commonly made up of map images that have been generated by a server. Success criterion 1.4.12 applies only to markup-based text. Images of text are not expected to adapt. Map developers should test to ensure that any CSS styled client-side labels remain functional if the user specifies new text spacing settings. Elements that are a part of the map user interface, such as sidebars, search results, layer pickers, legends and popups should also be functional and legible if the user adjusts text spacing.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tools and Instructions:&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To test an application for compliance, apply the following text spacing settings with a user-agent css file or try this &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.html5accessibility.com/tests/tsbookmarklet.html&quot;&gt;bookmarklet&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Line height (line spacing) to at least 1.5 times the font size;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Spacing following paragraphs to at least 2 times the font size;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Letter spacing (tracking) to at least 0.12 times the font size;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Word spacing to at least 0.16 times the font size.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;References:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/text-spacing.html&quot;&gt;Understanding Text Spacing&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>600376</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2023-11-20T18:40:07Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>As we strive to be more diverse, equitable, and inclusive it is important to consider the needs of people with disabilities and the tremendous value and perspectives they bring to our organization, our communities, and society as a whole. </Description><Audience/><Title>What Does the A Mean in DEAI? </Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>DEAI</Subject><Subject>DEI</Subject><Subject>Disability</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>What Does the A Mean in DEAI? </Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>The text &quot;DEAI&quot; with words indicating what each letter means: Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, Inclusion</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/DEAI_blog_tcm38-597291.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>The text &quot;DEAI&quot;</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/DEAI_blog_thumb_tcm38-597292.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2023-10 - What Does the A Mean in DEAI?</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-597286&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2023-10-25T18:28:43Z</Date><ShortDescription>As we strive to be more diverse, equitable, and inclusive it is important to consider the needs of people with disabilities and the tremendous value and perspectives they bring to our organization, our communities, and society as a whole. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>Why disability inclusion matters</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By: Tamara Sawyer, Minnesota Management and Budget&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;DEAI. We’ve all seen this acronym. It means Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion. Right? Well, not quite. The “A” in this case stands for Accessibility. Technically speaking, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Accessibility fall under two different sets of federal laws and regulations. Therefore, we do not see the two put together very often. So why have we chosen to include accessibility when discussing DEI ideas?  People with disabilities, like others, sometimes face discrimination and exclusion. As we strive to be more diverse, equitable, and inclusive it is important to consider the needs of people with disabilities and the tremendous value and perspectives they bring to our organization, our communities, and society as a whole. Second, disabilities do not discriminate, and neither should we.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A quick look at the data&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;People from all statistical groups (race, religion, gender, national origin, etc.) may have one or more disabilities. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control  &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/infographic-disability-impacts-all.html&quot;&gt;CDC&lt;/a&gt;, 27% (that’s 1 in 4) of the adults in the U.S. have some type of disability. Yet people with disabilities have a higher unemployment rate than other statistical groups. According to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t06.htm&quot;&gt;Bureau of Labor Statistics&lt;/a&gt; (see table below), in September of 2023, people without disabilities had a 3.8 percent unemployment rate, while people with a disability had a 7.5 percent unemployment rate. That’s more than double the rate of those without disabilities. In addition, according to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.centerondisability.org/ada_parc/utils/indicators.php?id=32&quot;&gt;Center on Disability&lt;/a&gt; website, in the United States, the median household income of people with a disability was $43,000 compared to $68,000 for a person without a disability. The point of the DEI movement within our state agencies is to foster a culture of inclusion and increase equity for people in marginalized communities. As the statistics show, the disability community is a marginalized group.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;table style=&quot;width:100%; text-align: left;&quot;&gt;
&lt;thead style=&quot;background-color:#9BCBEB; color:black;&quot;&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;th style=&quot;padding: 10px; background-color:#9BCBEB; color:black;&quot; rowspan=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Employment status, sex, and age&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th style=&quot;padding: 10px; background-color:#9BCBEB; color:black;&quot; colspan=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Persons with a disability&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th style=&quot;padding: 10px; background-color:#9BCBEB; color:black;&quot; colspan=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Persons with no disability&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;th style=&quot;padding: 10px; background-color:#9BCBEB; color:black;&quot;&gt;Sept. 2022&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th style=&quot;padding: 10px; background-color:#9BCBEB; color:black;&quot;&gt;Sept. 2023&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th style=&quot;padding: 10px; background-color:#9BCBEB; color:black;&quot;&gt;Sept. 2022&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th style=&quot;padding: 10px; background-color:#9BCBEB; color:black;&quot;&gt;Sept. 2023&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/thead&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr style=&quot;background-color: #E8F4FD;&quot;&gt;
&lt;th style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-0-0&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;TOTAL, 16 years and over&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; colspan=&quot;4&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-0-2 cps_empsit_disable-1-3&quot;&gt; &lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;th style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-0-0&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Civilian noninstitutional population&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-3-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-1 cps_empsit_disable-1-0&quot;&gt;33,223&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-3-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-1 cps_empsit_disable-1-1&quot;&gt;34,146&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-3-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-2 cps_empsit_disable-1-2&quot;&gt;231,132&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-3-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-2 cps_empsit_disable-1-3&quot;&gt;233,282&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style=&quot;background-color: #E8F4FD;&quot;&gt;
&lt;th style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-0-0&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Civilian labor force&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-4-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-1 cps_empsit_disable-1-0&quot;&gt;7,710&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-4-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-1 cps_empsit_disable-1-1&quot;&gt;8,275&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-4-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-2 cps_empsit_disable-1-2&quot;&gt;156,753&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-4-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-2 cps_empsit_disable-1-3&quot;&gt;159,443&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;th style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-0-0&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Participation rate&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-5-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-1 cps_empsit_disable-1-0&quot;&gt;23.2&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-5-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-1 cps_empsit_disable-1-1&quot;&gt;24.2&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-5-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-2 cps_empsit_disable-1-2&quot;&gt;67.8&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-5-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-2 cps_empsit_disable-1-3&quot;&gt;68.3&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style=&quot;background-color: #E8F4FD;&quot;&gt;
&lt;th style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-0-0&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Employed&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-6-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-1 cps_empsit_disable-1-0&quot;&gt;7,145&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-6-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-1 cps_empsit_disable-1-1&quot;&gt;7,674&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-6-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-2 cps_empsit_disable-1-2&quot;&gt;151,858&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-6-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-2 cps_empsit_disable-1-3&quot;&gt;153,995&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;th style=&quot;padding: 10px 10px 10px 50px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-0-0&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Employment-population ratio&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px 10px 10px 50px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-7-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-1 cps_empsit_disable-1-0&quot;&gt;21.5&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px 10px 10px 50px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-7-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-1 cps_empsit_disable-1-1&quot;&gt;22.5&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px 10px 10px 50px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-7-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-2 cps_empsit_disable-1-2&quot;&gt;65.7&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px 10px 10px 50px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-7-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-2 cps_empsit_disable-1-3&quot;&gt;66.0&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style=&quot;background-color: #E8F4FD;&quot;&gt;
&lt;th style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-0-0&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Unemployed&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-8-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-1 cps_empsit_disable-1-0&quot;&gt;565&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-8-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-1 cps_empsit_disable-1-1&quot;&gt;601&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-8-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-2 cps_empsit_disable-1-2&quot;&gt;4,894&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-8-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-2 cps_empsit_disable-1-3&quot;&gt;5,447&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style=&quot;background-color: gold&quot;&gt;
&lt;th style=&quot;padding: 10px 10px 10px 50px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-0-0&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Unemployment rate&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px 10px 10px 50px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-7-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-1 cps_empsit_disable-1-0&quot;&gt;7.7&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px 10px 10px 50px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-7-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-1 cps_empsit_disable-1-1&quot;&gt;7.4&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px 10px 10px 50px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-7-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-2 cps_empsit_disable-1-2&quot;&gt;3.6&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px 10px 10px 50px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-7-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-2 cps_empsit_disable-1-3&quot;&gt;3.8&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr style=&quot;background-color: #E8F4FD;&quot;&gt;
&lt;th style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-0-0&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Not in labor force&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-6-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-1 cps_empsit_disable-1-0&quot;&gt;25,033&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-6-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-1 cps_empsit_disable-1-1&quot;&gt;25,582&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-6-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-2 cps_empsit_disable-1-2&quot;&gt;74,180&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;padding: 10px;&quot; headers=&quot;cps_empsit_disable-6-0 cps_empsit_disable-0-2 cps_empsit_disable-1-3&quot;&gt;73,582&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Disability models&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are multiple ways, or models, used to define a disability. In this article, we will look at the medical model and social model. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;According to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/psychology-teacher-network/introductory-psychology/disability-models&quot;&gt;American Psychological Association&lt;/a&gt; (APA), the medical model is “perceived as an impairment in a body system or function that is inherently pathological.” The medical model uses very clinical language. This model basically translates that the body of the person with the disability is broken and needs to be fixed. It suggests it is not society’s fault a person cannot participate in everything others can. This model is used in the medical, mental health, and education fields. While the medical model sounds (and is) harsh, it has driven developments in health care to improve the lives of many. The downside of the medical model is that it puts the onus on the individual to change to fit into society.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By comparison, the APA states the social model of disability is “seen as one aspect of a person’s identity, much like race/ethnicity, gender, etc.” The author goes on to state, “… disability is believed to result from a mismatch between the disabled person and the environment (both physical and social).” The social model believes the environment is to blame for creating spaces that some people cannot function in. This model is used to build relationships and foster understanding. It holds that a disability should not stop someone from engaging in the same activities others get to enjoy, such as being gainfully employed in a field of their choosing.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By putting the “A” into DEAI, organizations make the conscious decision to include all people, including those with disabilities, in our efforts to provide a diverse and equitable workspace for everyone.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>597286</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2023-10-30T18:28:57Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>To make digital accessibility tests fast and easy, many people try using bookmarklets and browser extensions. </Description><Audience/><Title>Bookmarklets and Browser Extension - Tips for Safe Usage</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>bookmarklets</Subject><Subject>browser extensions</Subject><Subject>security</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Bookmarklets and Browser Extension - Tips for Safe Usage</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Icons indicating a plug into a browser with a bookmarklet logo on the side</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/bookmarklets-and-browser-extensions-blog_tcm38-597343.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Icons indicating a plug into a browser with a bookmarklet logo on the side</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/bookmarklets-and-browser-extensions-blog-thumb_tcm38-597344.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2023-10 - Bookmarklets</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-597293&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2023-10-25T18:28:25Z</Date><ShortDescription>To make digital accessibility tests fast and easy, many people try using bookmarklets and browser extensions. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>Learn about bookmarklets and how to safely use them.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By: Lisa Ulrich, Minnesota IT Services Security Architect &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To make digital accessibility tests fast and easy, many people try using bookmarklets and browser extensions. These can be good tools to use. But like all things we use on our computers, we need to: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Choose our tools with security in mind.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Consider the type of data we enter when using them.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Definitions of common tools&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Start by learning the definitions of these common tools.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A bookmarklet is a small piece of JavaScript code that saves as a browser bookmark. When you click on a bookmarklet, the JavaScript code executes in your browser. This code can do anything that JavaScript can do, such as: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Add a filter to a web page.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Change the text on a web page.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Open a new web page.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A browser extension is a software program that adds new features or functionality to your browser. You can use extensions to do things like: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Block ads.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Change the look of your browser.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Add new tools and features.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Bookmarklets: Risks and Safe Usage &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When you click on a bookmarklet, it runs the JavaScript code that was saved as a bookmark. This JavaScript code is executed in your browser. Cyber criminals can use this code to steal your data, install malware, read your passwords stored in your cookies or even take control of your computer.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here are some of the risks associated with using bookmarklets:&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Cyber criminals can use malicious bookmarklets to steal your personal data, such as your passwords, credit card numbers, or social security number. They may also use them to install malware on your computer which can damage your files or even take control of your computer.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Bookmarklets code can read other tabs you have open.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Cyber attackers may target bookmarklets. They can make changes to the code to make them malicious.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To minimize the risk of using bookmarklets, you should:&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Only use bookmarklets from trusted sources.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Be careful about what information you enter on websites that you access using bookmarklets. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Open a new browser incognito window when using bookmarklets.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Be aware of other tabs you have open before running a bookmarklet.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use test accounts while using bookmarklets. Do not enter your work or personal account usernames and passwords. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Risks and Safe Usage for Browser Extensions &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Browser extensions are software programs that add new features or functionality to your browser. You can use them to do things like: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Block ads.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Change the look of your browser.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Add new tools and features.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Be aware that browser extensions can also pose security risks. Here are some of the associated risks:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Malicious extensions:&lt;/strong&gt; Cyber criminals can use them to steal your personal data, such as your passwords, credit card numbers, or social security number. They may also use them to install malware on your computer. This can damage your files or even let them take control of your computer.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Permissions:&lt;/strong&gt; When you install a browser extension, you grant it certain permissions. These permissions can allow the extension to access your personal data, such as your browsing history, cookies, and bookmarks. If the extension is malicious, it can use these permissions to steal your data or track your browsing activity.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update vulnerabilities:&lt;/strong&gt; Browser extensions are software programs. This makes them susceptible to security vulnerabilities. If an extension is not properly updated, attackers can use these vulnerabilities to gain access to your computer.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Browser extensions typically are not updated by your IT department and it is up to you to be sure they kept up to date.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Improve the Security When Using Extensions&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To minimize the risk of using browser extensions, you should:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Only install browser extensions from trusted sources.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Read the permissions carefully before installing an extension. Only install extensions that you trust and that only need the permissions that they need.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Keep your browser and extensions up to date with the latest security patches.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Avoid browser extensions that are not approved especially when accessing high-compliance data.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Browser extensions can affect your computer’s overall performance. Remove ones not in use.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fact:&lt;/strong&gt; Incognito mode does not protect your data from a browser extension or bookmarklet.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By following these tips, you can help to minimize the risk of using bookmarklets and browser extensions. Help keep your data safe.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>597293</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2023-10-30T18:28:57Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>The State of Minnesota’s preparations for WCAG 2.1 are in full swing! Learn from steering committee members how they are preparing their teams for the new standard.</Description><Audience/><Title>Leaders are  Preparing Minnesota for a More Accessible Technology Future</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Subject>leadership</Subject><Subject>strategy</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Leaders are  Preparing Minnesota for a More Accessible Technology Future</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Leader is holding on to a flagpole and facing a group of people. They are all (including the leader) holding hands, ascending an upwards arrow.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/wcag-2.1-leadership-blog_tcm38-592511.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Leader is holding on to a flagpole and facing a person. They and the leader are holding hands, ascending an upwards arrow.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/wcag-2.1-leadership-blog-thumb_tcm38-592512.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2023-09 - WCAG 2.1 Steering</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-592504&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2023-09-25T18:00:44Z</Date><ShortDescription>The State of Minnesota’s preparations for WCAG 2.1 are in full swing! Learn from steering committee members how they are preparing their teams for the new standard.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Learn their WCAG 2.1 Preparation Plans</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By: Jennie Delisi, Office of Accessibility&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The State of Minnesota is preparing to change their digital accessibility standard. This will continue to include Section 508. The change will meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 A and AA, instead of 2.0. To get ready for the change, a steering committee meets regularly to guide the process. Leaders from many areas of state government gather to discuss how to approach the change. They are considering: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Technology used by their teams.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Training their employees will need in order to meet the new success criteria.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Workflows that will need updating.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This month we reached out to some of the committee members. We wanted to learn:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How are you preparing for the move to WCAG 2.1?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What kinds of work are you thinking about as you prepare?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Are there key team members you are working with on your plans?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Chief Business Technology Officer&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;State government work involves a variety of technologies, some very specific to the needs of an agency. Key to the planning and operations of this technology is a Chief Business Technology Officer (CBTO). Involving a CBTO on the steering committee helps identify areas where the new success criteria will impact mission critical work. It also helps align with the Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) enterprise strategy.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“The MNIT teams partnering with Department of Transportation are passionate about their work as public servants. We know leaning into accessibility is an essential part of improving the customer experience,” says Interim Chief Business Technology Officer Kimberly Roberson. She says her team thinks about MNIT’s mission and vision: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mission:&lt;/strong&gt; to “improve the lives of all Minnesotans.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Vision:&lt;/strong&gt; “an innovative digital government that works for all.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“WCAG 2.1 gives us a way to assess where we are today and guides the path forward. I volunteered to be a member of the steering committee working to mobilize the State&apos;s valuable knowledge workers by role, and to support the WCAG 2.1 adoption.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When asked about her team’s work, and considerations related to WCAG 2.1, Roberson shared some of their plan. “Notably, our partner agency leverages the marketplace and often buys Software as a Service (SaaS) and Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) solutions. The team plans to assess and inventory. We will track, measure, and as time goes on, improve accessibility across the application/software portfolio for the future.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Agency Planning Director&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Agency leadership understand agency business needs. Technology is an important part of achieving their goals. Marcia Honold is the Planning Director for the Operations Services Division of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR). She brings a deep understanding of how the new success criteria will impact agency work internally, but also as they connect with Minnesotans.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Honold shares, &quot;It is a privilege to be a part of the MNIT WCAG 2.1 Steering Team and to work with such a talented group of people dedicated to accessibility.  I support our shared services (internal businesses) at the DNR. Consistent communications are key. I anticipate that there will be some challenges, so maintaining flexibility and being adaptable to change will be critical to our success.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;She has already identified methods for improving adoption and skills. &quot;Training! I know that improving my accessibility skills will make the transition easier for me and my colleagues. Our accessibility coordinator, Rebecca Blomquist, strongly encourages content creators to build accessibility functionality upfront to reduce remediation efforts.  She’s also working to ensure DNR’s operational orders and policies are aligned with the move to WCAG 2.1.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Council&apos;s Executive Director&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Advocacy work to spur and sustain change to support the needs of Minnesotans and employees with disabilities is the focus of groups like the Minnesota Council on Disability. David Dively, Executive Director, is working with several stakeholders to prepare for the update to the standard. &quot;Digital accessibility is the next frontier of access. We are proud to advocate for WCAG standards in our state enterprise. How we communicate with digital tools is directly impacted. We will need to update the guidance we give to government and public partners as we assist and encourage others to become digitally accessible.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Dively&apos;s plan is a multi-pronged approach. &quot;We are working with our Digital Accessibility Coordinator to ensure we are ready within our organization and spreading the word to our partners. For many, it is still about awareness. So helping folks understand the importance of accessibility and the basic principles of access make a big difference. Digital access is the new, current way that people engage with their government. We believe that is a right for everyone.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You are an Accessibility Leader Too!&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Regardless of your role in your organization, you can be an accessibility leader. Some steps to take as you prepare, based on the information shared by these steering committee members:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Increase awareness.&lt;/strong&gt; Talk about the upcoming changes with your supervisors, your team members and colleagues.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Identify tasks, workflows, and policies that may need to change or update.&lt;/strong&gt; This may involve internal communications and processes. This may impact public facing websites, emails, and newsletters.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Plan training.&lt;/strong&gt; Your digital accessibility coordinator can share more about what is available. Your staff will need to reserve time to review the training. And, they will need time to practice and problem-solve issues they may not have anticipated. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Work together.&lt;/strong&gt; There are members of each of your networks also trying to figure out how best to approach the new standard. Reach out to them.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility is part of everyone&apos;s job. Together we can steer the State of Minnesota towards more accessible digital interactions and technologies.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>592504</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2023-09-25T19:38:58Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>Include accessibility in your social media strategy and training to get more attention! This will help recruiters, communication teams, and anyone wanting to amplify their message’s reach.</Description><Audience/><Title>How to Get 12% More LinkedIn Followers, Impressions, and Clicks!</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>LinkedIn</Subject><Subject>Social media</Subject><Subject>SEO</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>How to Get 12% More LinkedIn Followers, Impressions, and Clicks!</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>LinkedIn logo with upward arrows to the side.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/linked-in-accessibility-blog_tcm38-587778.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>LinkedIn Logo</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/linked-in-accessibility-blog-thumb_tcm38-587795.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2023-08 - LinkedIn Accessibility</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-587745&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2023-08-23T18:00:44Z</Date><ShortDescription>Include accessibility in your social media strategy and training to get more attention! This will help recruiters, communication teams, and anyone wanting to amplify their message’s reach.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Practical Accessibility Tips and Tricks</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By: Jennie Delisi, Office of Accessibility&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Thank you to Karla Larson, Minnesota IT Services’ Recruiting and Retention Director, for her contributions to this article.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You may use LinkedIn to promote a post, a government agency or company, or yourself. Your accessibility know-how can amplify your reach. According to LinkedIn’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.linkedin.com/company/linkedin/&quot;&gt;profile page&lt;/a&gt; they have “More than 850 million members worldwide, including executives from every Fortune 500 company.” 12% of those members (based on statistics listed in a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.bls.gov/news.release/disabl.nr0.htm&quot;&gt;report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for 2022&lt;/a&gt; ) may have a disability - 102 million. That’s a lot of potential followers, impressions, and clicks!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This article will give you the scoop on what you need to know when preparing:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Posts.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Profile and company pages.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Articles on LinkedIn.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Do you link to webpages, documents, and other social media content like YouTube videos? Are you creating online learning experiences with LinkedIn Learning? Those need to be accessible too! Learn more about accessibility for those types of technologies on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility website&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Paragraph Text, Headings, Links&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Text Tips&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Purposefully use emojis and emoticons&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I included emojis and emoticons here because many people add them while drafting their post’s text. Some people may not understand certain emojis and emoticons. For example, many content authors are unaware of what screen reading software announces for a particular emoji, and it may not match what they want to communicate. Or the color contrast may not work well for someone with low vision.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Let’s compare 4 different emojis available on LinkedIn.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/LinkedInEmojis-edited_tcm38-587783.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Emojis: brain, monkey with hands over eyes, dart in the bull&apos;s eye of a target, smiling face.&quot; alt=&quot;Emojis: brain, monkey with hands over eyes, dart in the bull&apos;s eye of a target, smiling face.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;LinkedInEmojis-edited&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In the examples shown here, the brain has 3 shades of pink, with a black outline. If the person reading your post cannot distinguish the different lines in pink from the rest, you might think this outline communicates a cloud.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The monkey has good alternative text (“see-no-evil monkey”) however both the image and the alternative text require your audience to know and remember the reference (if that is why you are using the emoji).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The target with the dart in the bull’s eye uses the alternative text “direct hit,” which is accurate. This may or may not work with all use cases for the emoji related to darts and target.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Finally, this smiley face has good color contrast that is easy to distinguish. It magnifies well. The alternative text is “grinning face” which is good for the typical uses of this emoji. There is a similar emoji available within LinkedIn that says “smiling face with open mouth.” Note: the hover text when selecting the emojis did not match the smiley face’s alternative text. The hover text said “grinning face with big eyes.” For people checking posts who do not use a screen reader, you can learn more about emojis on websites like &lt;a href=&quot;https://emojipedia.org/grinning-face-with-big-eyes&quot;&gt;Emojipedia&lt;/a&gt;. According to their page about this emoji, the Unicode name is what is announcing in the alternative text. More information about emojis and accessibility is in an article listed in the “Text Tricks” section below.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What if I added 5 emojis, each with long alternative text, into my message? It might take some of my readers a long time to listen to the emojis. If so, will they listen to the rest of my post? Keep this in mind when considering the number of emojis you add into your posts.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Definitely keep using emojis if they work for both your message and your readers. When choosing them, consider:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Will they mean the same thing to all of your readers?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Do they have good color contrast?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Do they have good alternative text?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use underlines for links only&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In LinkedIn articles you have more text editing options, like underlining text. This visual cue signals a link in the digital space. Miscuing by using underlined text when something is not a link may frustrate some readers.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Learn the function of available text structures&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For LinkedIn articles (and the hope of this author, for future versions of LinkedIn posts!) you can use text structures. These include headings, bulleted and numbered lists, etc. People using assistive technologies rely on these structures to understand the organization of the information.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Consider the location of links and hashtags in your message. Count them.&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Links and hashtags (which are also links) get “focus” each time a person navigates between “interactive elements” using the tab key or an equivalent to move around the page. People may use this style of navigation with voice-controlled navigation, a screen reader, or other devices. Also, “link” announces for screen reader users before each one. Including many of them require some of your readers more work to consume your message. So how many should you use? There is no definitive answer. You use hashtags to help people find your post or article. People click on hashtags to find posts and articles of interest on a related topic. There is a balance between this “findability” and “usability” (how will people who listen to this or do not use a mouse use this content?). Thinking through how people use your content will help you get some ideas of how to balance these needs.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here’s a “recipe” to consider:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use one hashtag or link to a LinkedIn page in a sentence where it is part of your content.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Follow your main body content with a link to supplemental information (webpages with content, YouTube videos, etc.).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If you’re adding a few hashtags or links to profiles and LinkedIn pages for findability, add them at the very end.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Text Tricks&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bookmark the blog article&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-436147&quot;&gt;Say It With a Face&lt;/a&gt;. As features change, this will help you quickly review accessibility information related to emojis and emoticons to ensure you consider accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Take the Accessible Word Document Training.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/word-document-training.jsp&quot;&gt;Module 2: Working with Styles&lt;/a&gt; covers headings, bulleted, and numbered lists.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Use your tab key to try other people’s content.&lt;/strong&gt; Learn what slows down your ability to get to the content you want. Be sure to try to get to content about halfway down a page. While this is not an exact replication of many people’s experiences, it will help you understand more about the impact of your content choices.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Images&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Image Tips&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Images help improve the actions taken by readers. One reason? They help more readers connect with your message. But not all readers access images the way you may think. And despite the myth that images are not accessible they may improve connections to your content by people with some types of disabilities. First, they help some people better understand your message. And, when you use quality alternative text and good color contrast, more people can access the content.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To improve the accessibility of your images: choose them carefully and follow some accessibility basics.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When drafting content, draft your image’s alternative text&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Good alternative text means sharing the essential elements of the graphic information. Drafting when choosing images means the image, alternative text, and text content work together to complete the communication. You should be able to answer these questions: Why are you including this image? If someone explained it to you over the phone, what would you need to know about it?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Text in your image? Make a plan.&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Sometimes there is too much text to share in the alternative text. Other times, the image text includes things like URLs that readers cannot memorize after hearing it just once. Think about adding it into the content area as well, or have a link to a page with the same content available in text.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Charts, graphs, and other essential graphics need good contrast, good quality images.&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some people have difficulty seeing certain colors or color combinations. Make sure your essential graphics use good contrast. Just like with alternative text, think about why you are sharing this graphic. If someone needs to be able to see certain elements, be sure they are easy to discriminate.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use good quality images. Many people magnify your images. This is especially true for people viewing your content on mobile devices, and people with disabilities impacting their vision. Quality helps with clarity.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Image Tricks&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Make alternative text easy to find for everyone on your production team using the images.&lt;/strong&gt; If multiple people will be using them, consider adding the alternative text using square brackets around it with text “alternative text” to make them easy to find. We do this when drafting our article content. Our team often uses these same images in social media posts. This improves our efficiency and consistency.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Have a decision tree for text in images.&lt;/strong&gt; Short amount of text in the image? Include text contained in the image in the alternative text, and body content. Why also in the body content? This helps people with reading challenges who may use tools to support reading. Longer amount of text in the image of something like an infographic? Include a link to a text description on a web page, or within a document.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Test colors and ability to magnify.&lt;/strong&gt; Use a tool like &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.tpgi.com/color-contrast-checker/&quot;&gt;Colour Contrast Analyser&lt;/a&gt; to test the color of essential elements. Magnify the image to 200%. Does it get blurry? If so, use a higher quality image.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Videos&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A little planning goes a long way. This doesn’t mean you can’t be spontaneous. Have a plan for handling each type of video.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Pre-recorded Video Tips&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Write a script&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A script is going to provide you many accessibility benefits! You will have a chance to verify that you described all essential visuals. This will help people who may not be able to see them or see them well. It will also provide the basis for making very accurate captions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Make a caption file&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Well before the day you want to post, make time to learn &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.3playmedia.com/blog/create-srt-file/&quot;&gt;how to create an SRT (SubRip Subtitle) file&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Next, review how to load the caption file for your video. LinkedIn’s help article provides the steps: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a552177&quot;&gt;Add Closed Captions to Videos on LinkedIn&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Pre-recorded Video Tricks&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Include accessibility into your storyboard:&lt;/strong&gt; Include sounds, talking, easy to add descriptions of visuals.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Add production time for captions into your schedule.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Live video – Streaming Tips&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Know your options&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you have a short video, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/new-linkedin-live-auto-captions-alana-smith-she-her-/&quot;&gt;auto-captions available in LinkedIn&lt;/a&gt; may be appropriate until you have a chance to provide more accurate captions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For longer videos or those providing essential information, consider working with a caption provider. They can provide a link to a webpage and can provide quality captions using CART services. Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division of the Minnesota Department of Human Services has information on &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/deaf-hard-of-hearing/communication-access/cart/&quot;&gt;Real-time captioning&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Pre-plan a post about how to access captions&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In the moment, live video is a lot to manage! Crafting a message ahead of time makes it easy to let your followers know how to access the captions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Great Examples&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Check out the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mndeed_today-commissioner-varilek-and-minnesota-activity-7091883116809650176-dW9q/?utm_source=share&amp;amp;utm_medium=member_desktop&quot;&gt;Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development’s post on July 31, 2023!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/DEEDLinkedInPostImageHashtags-edited_tcm38-587776.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development’s LinkedIn post, described in text after this image.&quot; alt=&quot;Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development’s LinkedIn post, described in text after this image.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;DEEDLinkedInPostImageHashtags-edited&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The author included links to LinkedIn pages (&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.linkedin.com/company/minnesotachamberofcommerce/&quot;&gt;Minnesota Chamber of Commerce’s LinkedIn page&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.linkedin.com/company/faribault-mill/&quot;&gt;Fairbault Mill’s LinkedIn Page&lt;/a&gt;) within the text in a meaningful way.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The author used the following alternative text: “Cmsr Varilek visits Faribault Woolen Mill with Doug Loon, President and CEO of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, and Ross Widmoyer, the CEO of Faribault Mill.&quot;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Minnesota IT Services&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Creativity is part of creating accessible LinkedIn posts. This video includes some visual content important to viewers. The author of this &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.linkedin.com/posts/minnesota-it-services_cybersecurity-basics-with-state-of-minnesota-activity-6990341441097015296-2skj/?utm_source=share&amp;amp;utm_medium=member_desktop&quot;&gt;Minnesota IT Services post with a video about Cybersecurity Basics&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Included the title screen’s text in the post.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ensured the script included the main points included onscreen, like “3. Update your software.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/MNITLinkedInVideoTitle-edited-alternative_tcm38-587852.jpg&quot; title=&quot;LinkedIn post by Minnesota IT Services. Video shows the title screen: Cybersecurity Basics with the State of Minnesota CIO. Post text includes this information.&quot; alt=&quot;LinkedIn post by Minnesota IT Services. Video shows the title screen: Cybersecurity Basics with the State of Minnesota CIO. Post text includes this information.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;MNITLinkedInVideoTitle-edited-alternative&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figcaption style=&quot;margin:15px 0 0&quot;&gt;Caption: The LinkedIn post showing the video&apos;s title page.&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/MNITLinkedInVideoTextOnScreen-jd-edits-alternative_tcm38-587853.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Left image: Minnesota IT Services LinkedIn video with Commissioner Tomes, and text onscreen: 3. Update your software. Right image is the same, with captions onscreen: &amp;quot;Three, update your software, and four.&amp;quot;&quot; alt=&quot;Left image: Minnesota IT Services LinkedIn video with Commissioner Tomes, and text onscreen: 3. Update your software. Right image is the same, with captions onscreen: &amp;quot;Three, update your software, and four.&amp;quot;&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;MNITLinkedInVideoTextOnScreen-jd-edits-alternative&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figcaption style=&quot;margin:15px 0 0&quot;&gt;Caption: Left image has a green banner with blue text. This is onscreen text to emphasize the Commissioner&apos;s point. The right image has captions displaying over this banner - the audio a person hears during the video. The Commissioner is speaking the onscreen text.&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Flaunt Your Knowledge!&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Talking to colleagues and supervisors about your new content strategy to improve accessibility? Here are the specific success criteria from the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, 2. 1, related to the content in this article.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Paragraph Text, Headings, Links&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Information – general: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships – Level A, 1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence– Level A.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Link purpose: 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) – Level A.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Reminder: you can’t add meaningful text to links except in LinkedIn articles (as of our date of publication), but you should know that impact of links without meaningful text.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Headings: 2.4.6 Headings and Labels – Level AA.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Images&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Text alternative: 1.1.1 Non-text Content – Level A.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Images of text: 1.4.5 Images of Text – Level AA.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Other images supporting understanding: 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast – Level AA.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Pre-Recorded Videos&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Captions: 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded) – Level A.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Audio Description or Media Alternative: 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (prerecorded) – Level A.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Audio Description: 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded) – Level AA.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Flashes in videos: 2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below Threshold – Level A.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Live video – Streaming&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Captions: 1.2.4 Captions (Live) – Level AA.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;More Resources&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To prepare for this article, I visited the How to Meet WCAG (Quickref Reference). I selected elements from the filter related to many options available within LinkedIn used by content creators. I chose the WCAG 2.1 version, A and AA levels. You can access that filtered view to learn more information about the topics posted in this article: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/quickref/?currentsidebar=%23col_customize&amp;amp;tags=audio%2Ccaptions%2Ccolor%2Ccontent%2Cflashing%2Cgraphical-objects%2Cheadings%2Cimages%2Cimages-of-text%2Ckeyboard%2Clinks%2Cstreaming%2Ctext%2Ctext-alternatives%2Cvideo%2Czoom&amp;amp;levels=aaa&quot;&gt;Quick Reference with filters for some LinkedIn content&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here are some other resources you may enjoy:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.linkedin.com/accessibility&quot;&gt;LinkedIn’s Accessibility page&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/social-media.jsp&quot;&gt;Social Media section of the Office of Accessibility website&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/SocialMediaQuick%20Card2017_tcm38-294084.pdf&quot;&gt;Social media accessibility quick card (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility’s website&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>587745</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2023-08-23T18:01:05Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>This is the second article in a series called WCAG 2.1 – Improving Digital Accessibility. This month, we asked John Watne, a MNIT digital accessibility coordinator, questions about his ongoing work to improve the accessibility of state web applications for the Minnesota Department of Revenue (MNDOR).</Description><Audience/><Title>WCAG 2.1 – Improving Digital Accessibility of Web Applications: 1.4.13 and 4.1.3</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Subject>focus</Subject><Subject>hover</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>WCAG 2.1 – Improving Digital Accessibility of Web Applications: 1.4.13 and 4.1.3</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Laptop with text onscreen: WCAG 2.1, Improving Digital Accessibility. Ribbon with text: Part 2.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/WCAG%202.1%20Blog_tcm38-585472.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Open laptop. Onscreen: WCAG 2.1 - Improving Digital Accessibility</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/WCAG%202.1%20Blog%20Thumb_tcm38-585484.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2023-07 - 2.1 Showcase: Status Messages</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-584530&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2023-07-25T20:03:33Z</Date><ShortDescription>This is the second article in a series called WCAG 2.1 – Improving Digital Accessibility. This month, we asked John Watne, a MNIT digital accessibility coordinator, questions about his ongoing work to improve the accessibility of state web applications for the Minnesota Department of Revenue (MNDOR).</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Status messages and content on hover or focus</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Editor’s note: This is the second article in our series “WCAG 2.1 – Improving Digital Accessibility”. Missed the first installment? Read it in the March Newsletter: &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/570818&quot;&gt;Improving Navigation Menus and Focus Indicators.&lt;/a&gt; Subscribe to be sure you get each installment in this series! (The link is at the bottom of this page.)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This month, we talked with John Watne, the accessibility coordinator for Minnesota IT Services partnering with the Minnesota Department of Revenue. We asked John about beginning the work to meet WCAG 2.1. This article shares specifically about his experiences with the success criterion for:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/#content-on-hover-or-focus&quot;&gt;1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus (AA)&lt;/a&gt;:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;“Where receiving and then removing pointer hover or keyboard focus triggers additional content to become visible and then hidden, the following are true…” &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The success criterion goes on to describe the specifics of being dismissible, hoverable, and persistent. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It also describes an exception.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/#status-messages&quot;&gt;4.1.3 Status Messages (AA)&lt;/a&gt;:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;“In content implemented using markup languages, status messages can be programmatically determined through role or properties such that they can be presented to the user by assistive technologies without receiving focus.”  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The following are some questions we asked John about his work to improve the digital accessibility for Department of Revenue websites. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Content on Hover or Focus (AA)&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What kinds of content appeared in your application on hover?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Several of our web applications use a Bootstrap Select Picker to implement a drop-down selector for certain items. Each item in the list of choices has both a value and a matching label. The value displays in the list. The matching title contains the same text as what appears in a pop-up for the item on hover. This happens when hovering on the field with the selected value(s) displayed.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The hover text is dismissible by pressing the &amp;lt;Esc&amp;gt; key, or by moving the mouse off the choice. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/popup-dropdown-activated_tcm38-585474.PNG&quot; title=&quot;Screen capture of a popup on a select control with a list of choices in a drop-down menu.&quot; alt=&quot;Screen capture of a popup on a select control with a list of choices in a drop-down menu.&quot; style=&quot;width: 39%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;popup-dropdown-activated&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;Image caption 1: A drop-down list labeled “Room Status” is expanded. Selected values in the text field at the top read “New, Active”. A list of several options appears in the drop-down menu, with checkmarks by the “New” and “Active” choices at the top of the list.&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/popup-dropdown-not-activated_tcm38-585475.PNG&quot; title=&quot;Screen capture of a drop-down list labeled “Room Status,” collapsed state, with “New, Active” text in the control and hover text.&quot; alt=&quot;Screen capture of a drop-down list labeled “Room Status,” collapsed state, with “New, Active” text in the control and hover text.&quot; style=&quot;width: 42%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;popup-dropdown-not-activated&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;Image caption 2: An unexpanded drop-down list labeled “Room Status” shows “New, Active” as the selected choices. The “New, Active” text also appears in a pop-up on mouse hover.&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Did your team use specific methods to find existing content to update? How are you testing to ensure you meet 1.4.13?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When updating a web page, we:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Run it through multiple automated accessibility checkers, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Review any errors or warnings, and &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Correct confirmed violations of WCAG 2.1 at level AA compliance.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
We do this before: 
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Checking in our changes to our version control system.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Requesting a code review. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Pulling those changes into the main code branch.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As part of the code review, we check that any changes are consistent with how we have written similar bits of code in the past. We also verify that code items such as labels are meaningful, correct, and clear for the intended audience.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We use the following three Google Chrome plug-ins to check the accessibility of the pages we work on. Each has their own strengths and may capture errors that one or more of the others do not:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;WebAIM.org’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://wave.webaim.org/extension/&quot;&gt;WAVE web accessibility evaluation tool browser plugin.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Microsoft’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://accessibilityinsights.io/docs/web/overview/&quot; style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Open Sans&amp;quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Accessibility Insights for Web browser plugin.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Open Sans&amp;quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;&quot;&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Deque’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.deque.com/axe/&quot; style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Open Sans&amp;quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Axe&lt;/a&gt; &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Open Sans&amp;quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Accessibility Testing Chrome extension. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Status Messages (AA)&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What considerations did the team have when considering status messages?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are status messages in most, if not all, of our web applications. Many of them, such as Audit Room, allow filtering or searching for specific values in a table with potentially thousands of rows of data. The number of results displays near the updated filtered table.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Several other actions produce dismissible alerts. These indicate either success or failure of the action. Some example alerts include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The Member List export file will be emailed to you. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;New room member John Smith was successfully invited.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Room DEV-jwatne-autowired-discussion was successfully updated.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;This room member already exists. [example of an error message]&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/info-alert_tcm38-585476.png&quot; title=&quot;Screen capture of an information alert, described in image caption.&quot; alt=&quot;Screen capture of an information alert, described in image caption.&quot; style=&quot;width: 60%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;info-alert&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;Image caption 3: Example of an information alert displayed near the top of the page. Information text reads, “The Member List export file will be emailed to you.” “Dismiss” text on the right edge of the line with the alert allows dismissing the alert from the page.&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/error-alert_tcm38-585477.png&quot; title=&quot;Screen capture of an error alert, described in image caption.&quot; alt=&quot;Screen capture of an error alert, described in image caption.&quot; style=&quot;width: 60%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;error-alert&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;Image caption 4: Example of an Error alert displayed near the top of the page. Error text reads, “This room member already exists.” “Dismiss” text on the right edge of the line with the alert allows dismissing the alert from the page.&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Did you add specific steps to plan and meet the success criteria? How did you test to validate the status messages met 2.1?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We used the same testing and correction process as for 1.4.13. Several people work together to decide the text of the alerts:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The developers draft the alert text.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The business owner requests changes or enhancements to the application, based on feedback from the users.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The Department of Revenue’s Communications department is largely responsible for ensuring Revenue’s clear language requirements.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>584530</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2023-07-25T19:08:50Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>Wondering how to make your PDFs conform to WCAG 2.1 – specifically success criteria 1.4.10? Learn what reflow is, how it impacts views of PDFs on different devices, and what you need to know.</Description><Audience/><Title>Oh Snap! Startling Discoveries When You Reflow Your PDF</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Subject>PDF</Subject><Subject>InDesign</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Oh Snap! Startling Discoveries When You Reflow Your PDF</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Different devices displaying a document. Each reflows content based on size of display.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Blog_tcm38-585473.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Devices of different sizes. Each has same document onscreen, reflowed based on screen size.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Blog%20Thumb_tcm38-585485.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2023-07 - PDFs and Reflow</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-584554&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2023-07-25T20:03:33Z</Date><ShortDescription>Wondering how to make your PDFs conform to WCAG 2.1 – specifically success criteria 1.4.10? Learn what reflow is, how it impacts views of PDFs on different devices, and what you need to know.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Our test results and recommendations</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By: Jessica Cavazos, Minnesota Department of Health and Jennie Delisi, Office of Accessibility&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;People use PDFs on many different devices. Each device has a different screen size. People with disabilities may need to zoom in to use the content. When they magnify information, some of the content may move off the screen, so they have to scroll horizontally to read sentences. The 1.4.10 – Reflow success criterion of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 makes sure that in situations like this the content can be enlarged without requiring horizontal scrolling, and that text reflows within the width of the user’s device. Reflow is an interesting success criterion for PDFs because they operate differently than web pages. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Reflow Basics&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Let’s start by defining reflow. Reflow is presenting enlarged (or zoomed) content in one column so that you only scroll in one direction. You may be familiar with this concept for websites that use responsive design. Their content reflows into one column when a person zooms in to over 300%. The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/reflow.html&quot;&gt;Understanding Document for success criterion 1.4.10: Reflow&lt;/a&gt; says “User agents for technologies such as HTML/CSS, PDF, and EPUB have methods for reflowing content to fit the width of the window (viewport).”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As we began to review this, that seemed simple enough. Then, we wondered how that applies to different views.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We considered two views when we began testing. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Desktops:&lt;/strong&gt; people use PDFs in the native application, like Acrobat Reader or Pro DC. You can also open PDFs within the browser.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mobile devices:&lt;/strong&gt; people have many app options. Examples: Acrobat Reader and other PDF viewing apps, and browsers (like opening a PDF in Chrome browser on an iPhone).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And, people creating documents using Adobe InDesign use different techniques that can influence how people access content. For example, an area of content can link to another content area later in the document. You may know this as a threaded story or text frames. This is important to consider when learning about reflow. Imagine if you had to change the visual display of an entire newspaper into a single column! These are the kinds of questions State of Minnesota employees are reviewing as we prepare to adopt WCAG 2.1. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Don’t forget, not all digital information must reflow. In &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-538604&quot;&gt;Easy Read that will Demystify Tables, Reflow, and Magnification&lt;/a&gt; Shoemaker and Watne shared why tables should not reflow. &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/#reflow&quot;&gt;Success criterion 1.4.10&lt;/a&gt; includes the caveat “Except for parts of the content which require two-dimensional layout for usage or meaning.” There are times where reflowing information will make it difficult to understand certain types of content, such as data tables. This article focuses on what should reflow. These are elements of your documents like headings, paragraph text, lists, text formatted into columns, etc. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And, not all elements within PDFs are able to reflow at the time of this article. For example, PDFs with form elements will not reflow. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You can access the documents we used for testing as we prepared for this article:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;PowerPoint changed to PDF:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/ConnectToAllOfYourCommunityWebinarHandouts_tcm38-483167.pdf&quot;&gt;Connect to All of Your Community: Engaging and Accessible Social Media (PDF).&lt;/a&gt; This has slide titles on a blue background, images, paragraph and list structures, links.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;InDesign file turned to PDF:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/newbornscreening/materials/nbsfactsheet.pdf&quot;&gt;Newborn Screening Fact Sheet (PDF).&lt;/a&gt; This has white text over background colors, column layout, callout boxes.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Different Devices, Different PDF Viewers, Different Options&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Reflow is not on by default – the user controls its use. When using Acrobat Pro or Acrobat Reader on a desktop, the user can choose the option to apply reflow to PDFs. To use this feature: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;In the ribbon, select View.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select Zoom, then Reflow. The keyboard shortcut is Ctrl + 4.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Adobe_Desktop_RibbonReflowOption_tcm38-585478.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Screenshot of Acrobat Pro, ribbon. View tab expanded, with the Zoom submenu also expanded. Reflow has focus.&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of Acrobat Pro, ribbon. View tab expanded, with the Zoom submenu also expanded. Reflow has focus.&quot; style=&quot;width: 79%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Adobe-Desktop-Ribbon-Reflow-Option&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;For iPhones and Android devices using the Acrobat app, there is a different term: liquid mode. To use this select the water droplet icon at the top of the screen.&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/LiquidModeDropletWithArrow_tcm38-585479.png&quot; title=&quot;Screenshot of Acrobat app toolbar. Liquid mode icons is a blue droplet (arrow pointing toward it). It is the first icon in the group.&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of Acrobat app toolbar. Liquid mode icons is a blue droplet (arrow pointing toward it). It is the first icon in the group.&quot; style=&quot;width: 80%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Liquid-Mode-Droplet-With-Arrow&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;If this doesn’t work for you, try to turn on Liquid mode in the Settings. Go to Preferences &amp;gt; Liquid Mode &amp;gt; Convert to Liquid Mode automatically (toggle on or off).&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are multiple apps for viewing PDFs on Android like Acrobat for Samsung. These may have other methods for using reflow or liquid mode. In addition, there are some types of PDFs (like forms) which may not support using reflow on mobile devices. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Despite these differences in how people use reflow for viewing documents, the end user’s expectation will be the same. They expect to get access to the content in an order that preserves its meaning and operation. During the next year, the State of Minnesota digital accessibility experts will develop best practices to ensure this, whenever possible, for PDFs. In the meantime, here are some highlights of issues we identified as we began studying these different device views. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Reflow Cautions&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Reflow seems to do some interesting things to documents, especially those created in Adobe InDesign. Here are a few things we’ve noticed on desktop and mobile applications. Note: some of these issues happen only on desktop, some happen in mobile, and some happen in both. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;White Text on a Dark Background&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;White text over a dark background is a popular graphic design look. Sometimes reflow does some unexpected things to documents using these color choices.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;When you use white text over a dark background element and then apply reflow, the background color sometimes disappears and the white text stays. Because it’s white text on white background, it looks like it’s missing. It still appears in the tag panel. This means that only people using screen readers will be aware of its presence.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;On mobile devices with liquid mode applied, the white text was sometimes converted to black when the background color was removed. The green font in the test document is left alone, but now that it is against a white background it no longer meets the color contrast success criterion.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/ReflowTest_WhiteText-01_tcm38-585480.png&quot; title=&quot;Screenshots side-by-side of a PDF document with a title in white and green text over a navy background, and then that same PDF with reflow applied on desktop with the navy background now missing and half of the title no longer visible, and the same PDF with liquid mode applied on an Android device, the navy background is removed and the white text is now black.&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshots side-by-side of a PDF document with a title in white and green text over a navy background, and then that same PDF with reflow applied on desktop with the navy background now missing and half of the title no longer visible, and the same PDF with liquid mode applied on an Android device, the navy background is removed and the white text is now black.&quot; style=&quot;width: 80%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Reflow-Test-White-Text-01&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;Image caption 1: Left and center image use Acrobat on a desktop, with the same PDF. Center image: reflow applied. Right image: same PDF with liquid mode applied on an Android device.&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Graphics&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some graphical elements may go missing. For example, images that reinforce understanding of information in the original document may not be present in their original locations in a reflowed document using Acrobat desktop. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/ReflowTest_graphics-01_tcm38-585481.png&quot; title=&quot;Alt text: the icons that are used to visually reinforce the three types of screening on this PDF are missing once reflow is applied to the document on desktop.&quot; alt=&quot;Alt text: the icons that are used to visually reinforce the three types of screening on this PDF are missing once reflow is applied to the document on desktop.&quot; style=&quot;width: 80%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Reflow-Test-graphics-01&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;Image caption 2: Icons used to reinforce understanding in the PDF, desktop (left) are missing once reflow is applied (right).&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Changes to Reading Order and Visual Display&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The reading order of elements sometimes changes between the original PDF and one with reflow or liquid mode applied to it. In addition, in some of our testing, sections of text became visually indented compared to the text it followed. This formatting was not applied in the original.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/ReflowTest_alignment-01_tcm38-585482.png&quot; title=&quot;The list of disorders in left aligned in the original document, but when Liquid Mode is applied on an Android device, some of the conditions are indented, which makes it look like they are a subset of another condition.&quot; alt=&quot;The list of disorders in left aligned in the original document, but when Liquid Mode is applied on an Android device, some of the conditions are indented, which makes it look like they are a subset of another condition.&quot; style=&quot;width: 80%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Reflow-Test-alignment-01&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;Image caption 3: On an Android device, original document’s list of conditions (left) now has some indented when using Liquid Mode (right) looking like a subset of a condition.&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/ReflowTest_readingorder_updated-01_tcm38-585570.png&quot; title=&quot;When in Liquid Mode, the graphics are placed between the list of links for more information.&quot; alt=&quot;When in Liquid Mode, the graphics are placed between the list of links for more information.&quot; style=&quot;width: 80%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Reflow-Test-reading-order-updated-01&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;Image caption: 4: Bottom of the original document (left) has graphics before and after the links for more information. When using Liquid Mode (right) the graphics are now between the links&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Additional testing is needed to understand how reflow affects more complex documents and forms. How exactly is reading order affected and determined? What about reflow applied to colored text, threaded text boxes, anchored images, charts (with and without colored background), inserted text call outs, and more. These are questions that all of us who create and test PDF accessibility best practices need to consider and begin to validate.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Reflow and 2.1 for PDFs&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You are probably wondering how to make your PDFs conform to WCAG 2.1. Here’s what we know:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;We reported the issues we discovered with reflowing PDFs to Adobe. Adobe is currently reviewing our test documents.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Our findings show that software and apps reflow PDFs in different ways.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;We have not yet found consistent ways to reflow all elements in a PDF.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For now, we recommend including a contact phone number and email address on your PDF so readers can request alternative forms. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A group of subject matter experts is considering how to approach this success criterion for PDFs in the new version of the State of Minnesota’s digital accessibility standard. Reflow may be a candidate for an exception. If you are a State of Minnesota employee or contract with the state to create PDFs for an agency, stay tuned! More information will be available in the coming months.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>584554</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2023-07-25T19:08:48Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>This is the second in a two-part series of articles. Learn what you need to know for complex documents and get access to resources. Great information for all PDF creators and remediators including people using InDesign.</Description><Audience/><Title>How To Make Your PDFs Conform To WCAG 2.1, Part 2</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Subject>PDF</Subject><Subject>InDesign</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>How To Make Your PDFs Conform To WCAG 2.1, Part 2</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Document icon with title &quot;Part 2.&quot; Across it is a ribbon with text WCAG 2.1.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/WCAG-2.1-PDF-Blog-1200x600-part2_tcm38-582066.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Document icon with title &quot;Part 2.&quot; Across it is a ribbon with text WCAG 2.1.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/WCAG-2.1-PDF-thumbnail-part2_tcm38-582067.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2023-06 - PDFs and 2.1 Part 2</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-582030&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2023-06-28T14:03:33Z</Date><ShortDescription>This is the second in a two-part series of articles. Learn what you need to know for complex documents and get access to resources. Great information for all PDF creators and remediators including people using InDesign.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Easy to Follow Tips For Your PDF Workflow</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By: Tamara Sawyer, Minnesota Management and Budget and Jennie Delisi, Office of Accessibility&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This is the second article in a two-part series to help you learn how to make PDFs that conform to WCAG 2.1. As a reminder, this series only covers the success criteria added for WCAG 2.1 and are A or AA. If you want information about those covered for WCAG 2.0, be sure to visit the Office of Accessibility’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/pdf-101.jsp&quot;&gt;Accessible PDF Training Modules&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Last month in &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/577889&quot;&gt;Part 1&lt;/a&gt;, we shared basic information about how to create simple PDF documents. This month we cover what you need for more complex documents. This includes documents that use JavaScript, InDesign, and that have complex charts and graphs. And, because we know you want more specifics, read to the end! We include resources to use while you work.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As a reminder, the state of Minnesota has not yet officially determined if PDFs will be part of the move to WCAG 2.1. Because you are not the average reader you want to be ready to make your PDFs more usable by everyone without waiting for an official PDF and WCAG 2.1 announcement. You are our favorite kind of reader and we have what you need!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Start By Taking Some Work Out of Your Workflow&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some WCAG 2.1 success criteria will not apply to your PDFs. Knowing this can help you focus on the other parts of WCAG 2.1.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;1.3.4 Orientation (AA)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Orientation is the direction of the display of the screen while viewing a PDF. In document terms, this is portrait or landscape. If you are using a smartphone, you may rotate it to better view something onscreen. In most cases, the person viewing the PDF controls this, not you (the author or remediator). If you find a way to restrict the orientation of the PDF, don&apos;t use it. People should be able to view the document in the orientation that works best for them.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;1.4.12 Text Spacing (AA)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Have you ever opened a document and found the words felt too close together to easily read them? That it would help to have the letters separated a little more? This success criteria’s goal is to ensure that everyone, especially people with reading and vision challenges, can change line height, spacing following paragraphs, and letter and word spacing while reading the PDF.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This requires the use of “markup,” something available for technologies like web pages. At the time of this article, this is not something a person can control when they create or remediate PDFs. Thinking about white space while creating your document is important, but it does not provide the end user control of how the white space displays on their screen while they are reading the PDF. Hopefully this will become an option in the future for people who read PDFs.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;2.5.4 Motion Actuation (Level A)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/#motion-actuation&quot;&gt;Success Criteria 2.5.4&lt;/a&gt; states “functionality that can be operated by a device motion or user motion” such as shaking or tilting the device “can also be operated by user interface components.” It goes on to say that the user must be able to disable the motion control.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;These actions are set up and controlled within the mobile devices, so does not apply to PDFs.  Most or all functions that can be performed by motion activation can also be performed by either the keyboard or the PDF interface. An example of this would be using the Ctrl+Z keyboard shortcut or the Undo option available in the Edit tab, to remove any text just added to a form field or to remove a check added to a check box.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Considerations for Complex PDF Documents&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Next, let’s discuss the situations going beyond more simple documents. Think about times where you use:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Form controls (radio buttons, check boxes, dropdowns, text fields).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Buttons.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Electronic signatures.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And, think about people using your PDF in more modern ways, like on a smartphone. This next section covers these more complex situations.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose (AA)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Many forms ask you for the same information such as your name, address, and telephone number. Re-typing the same information increases your chance of making a mistake. This may be especially true for people with certain types of cognitive disabilities, including people with memory issues or dyslexia. And, if typing is difficult, re-typing the information is time-consuming and frustrating. This success criteria’s goal is to make it easier to have information added for users if they want this option.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This success criteria technically does not apply to PDFs. You cannot add the same coding to a PDF that you can for web pages that must follow this one. But, there are things you can do to improve your user’s experiences. In the desktop version of Acrobat, there is a feature called Auto-complete. We have more information about this in the handouts from our AccessU presentation (links at the bottom of this article). The person completing your PDF form can use the option to have content they have entered in other forms available to add from a list.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/ScreenshotEndUserPreferencesAuto-Complete_tcm38-582062.png&quot; title=&quot;Screenshot of the preferences menu. “Forms” has focus in the Categories pane.&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of the preferences menu. “Forms” has focus in the Categories pane.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;ScreenshotEndUserPreferencesAuto-Complete&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;Image caption: The Auto-complete section has “Advanced” selected in the dropdown. The checkbox is also selected for “Remember numerical data.”&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This feature works best if you select the appropriate format category in the format tab. For text fields, you can go to the format tab and select the appropriate format category. This makes it easier for the user to select the best option for the text field. This is not a requirement but shows your end user you are making sure they can complete your form.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/ScreenshotZipCodeTextFieldProperties_tcm38-582063.png&quot; title=&quot;Screenshot of a zip code form field. The Text Field Properties dialog is open. Arrow points to the “Select format category” dropdown, with “Special” selected.&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of a zip code form field. The Text Field Properties dialog is open. Arrow points to the “Select format category” dropdown, with “Special” selected.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;ScreenshotZipCodeTextFieldProperties&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;Image caption:  Selecting the “Special” format category and &quot;Zip Code” helps the user enter the 5-digit zip code in the form field.&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus (AA)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tooltips appear in PDFs when you move your mouse over a form field. Today, the PDF viewing software controls the visual appearance of tooltips. You cannot control how they display – you can only control what you put into them. Because this success criteria is about how they display you are not required to ensure this works for WCAG 2.1.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;However, the choices you make for these tooltips do impact your end users. The spirit of the success criteria is important to consider. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;  &lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/TooltipOnMouseHover_tcm38-582059.png&quot; title=&quot;Zip code form field. An arrow points to the small tooltip visually appearing beneath the text field with the text “Zip Code”.&quot; alt=&quot;Zip code form field. An arrow points to the small tooltip visually appearing beneath the text field with the text “Zip Code”.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;TooltipOnMouseHover&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When the tooltip is the same as the visible label, this is not an issue.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You must provide a tooltip for your form fields because it provides the accessible label for people using assistive technologies. Sometimes people add additional information in the tooltip. People using magnification may have difficulty using tooltips. Some people with cognitive disabilities who may need the additional information may not notice it. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Visible-label-tooltip-different_tcm38-582060.png&quot; title=&quot;“Zip Code:” is visible label, outside of the text field. The “Zip Code (5-digit format)” tooltip visually displays beneath the text field. Arrows and corresponding text label for each one.&quot; alt=&quot;“Zip Code:” is visible label, outside of the text field. The “Zip Code (5-digit format)” tooltip visually displays beneath the text field. Arrows and corresponding text label for each one.&quot; style=&quot;width: 80%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Visible-label-tooltip-different&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;Image caption: The tooltip adds additional content: (5-digit format).&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Best practice: include the additional information in both the visible label and the tooltip.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Visible-Label-Tooltip-Same_tcm38-582061.png&quot; title=&quot;“Zip Code (5-digit format):” is visible label, outside of the text field. The “Zip Code (5-digit format):” tooltip visually displays beneath the text field. Arrows and corresponding text label for each one.&quot; alt=&quot;“Zip Code (5-digit format):” is visible label, outside of the text field. The “Zip Code (5-digit format):” tooltip visually displays beneath the text field. Arrows and corresponding text label for each one.&quot; style=&quot;width: 80%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Visible-Label-Tooltip-Same&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;Image caption: The visible label and tooltip are the same.&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;2.1.4 Character Key Shortcuts (A)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A character key shortcut allows an end user to use a key on their keyboard to complete an action. Most of the time this does not happen in PDFs. In rare cases, a PDF creator may add a custom keystroke script. We have not tested this against success criteria 2.1.4. We advise you test this option if you decide to use it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;2.5.1 Pointer Gestures (Level A)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This success criteria refers to touch screen devices where the user may have to: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Move their fingers or a pointer (such as a stylus or mouse) from one point to another (such as a swipe).  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use two or more fingers to complete an action (such as pinch to zoom or a double tap). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To pass this criterion, if the end user needs any pointer gestures to complete an action, there must be a secondary method available. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;These gestures affect people:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Who use speech input.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Who use eye-gaze technology.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Who use a single pointer device (switch or foot mouse).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;With motor disabilities who may not be able to perform these gestures. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;With some cognitive disabilities (may not understand or be able to complete the complex gesture or multi-pointer action).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Examples for path-based gestures for PDF might include (on a mobile device):&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Using a pinch gesture to zoom in/out. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Using a swipe motion to move to the next page.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Signing a PDF form by drawing a signature or using drag and drop to place a signature.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Example 1:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The controls on the Adobe Acrobat PDF interface include: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The up/down arrows replace the swipe gesture to change pages. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The spyglass with the + sign replaces the pinch to zoom gesture.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/2_5_1PointerGesturePass_tcm38-582048.PNG&quot; title=&quot;Screenshot of Adobe Acrobat interface with up/down arrows and zoom controls.&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of Adobe Acrobat interface with up/down arrows and zoom controls.&quot; style=&quot;width:100%; height: auto;&quot; xlink:title=&quot;2_5_1PointerGestureSecondaryMethod&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Example 2:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A check box with boilerplate language and a text field takes the place of a path-based e-signature in which the person must: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use a stylus or their finger to sign a document.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use drag and drop to place a signature into a signature field. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/2_5_1_PointerGestureCheckBox_tcm38-582049.PNG&quot; title=&quot;Screenshot of Adobe Acrobat interface with up/down arrows and zoom controls.&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of Adobe Acrobat interface with up/down arrows and zoom controls.&quot; style=&quot;width:100%; height: auto;&quot; xlink:title=&quot;2_5_2PointerGestureCheckBox&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; font-family: Verdana;&quot;&gt;2.5.2 Pointer Cancellation (Level A)&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Have you ever accidentally clicked on the wrong button? People making PDFs that use buttons and form controls created with JavaScript should review this criterion.  Success criteria 2.5.2, Pointer Cancellation requires at least one of the following criteria to be true:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Mouse-down pointer event (when you physically push a mouse button down) does not execute the function.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Event is canceled if the mouse is moved off object/drop area prior to mouse-up action (releasing the mouse button).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Down-event activation (pushing a keyboard key down) is ok for keyboard-only use. Keyboards usually only work with down-event activation. The Backspace or Delete key then functions as an undo button.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Example 1: A user uses mouse-down to select an option in a multi-list form field. The user changes their mind, moves mouse away from the option prior to the mouse-up action, and the option is not selected.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Example 2 (images below): A user accidently presses the mouse button on the Clear button instead of the Print button (image on left). They move the mouse off the Clear button before releasing the mouse button (mouse up). The form retains the information (image on right).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/2_5_2_pointer_cancel-jeremy-edited_tcm38-582054.png&quot; title=&quot;A screenshot of the mouse-down action on a Clear button. The form fields still show information after moving the mouse off the Clear button prior to the mouse-up action.&quot; alt=&quot;A screenshot of the mouse-down action on a Clear button. The form fields still show information after moving the mouse off the Clear button prior to the mouse-up action.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;2_5_2_pointer_cancel&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When creating a button or other interactive form field, be sure to choose both Mouse Up and On Blur from the Select Trigger option on the Actions tab. This allows people to select the action with a mouse, button, keyboard, or a tap (on a touch screen). &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/2_5_2_pointer_cancel_menu_tcm38-582055.PNG&quot; title=&quot;The Button Properties dialog box with Select Trigger drop-down menu showing the Mouse Up and On Blur options.&quot; alt=&quot;The Button Properties dialog box with Select Trigger drop-down menu showing the Mouse Up and On Blur options.&quot; style=&quot;width: 79%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;2_5_2_pointer_cancel_menu&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/2_5_2_pointer_cancel_menu2-jeremy-edited_tcm38-582056.png&quot; title=&quot;The Button properties with both Mouse Up and On Blur selected to submit the form.&quot; alt=&quot;The Button properties with both Mouse Up and On Blur selected to submit the form.&quot; style=&quot;width: 80%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;2_5_2_pointer_cancel_menu-MouseUpandOnBlur&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; 2.5.3 Label in Name (Level A)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This success criteria states that the name of a visible label or text on the document page must be the same as the interface component labeling. In the case of a PDF form, this just means that the tooltip must be the same as the text found within the form text. This allows someone using a speech-input device to interact with your form fields. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are two samples on the page. The sample on the left passes this success criteria because both the button text and the tooltip say “Print.” Someone using a speech input device can give the command “Print” and the expected behavior, printing the page, will happen.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The image on the right shows a form field. The text on the document page is “Date” but the tooltip is “MM/DD/YYYY.” This fails the success criteria, as the word “Date” is not in the tooltip. The form author could have started with the word “Date” and then added MM/DD/YYYY to give the end user more information. Even better, both the form text and the tooltip could have both the date and the expected format.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/2_5_3_label_name_pass_fail-jeremy-edited_tcm38-582057.png&quot; title=&quot;Screenshot showing content on hover with tooltip. The first tooltip matches the button text, but the second sample has different document text and tooltip.&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot showing content on hover with tooltip. The first tooltip matches the button text, but the second sample has different document text and tooltip.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;2_5_3_label_name_pass_fail&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;4.1.3 Status Message (Level AA)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Success Criteria, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/#status-messages&quot;&gt;4.1.3 Status Messages&lt;/a&gt; states “In content implemented using markup languages, status messages can be programmatically determined through role or properties such that they can be presented to the user by assistive technologies without receiving focus.” Although PDF status messages do not really apply to this criterion as they cannot be “programmatically determined through role,” there are times when an end user may receive a status message. Let’s look at when this may happen and the resulting user experience.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You create a PDF form with a text field for Zip Code. Being a diligent form creator, you open the Text Field Properties dialog box, go to the Format tab, and then under “Special”, choose “Zip Code”. Choosing a format is good because when the end user chooses to have form fields automatically filled for them, non-zip code selections will not enter into the form field. This makes it easier for some people with cognitive impairments such as dyslexia and is a real time saver for someone with motor impairments using something like eye-gaze technology.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;However, as seen in the image on the right (below), if the end user types in the incorrect number of digits, they do receive a warning. There are a couple problems with this:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;We cannot find a way to block the status message from receiving focus.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The status message includes the name field of the form control – not the tooltip, and the name may be meaningless (such as Text17).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/4_1_3_status_msg_4-jeremy-edited_tcm38-582058.png&quot; title=&quot;Screenshot of Text Field Properties with the “Zip Code” option chosen. Second image has two digits entered in the zip code field. When the user leaves the form field, a popup with the following “Warning: The value entered does not match the format of the field [Text17]” appears.&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of Text Field Properties with the “Zip Code” option chosen. Second image has two digits entered in the zip code field. When the user leaves the form field, a popup with the following “Warning: The value entered does not match the format of the field [Text17]” appears.&quot; style=&quot;width:100%; height: auto;&quot; xlink:title=&quot;4_1_3_status_msg&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are some ways you can prevent the end user from receiving a message they cannot understand. Keep in mind - technically you do not need to do this to satisfy 2.1, as it relates to HTML forms. However, if you wish to improve the user experience, you can:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Not use these types of controls and formatting. This is NOT a preferred method, and we are NOT recommending it.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Change the name of the “Name” field in the Properties Dialog box that produce these status messages. This takes manual work on the off chance someone receives a message they do not understand.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What’s Next?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you have been counting, we’ve only covered eleven of the twelve new success criteria. Why is that? Well, Success Criterion 1.4.10, Reflow Testing (AA) has some challenges we haven’t quite worked out yet. We are currently doing more testing and will share our results with you next month. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In the meantime, we hope you have enjoyed learning about the upcoming changes and how to handle them. Here are some resources if you are wanting more than what is here: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a id=&quot;AccessU&quot; name=&quot;AccessU&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/OvercomeYourWCAG21PDFAndInDesignFears_Sawyer_Delisi_tcm38-582034.pdf&quot; title=&quot;OvercomeYourWCAG21PDFAndInDesignFears_Sawyer_Delisi&quot; xlink:title=&quot;OvercomeYourWCAG21PDFAndInDesignFears_Sawyer_Delisi&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;AccessU Presentation Recording Handouts for Overcome Your WCAG 2.1 PDF and InDesign Fears (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a id=&quot;AccessU&quot; name=&quot;AccessU&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/AccessU_MN_Presentation_2023_live_accessible_tcm38-582035.pdf&quot; title=&quot;AccessU_MN_Presentation_2023_live&quot; xlink:title=&quot;AccessU_MN_Presentation_2023_live&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;AccessU Presentation (Live Portion) for Overcome Your WCAG 2.1 PDF and InDesign Fears (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In addition, we are adding more resources as we do more testing and research. Our goal is for you to be comfortable with WCAG 2.1. The best way to receive these new resources as they become available? &lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot;&gt;Subscribe to the newsletter!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>582030</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2023-06-30T14:03:59Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>Global Accessibility Awareness Day  (GAAD) 2023 is Thursday, May 18, 2023. All of us can take part by sharing information about digital accessibility with our communities.</Description><Audience/><Title>Check out this grab bag of great Global Accessibility Awareness Day goodies!</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>GAAD</Subject><Subject>Global Accessibility Awareness Day</Subject><Subject>2023</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>MN Global Accessibility Day Recap</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A diverse group of people in a line, facing forward and positioned behind a small globe in the bottom center. </AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/GAAD-blog-people_tcm38-581836.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A diverse group of people in a line, facing forward and positioned behind a small globe in the bottom right. </AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/GAADpeople_tcm38-581820.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2023-06 - GAAD Recap</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-581814&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2023-06-22T16:43:40Z</Date><ShortDescription>To celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), Minnesota IT Services’ (MNIT) Office of Accessibility hosted two virtual events for State of Minnesota employees. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>View recordings and transcripts of the events</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), Minnesota IT Services’ (MNIT) Office of Accessibility hosted two virtual events for State of Minnesota employees. The goal was to get everyone talking, thinking, and learning about digital accessibility and inclusion. The presentations showcased the value of accessibility and how to include accessibility in meetings. Below are links to YouTube video recordings of each session. All recordings include ASL interpreting and closed captioning.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Panel Discussion: Why Digital Accessibility Matters for Me and My Work&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;People talk about digital accessibility, but what does it mean? How does digital accessibility or the lack of it affect people? Lived experiences of people with disabilities are the most powerful ways to learn why accessibility matters. The panel included a variety of individuals with disabilities. They discussed how they navigate technology, and the difference digital accessibility makes in their work and personal lives. Governor Tim Walz kicked off the event with a recorded welcome announcing May 18 as Digital Accessibility Awareness Day.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/nn4QIpgIPE4&quot;&gt;Watch the panel discussion of Real Life Digital Accessibility Perspectives (YouTube)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/Panel%20Discussion%20Why%20Digital%20Accessibility%20Matters%20for%20Me%20and%20My%20Work-Transcript_tcm38-581838.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Transcript GAAD 2023 Panel Event &quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Accessibility_Transcript_GAAD-2023-Panel-Why-Digital-Accessibility-Matters-for-Me&quot;&gt;Read the Real Life Perspectives transcript (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Speakers&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Welcome&lt;/strong&gt;: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Governor Tim Walz&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Panel participants: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;David Andrews&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Brynn Lee&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Kotumu Kamara&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Kelly MacGregor&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Kelly Melcher (moderator)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Presentation: Planning An Accessible, Inclusive Meeting&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Learn how to plan and facilitate online meetings that are accessible to everyone. You’ll come away with tips and behaviors for creating and leading meetings that allow everyone to attend and fully participate. Presenters will also demonstrate useful features in Teams and WebEx. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/E4sIvuoI6b8&quot; title=&quot;Planning an accessible, inclusive meeting&quot;&gt;Watch the presentation of Planning An Accessible, Inclusive Meeting (YouTube)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/Planning%20an%20Accessible%20Inclusive%20Meeting_tcm38-577927.pdf&quot; title=&quot;GAAD 2023 Planning an Accessible Inclusive Meeting transcript&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Accessibility_Transcript_GAAD-2023-Planning-an-Accessible-Inclusive-Meeting&quot;&gt;Read the Planning an Accessible, Inclusive Meeting transcript (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Speakers&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Kelly Melcher&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Mike Reinhart&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Kris Schulze&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>581814</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2023-06-26T19:34:12Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>Updating the standard will have differing impacts on state employees. Planning ahead will help people prepare based on their roles and work activities.</Description><Audience/><Title>New! State of Minnesota plans to adopt WCAG 2.1</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>WCAG</Subject><Subject>2.1</Subject><Subject>updating</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>New! State of Minnesota Plans to Adopt WCAG 2.1</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Open laptop. Onscreen: map of Minnesota, text: WCAG 2.1. Behind the laptop are views of webpages.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/wcag-2.1-blog_tcm38-531098.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Open laptop. Onscreen: map of Minnesota, text: WCAG 2.1</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/wcag-2.1-blog-thumb_tcm38-531095.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2023-05 - Adopting 2.1</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-577826&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2023-05-17T20:26:21Z</Date><ShortDescription>Updating the standard will have differing impacts on state employees. Planning ahead will help people prepare based on their roles and work activities.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Preparing the State for a More Accessible Future</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By: Jay Wyant, Office of Accessibility&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Last June, we published a &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/530990&quot;&gt;blog post about a possible update to the State’s digital accessibility standard.&lt;/a&gt; The current standard includes Section 508 and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Over the last year, we:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Researched the impact of the WCAG 2.1 success criteria on content creators.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Explored the success criteria’s value for end-users.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Held several statewide presentations and listening sessions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Surveyed state employees on what they’d need to be ready.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;After presenting our findings, we received approval to update the standard. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The decision:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;We will update the standard to include WCAG 2.1.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The effective date will be March 1, 2024 and may be later.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What’s next?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The update will impact technology and content creators differently by role. Everyone will need to understand how to make sure their work supports the updated standard. Examples could include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Content designers and creators who use specific tools such as Adobe InDesign.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Website designers and developers.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Business Analysts (BAs) and Quality Assurance professionals.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Agency and IT portfolio managers.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;eLearning developers.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;IT project managers.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;People involved in procurement.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The updated standard will impact each user type differently. The issues and steps the InDesign creator needs to understand can be different than that of a web application developer. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Making it happen&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We have kicked off a steering committee and a standard task force.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The &lt;strong&gt;steering committee&lt;/strong&gt; will:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Identify key groups internal to the state.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ask the groups to identify their knowledge/training gaps.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Work with the groups to collect resources and create guidance as needed.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Communicate with all stakeholders.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Determine the effective date for the new standard.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The goal is to prepare state agencies and their employees with the resources and direction they need to plan, design, and create or buy accessible information and technology that supports WCAG 2.1&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The standard task force is reviewing the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot;&gt;current accessibility standard.&lt;/a&gt; Based on that review, they will draft an update to include WCAG 2.1. The goal is to publish the new standard by fall 2023, with the effective date designated by the steering committee. This will help set expectations for vendors and other content and technology creators.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We will post updates via our monthly newsletter. Don’t get our newsletter? &lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot;&gt;Subscribe&lt;/a&gt; to stay up to date!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>577826</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2023-05-17T20:10:35Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>This is the first in a two-part series of articles. Learn why you want to create PDFs that conform to WCAG 2.1 and the new success criteria related to color. Great information for all creators including people using InDesign.</Description><Audience/><Title>How To Make Your PDFs Conform To WCAG 2.1</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Subject>PDF</Subject><Subject>InDesign</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>How To Make Your PDFs Conform To WCAG 2.1</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Document icon. Across it is a ribbon with text WCAG 2.1.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/WCAG-2.1-PDF_Blog%20-%201200x600_tcm38-577979.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Document icon. Across it is a ribbon with text WCAG 2.1.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/WCAG-2.1-PDF-thumbnail_tcm38-577978.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2023-05 - PDFs and 2.1 Part 1</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-577889&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2023-05-17T15:23:57Z</Date><ShortDescription>This is the first in a two-part series of articles. Learn why you want to create PDFs that conform to WCAG 2.1 and the new success criteria related to color. Great information for all creators including people using InDesign.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Easy to Follow Tips For Your PDF Workflow</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By: Tamara Sawyer, Minnesota Management and Budget and Jennie Delisi, Office of Accessibility&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) – most people do not consider documents when they read this phrase. Minnesota does! Our &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot;&gt;state digital accessibility standard&lt;/a&gt; covers more than Section 508 (as amended). It specifically includes WCAG 2.0 A and AA success criteria. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The standard also applies to internal and external digital information, including documents. Because of this, it applies to PDFs. So, why would Minnesota consider applying the next version of WCAG – WCAG 2.1 to PDFs? Here are just a few of many reasons:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Minnesota’s Executive Orders are published as PDFs, such as &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/governor/assets/2019_04_01_EO_19-15_tcm1055-378183.pdf&quot;&gt;Executive Order 19-15 (PDF)&lt;/a&gt; that requires our state to hire people with disabilities.     &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Minnesotans use PDFs everywhere (phone, tablets, laptops…). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;PDFs are part of communication campaigns for both our staff and our publicly available information.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;PDFs are key parts of conference, training, and meeting materials.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Agencies, the Governor’s office, and the legislature use PDFs for official communications.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Many people have questions about how WCAG 2.1 will affect PDFs.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How will this improve access to PDFs by people with disabilities?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Are the impacts different for simple PDF workflows versus more complex ones?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Will the updated standard apply to PDFs?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;With answers to these questions and more, we have so much information we needed two installments! We divided them to support different styles of PDF creators and testers. This month covers basic information, including information needed to create simple documents. Do you work with more complex PDFs? Be sure to check out next month’s newsletter! It will include information like considerations for using JavaScript, InDesign, and complex charts and graphs.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What You Need to Know – Average/Light User&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you routinely create PDFs using Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, and you stick with the basics found in most documents (headings, text, images, tables, hyperlinks, and charts and graphs), then this section is for you. There are just a few things you should be aware of once we start following the updated standard.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;While there are 12 new A and AA level success criteria, some will not apply to PDFs. In addition, many of those will only apply in special situations when people create unusual content or do specific coding for special circumstances. So, let’s look at what the average PDF creator will need to know.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;1.4.11: Non-text Contrast – Level AA&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As you already know, you must always make sure your text has enough contrast for people to see and read it. If you are a state of Minnesota employee and are using branded templates, you do not need to check your font color unless you change from the default color scheme. And you should already have a color contrast checker (such as the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.tpgi.com/color-contrast-checker/&quot;&gt;Colour Contrast Analyser&lt;/a&gt;) downloaded onto your computer. Need a refresher on how to use it? Check out the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poT4gdf8k34&quot;&gt;PDF 101 module 7 (video).&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;With the adoption of WCAG 2.1, you need to make sure your graphics also pass a color contrast standard. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Check color contrast on these two types of images:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Graphical objects such as graphs and charts, icons and symbols, and infographics (covered under more advanced users).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;User interface components such as form fields, buttons, and visible focus (we cover this in the advanced section).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The new success criteria for non-text contrast is a color contrast ratio of 3:1 - the same as the requirement for large text. This will apply to charts and graphs, lines around form fields, and all other non-text elements that contain information. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;No Contrast Check Required&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We’ll look at instances where you need to check your color contrast, but first let’s see what you do NOT need to worry about. Here are some examples of when you will not need to check.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Graphic with text embedded or overlayed that conveys the same information &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;This pie chart has labels and values that pass color contrast requirements. The slices themselves do not need to pass color contrast because the category and percentage of each slice is visually available outside of each slice.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;width: 100%;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;width: 75%; height: auto; margin: 10px 12.5%;&quot; title=&quot;Pie chart with text that passes color contrast.&quot; src=&quot;/mnit/assets/pie_chart_label_numbers_tcm38-577894.PNG&quot; alt=&quot;Pie chart with text that passes color contrast.&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;pie-chart-label-numbers&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Graphic that is part of a logo or brand &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Our state logo has a dark blue M and a lime green N – and the N fails color contrast. Because it is a logo, it is exempt from the color contrast success criteria.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;width: 50%; height: auto; margin: 10px 25%;&quot; title=&quot;State of Minnesota logo&quot; src=&quot;/mnit/assets/MN_logo_primary_RGB_tcm38-577980.png&quot; alt=&quot;State of Minnesota logo&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;MN_logo_primary_RGB&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Graphic information available nearby&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A graph (or other graphic) where the information is available in another form – for example, a graph with the tabular information available in a table directly following it.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto;&quot; title=&quot;Bar chart with bars using various shades of blue and green. Table beneath.&quot; src=&quot;/mnit/assets/bar_char_with_table_tcm38-577896.PNG&quot; alt=&quot;Bar chart with bars using various shades of blue and green. Table beneath.&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;bar-chart-with-table&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Figure: This is a screenshot of a real-text table underneath a chart. The chart does not pass color contrast. The table in this case satisfies the requirement.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Other examples &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Decorative images that contain no usable information.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Photos of real-life scenes. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Screenshots representing how something appears to others.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Color gradients used to measure something - for example, a heat map.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Check Color Contrast&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Now let’s look at some examples of when you must check color contrast.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Charts and graphs &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Many default graphs are inaccessible when first added to your Word document. Let’s look at the sample pie charts below.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The pie chart on the left uses a default setting. Remember, if a table accompanied this chart, then you do not need to worry about the color contrast success criteria for the chart. However, since we don’t have a table with it and we know your goal is to improve accessibility for everyone, let’s look at how to ensure it meets the success criteria.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Yellow, gray, and orange all fail color contrast success criteria, both against the white background and each other (they do not meet the minimum 3:1 contrast requirement).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Numbers on top of color background also fail to meet the color contrast criteria (4.5:1).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You can use simple, quick fixes to make your charts and graphs pass the color contrast success criteria. Let’s look at the second chart:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The numbers have been moved off the color background and enlarged. The color for both the numbers and lead lines have been changed from gray to black.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;At this point, the color contrast between the slices do not matter as the end users can glean the information from the numbers. However, the added black outlines give users a better experience.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto;&quot; title=&quot;Left pie chart has colors, grey text with percentage inside slice. Right pie chart has each slice outlined in black and uses black for category, percentage, and lead lines placed outside of the chart.&quot; src=&quot;/mnit/assets/1_4_11_PieChartFailPass_2_tcm38-577901.PNG&quot; alt=&quot;Left pie chart has colors, grey text with percentage inside slice. Right pie chart has each slice outlined in black and uses black for category, percentage, and lead lines placed outside of the chart.&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;1-4-11-PieChartFailPass-2&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Icons and symbols&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Let’s look at icons and symbols. Sometimes you may use icons that are universally understood in place of text.  However, it is important that they meet or exceed the success criteria stating the color contrast must be 3:1 or greater. There are two home icons below. The lime green icon fails color contrast criteria with a 2.3:1 ratio. By contrast, the blue and white icon on the far right passes with a contrast level of 3.7:1.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto;&quot; title=&quot;2 circles each with a house icon. Left: white house, lime green background. Right: white house, blue background.&quot; src=&quot;/mnit/assets/ColorContrastIconPassFail_tcm38-577902.png&quot; alt=&quot;2 circles each with a house icon. Left: white house, lime green background. Right: white house, blue background.&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Color-Contrast-Icon-Pass-Fail&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;But Wait, There’s More!&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Next edition we will share information for those who go beyond these simple structures. You can expect information for those who create infographics, data visualizations, and forms. Subscribe so you don’t miss out!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #eceff3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>577889</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2023-05-17T20:10:35Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>You want to meet WCAG 2.1 but are not sure where to start. Good news! Learn how others are beginning this work in our new series of articles.</Description><Audience/><Title>WCAG 2.1 – Improving Digital Accessibility</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>WCAG</Subject><Subject>2.1</Subject><Subject>updating</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Pros and Cons about Quick Accessibility Fix Products</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Webpage with bandages in shape of an X.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/browser-band-aid-blog_tcm38-574513.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Webpage with bandages in the shape of an X.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/browser-band-aid-blog-thumb_tcm38-574514.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2023-04 - Overlay</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-574507&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2023-04-26T15:24:29Z</Date><ShortDescription>We receive many questions about products that claim to automatically, or with the push of a button, fix accessibility for end users. This article discusses what overlays are, how they are used, and what you need to consider before using them.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>What you need to know when a vendor offers an easy solution</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By: Jennie Delisi, Office of Accessibility&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Office of Accessibility invests time learning about all kinds of products that may improve accessibility and usability for people using the state’s digital technology. We also look into products that help state employees create more accessible and usable documents, websites, software, mobile apps, etc. We focus on a blend of efficiently providing information in a way that people can easily use.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We receive many questions about products that claim to automatically, or with the push of a button, fix accessibility for end users. Many of these products claim that this reduces the time (and therefore cost) of providing technology that is accessible and usable by people with disabilities. The products claim that adding a tool to a webpage or set of webpages make it easier for people, specifically end users, to use your site without effort by your web developers to address accessibility requirements. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;One example that comes up frequently is something called an accessibility overlay. These are tools that are added by a site owner and used by the site visitors. To the end user, they appear like a button on the page (more on this in the next section).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Do these products deliver? It depends on many factors. Do you need the products? Maybe. You don’t need it to create accessible content because there are ways to make content accessible without it. Sometimes the products degrade your accessibility for users of assistive technology and therefore reduce your compliance. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This article discusses what overlays are, how they are used, and what you need to consider before using them.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Overlays&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;An overlay in the digital accessibility sense is like an easy button. It visually appears somewhere on the page. Sometimes it appears just after the webpage loads. Users typically encounter an icon to let them know it is there. The end user selects the icon. This opens a panel with options. The person chooses preferences that apply to pages within that set of pages. This may include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Applying a profile for  people with a particular group of disabilities (example: vision impaired/low vision).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Applying specific changes to the visual display of the content (example: changes to font size or color contrast).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some people may consider this a way for users to make a site work better for their personal needs. Choice can be a good thing. However, choice for some people should not prevent others from using the same site.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Minnesota’s Digital Accessibility Requirements&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;All State of Minnesota executive branch agencies must ensure that their content meets the state’s digital accessibility standard. You can learn what this requires on our webpage: &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/stat-basis.jsp&quot;&gt;Statutory Basis for Accessibility&lt;/a&gt;. Individual agencies may have additional requirements, such as specific plain language requirements. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are times when an agency or government program may have specific goals, such as increased usability. Sometimes these goals center around a specific group of people who use their information. These would go above and beyond the digital accessibility standard. Our office encourages these efforts! For example, while the digital accessibility standard requires A and AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG), it encourages complying with AAA success criteria when possible.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Consider How People Use  the Information&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Consider the user’s path to get to your website. Most likely people are not using computers that are set up to display your website as soon as it powers on. If they truly need special tools to use your website, they also need tools to get to your website. For example, they may need:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A person to help them.&lt;/strong&gt; This is not ideal, however, this may be the path for several groups of users. This may especially be true for: 
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;People with less computer literacy skills.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;People newly diagnosed with a disability.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;People without access to services (for a variety of reasons).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Assistive technology (AT).&lt;/strong&gt; These special tools provide the same options as the products we are discussing, however, they work for multiple websites. And, they may help the person:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Launch the browser.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Perform a search.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Read the search results.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use their bookmarks.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When we consider person-centered planning, universal design, and design thinking – all part of  usability (UX) – they all ask the same question: what do our users really need? Learning about customers is the greatest investment. This will guide us to create better digital information. If the people using your digital information say they are having trouble using the site, spend some time learning about why. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Connect Users to Information They Need&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Help your site visitors learn more about options to improve their independence. One claim that is made by some products is that some users don’t know they need assistive technology but find those features helpful. They may not have even heard of assistive technology. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;However, you can do this without special tools, depending on the skillset of your team. You can share information about assistive technology and computer literacy skill development by providing:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Short videos that share the information.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Sections of text with an option to hear them read aloud. For this, you can use a recording. Place a “play” button next to the onscreen text.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You can also place your group’s contact information in an easy to find location. For people who find using a webpage difficult, connecting with a person from your group may be easiest.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When users need assistive technology&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If your website visitors say they can’t use the site because they don’t have assistive technology, your video or recorded audio (next to text) can share information about how to get their own assistive technology. In Minnesota, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/admin/star/&quot;&gt;Minnesota STAR program&lt;/a&gt; helps people learn: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What types of assistive technology are available.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How to work with someone who can show you different options that may help you.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How to borrow equipment to try it out.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Different ways people can access the technology.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The STAR program is an Assistive Technology Act program. There are similar programs in other states. The National Assistive Technology Act Technical Assistance and Training (AT3) Center has a list of &lt;a href=&quot;https://at3center.net/state-at-programs/&quot;&gt;State/Territory AT Programs&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If users need digital literacy skills&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If a user’s issue is because they need computer or smartphone literacy skills, then provide information about local programs offering this. In Minnesota, programs and information are available from places like:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Libraries.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.uimn.org/applicants/job-search-computer-training.jsp&quot;&gt;Minnesota Unemployment Insurance – update job skills webpage&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/tech/digital/safe/&quot;&gt;Minnesota Department of Educations’ digital literacy and internet safety webpage&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Considerations for Buying an Overlay Solution&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some of the products available claim they improve your site’s accessibility. Do your research before considering any purchase. And, if you work for government, follow the proper purchasing process. Be sure to know:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The current state of your site’s digital accessibility. If you are not sure, hire a company to complete a test for you. Use a company that does not sell a solution product. This will help ensure there is no conflict of interest.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The cost to improve your site’s digital accessibility. If you put together a road map or plan you can budget for improvements of your current site over time.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The potential risks you may take on by using a solution that “fixes” your site’s accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some products that offer accessibility via overlay may actually add risk for your group. Several lawsuits have been filed recently related to this type of solution. Before proceeding, you may want to do some research to become more informed about the complaints made in litigation.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Using This Type of Product&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;After doing your research, if you decide to use one of these tools, take these next important steps.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Consider adding into your vendor negotiations a way to not use a product if testing shows accessibility issues after applying their product.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Have a skilled accessibility tester review the product in use with your site before it is available to your users.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Do not use the tool if it negatively impacts the accessibility of your website.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Another Path&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Consider some training for staff who want to “kick the accessibility tires” to either confirm the findings of a testing company or tester, and/or anticipate potential accessibility issues. While this does not replace having a complete accessibility test done for your site by a well-trained accessibility tester, it does ensure that your group has a base level of understanding.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For example, staff could:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Begin by reviewing free learning opportunities like the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/test-evaluate/preliminary/&quot;&gt;Easy Checks&lt;/a&gt; and the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/courses/foundations-course/&quot;&gt;Digital Accessibility Foundations course from the W3C&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Learn how to use automated testing tools like WAVE or ANDI (tools linked in a recent newsletter article: &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/570818&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1 – Improving Digital Accessibility&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use paid materials from one of several vendors that offer this type of coursework.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In Summary&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;So, do you need the products? No. You can have accessible websites without them. In fact, sometimes the products degrade your accessibility for users of assistive technology and therefore reduce your compliance. Your goal of increased usability is excellent.   &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Focus on your goals:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Listen to your end users. Find out what makes using your site difficult.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Learn more about digital accessibility and usability. The current state of your site, what you can do to improve it.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Make well-researched decisions before purchasing technology solutions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And, get quality advice on this topic from your organization’s digital accessibility team. Partner with them to review your current site, and any products you are considering.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>574507</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2023-05-17T15:24:48Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>Global Accessibility Awareness Day  (GAAD) 2023 is Thursday, May 18, 2023. All of us can take part by sharing information about digital accessibility with our communities.</Description><Audience/><Title>Check out this grab bag of great Global Accessibility Awareness Day goodies!</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>GAAD</Subject><Subject>Global Accessibility Awareness Day</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Check out this grab bag of great Global Accessibility Awareness Day goodies!</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Gift bag of GAAD goodies</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/gaad-gift-bag-blog_tcm38-574552.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Gift bag of GAAD goodies</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/gaad-gift-bag-blog-thumb_tcm38-574553.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2023-04 - GAAD</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-574517&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2023-04-26T15:24:10Z</Date><ShortDescription>Global Accessibility Awareness Day  (GAAD) 2023 is Thursday, May 18, 2023. All of us can take part by sharing information about digital accessibility with our communities.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Resources for GAAD campaigns and for learning</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By: Jennie Delisi, Office of Accessibility&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Global Accessibility Awareness Day  (GAAD) 2023 is Thursday, May 18, 2023 – number 12 if you are keeping track! All of us can take part by sharing information about digital accessibility with our communities. This may include your coworkers, supervisors, and community members. We know you are busy, so we’ve gathered a list of things you may need for a successful campaign!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Walk the Digital Accessibility Walk&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Remember: Model good digital accessibility when sharing information about GAAD using:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Documents:&lt;/strong&gt; 
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use the accessibility checker.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Check the color contrast.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Social media:&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Add alternative text to images.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;After links to videos, add (VIDEO) to alert your followers what the link may open.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Videos should have captions and audio description. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Infographics: Check for accessibility before posting.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Emails:&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If using more than 2 paragraphs, consider adding properly structured headings.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Add alternative text to images.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Follow the same accessibility best practices you follow for documents.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Webpages:&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Reach out to your colleagues for help testing if you are newer to digital accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;General Digital Accessibility Awareness Resources&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Consider adding these to your campaigns:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/no-mouse-challenge.jsp&quot;&gt;No Mouse Challenge&lt;/a&gt; – Learn about using digital information without a mouse. This includes a link to the Keyboard Shortcuts quick card.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/experience-lab/&quot;&gt;Experience Lab&lt;/a&gt; – Information and activities people can try. They will learn more about cognitive, hearing, motor, and vision disabilities.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/&quot;&gt;The Office of Accessibility home page&lt;/a&gt; – This includes links to the “Why Accessibility Matters” videos (version with captions, version with audio description), and the full set of quick cards.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Resources for Each Type of Digital Technology&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In 2021 we provided a list of digital technology resources on our website. This information is still available: &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-81681#/detail/appId/1/id/476719&quot;&gt;Free Digital Accessibility Resources from the state of Minnesota&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In addition to the information listed above, we have new resources:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/pdf-101.jsp&quot;&gt;Accessible PDF Training&lt;/a&gt; – free e-Learning on how to create accessible PDF documents. Each module is short, and focuses on a single topic. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/data-visualization/&quot;&gt;Data Visualization Accessibility&lt;/a&gt; – Information for those using Power BI, Tableau, and people wanting data visualization basics.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Blog Articles from the Past&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Want to see what we have done during previous years? Check out how our GAAD campaigns and events change each year! Some have links to videos you can review on YouTube.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;2015&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-81681&quot;&gt;Announcing Minnesota’s No-Mouse Challenge&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;This is the first Global Accessibility Awareness Day blog article on our website! Many things have changed since then, but the basics remain the same.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;2016&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-81681#/detail/appId/1/id/232094&quot;&gt;Try Doing Your Job Without Using a Mouse &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The article asks readers “Have you ever counted the number of times you ‘click’ your mouse button in a minute?” It includes ideas for moving your awareness of accessibility into action steps.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;2018&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-327943&quot;&gt;Mark Your calendars &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The second half of this article includes activity ideas for people wanting to get involved with Global Accessibility Awareness Day.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-340615&quot;&gt;Global Accessibility Awareness Day Recap &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;In 2018 the Office of Accessibility and digital accessibility coordinators spread out the activities over an entire week! Many groups came together at different locations to learn and celebrate about different topics.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;2020&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-81681#/detail/appId/1/id/433010&quot;&gt;Minnesota Governor Tim Walz Proclaims Digital Accessibility Awareness Day&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;“It is critical that we always recognize the need for inclusion and accessible services” – Governor Tim Walz.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-432871&quot;&gt;Celebrating Digital Accessibility in the State of Minnesota &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;This article highlighted speakers from our virtual event “Stories of Inclusion: State Government Accessibility.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;2021&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-81681#/detail/appId/1/id/476719&quot;&gt;Resources to Use for Your GAAD Celebrations&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The Office of Accessibility wants everyone to have what they need to celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Health Information and &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-81681#/detail/appId/1/id/482425&quot;&gt;Digital Accessibility Discussed on GAAD&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;As the world continued to experience the pandemic, state government leaders discussed the importance of digital accessibility. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-485786&quot;&gt;Recordings Available: Accessible Meetings for All&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Recordings include planning for reasonable accommodations, pre-meeting preparations, setting a baseline for all meetings, and all people needed that year to have more accessible online meetings.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;2022&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/533052&quot;&gt;Six Short Programs on Accessibility and Disability Topics&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Page providing brief descriptions and links to presentations and transcripts of six different presentations. The following links are to the recordings only.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/X-963qYUJzI?autoplay=0&amp;amp;rel=0&quot;&gt;Introduction to Accessibility Standards (Video)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Learn what accessibility guidelines are and how they change over time.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/5OSWz6vd77Y?autoplay=0&amp;amp;rel=0&quot;&gt;End User Impact of Accessibility Standards (Video)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A conversation with people with disabilities about their experiences. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/fEF03yzi3ZM?autoplay=0&amp;amp;rel=0&quot;&gt;Buying Accessible Technology (Video)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Learn about the “happy path” to buy accessible technology – including accessibility at the beginning.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z2PB881rcqQ?autoplay=0&amp;amp;rel=0&quot;&gt;Projects that Shift Left for Accessibility (Video)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A case study on incorporating accessibility from the beginning.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/kX-v7RjMelM?autoplay=0&amp;amp;rel=0&quot;&gt;Creating Accessible Visual Content (Video)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Graphic designers, content creators, and trainers can learn how to make documents, PDFs, and forms that everyone can understand.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/1mHdSnIu2sU?autoplay=0&amp;amp;rel=0&quot;&gt;Web Application Accessibility (Video)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Experts from the Minnesota Department of Revenue share how they created processes, tools, and resources to resolve accessibility challenges that developers face.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>574517</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2023-05-17T15:24:48Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>You want to meet WCAG 2.1 but are not sure where to start. Good news! Learn how others are beginning this work in our new series of articles.</Description><Audience/><Title>WCAG 2.1 – Improving Digital Accessibility</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>WCAG</Subject><Subject>2.1</Subject><Subject>updating</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>WCAG 2.1 – Improving Digital Accessibility</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Hand holding a smartphone. Onscreen: Minnesota Council on Disability webpage, displaying menu navigation.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/council-disability-website-nav-blog_tcm38-570780.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Hand holding smartphone. Onscreen: the Minnesota Council on Disability webpage.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/hand-holding-smartphone-blog-thumb_tcm38-570775.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2023-03 - WCAG 21 Disability</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-570818&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2023-03-28T17:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>You want to meet WCAG 2.1 but are not sure where to start. Good news! Learn how others are beginning this work in our new series of articles.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Improving Navigation Menus and Focus Indicators </Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Editor’s note: We are beginning a series of articles called WCAG 2.1 – Improving Digital Accessibility. This month, we hear from a digital accessibility coordinator about work done in Minnesota to improve the accessibility of state websites. These are works in progress. Subscribe to be sure you get each installment in this series! (The link is at the bottom of this page.)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Minnesota Council on Disability&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Chad Miller, CPACC, Digital Access Coordinator for the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.disability.state.mn.us/&quot; title=&quot;Minnesota Council on Disability website&quot;&gt;Minnesota Council on Disability&lt;/a&gt;, shares information about ongoing work on their website. They have been working on two specific areas of their website – the navigation menu and the focus indicator.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Navigation Menu&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What did you have before? &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Initially, we had a navigation sidebar containing links to the landing pages and a few subpages we wanted to feature.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Why did it need to change to meet WCAG 2.1?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The reflow (&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/reflow.html&quot; title=&quot;W3C webpage: Understanding document for SC 1.4.10&quot;&gt;Understanding document for SC 1.4.10&lt;/a&gt;) needed to change. When the page was resized or used on a mobile device, the navigation menu would move to the bottom of the page. That didn’t meet user expectations for main navigation behavior.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What steps did you follow to make the change?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our developer and I researched various types of menus, with a focus on expected keyboard behavior. He was working with another disability organization at the time and was able to get additional feedback and direct user input. Eventually, we found a workable menu we could use with our content management system.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How did you test to validate that it now met 2.1?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I started with a combination of &lt;a href=&quot;https://wave.webaim.org/&quot; title=&quot;WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool&quot;&gt;WAVE&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ssa.gov/accessibility/andi/help/install.html&quot; title=&quot;Accessible Name and Description Inspector (ANDI)&quot;&gt;ANDI,&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://accessibilityinsights.io/docs/web/overview/&quot; title=&quot;Accessibility Insights for Web webpage&quot;&gt;Accessibility Insights for Web&lt;/a&gt; for automated testing. Then manual testing guided by those results. I focused on keyboard interactions and going through the site with JAWS on the desktop. For mobile testing, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.accessibilityoz.com/resources/mobile-testing/&quot; title=&quot;Mobile Site Accessibility Testing Methodology resources&quot;&gt;Accessibility Oz Mobile Site Accessibility Testing Methodology resources&lt;/a&gt; were very helpful.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Focus Indicator&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What did you have before? &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We had a single solid blue focus indicator.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Why did it need to change to meet WCAG 2.1?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A staff member asked if we could add a dark mode to the site. Dark mode plus the new navigation menu led us to think about more background and foreground color combinations and the WCAG 2.1 Non-text Contrast requirements.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What steps did you follow to make the change?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I spent a good deal of time on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/non-text-contrast.html&quot; title=&quot;W3C webpage: Understanding SC 1.4.11&quot;&gt;Understanding SC 1.4.11 page&lt;/a&gt; and contacted other Digital Accessibility Coordinators. Thank you to David Miller (Minnesota IT Services partnering with the Department of Corrections) for some feedback and examples. We ended up using different indicator styles for different parts of the page, including a multicolored one.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How did you test to validate that it now met 2.1?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I did much of the testing with the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.tpgi.com/color-contrast-checker/&quot; title=&quot;Colour Contrast Analyser (CCA)&quot;&gt;Colour Contrast Analyser&lt;/a&gt; and the contrast information in &lt;a href=&quot;https://developer.chrome.com/docs/devtools/&quot; title=&quot;Chrome Developer Tools&quot;&gt;Chrome DevTools.&lt;/a&gt; I tested various combinations of the light and dark themes and the menu reflow points to account for potential background changes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Don’t miss next month’s edition! Subscribe using the link below to make sure you get each installment in this series!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>570818</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2023-03-28T17:00:24Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>Are you interested in digital accessibility mentorship? Whether you want to learn more about digital accessibility, or have accessibility skills to share, this article has tips!</Description><Audience/><Title>Accessibility Mentorship May Be Just What You Need!</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>mentorship</Subject><Subject>skills</Subject><Subject>development</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Accessibility Mentorship May Be Just What You Need!</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Text: Accessibility Mentorship. Man and woman talking in an office. 3D image with lines connected at joints with circles.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/mentorship-blog_tcm38-570778.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Lines creating a 3D style shape. Joints between lines are round circles.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/mentorship-blog-thumb_tcm38-570777.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2023-03 - Accessibility Mentorship</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-570781&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2023-03-28T17:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Are you interested in digital accessibility mentorship? Whether you want to learn more about digital accessibility, or have accessibility skills to share, this article has tips!</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Information for Mentors, Mentees, and Mentorship Programs</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Sam Alley, Fusion Learning Partners and Jennie Delisi, Office of Accessibility&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We know the right things to do. Things like:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Eat your vegetables.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Get some exercise.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Make your digital content accessible for everyone.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Turning these thoughts into action, and eventually habits, can be hard. Mentorship is one way to move a good idea into a daily practice. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There is a lot of technical learning that comes along with digital accessibility. It’s the whole routine of plan, do, test. But what about:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Having tough conversations? Example: Advocating for accessibility with a group when it may impact their current project timelines and budget.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;When you can’t find information on a specific topic?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;When you need advice on your next set of learning goals?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Sam Alley from &lt;a href=&quot;https://fusionlp.org/&quot; title=&quot;Fusion Learning Partners website&quot;&gt;Fusion Learning Partners&lt;/a&gt;,  the nonprofit organization that produces the annual &lt;a href=&quot;https://fusionlp.org/govitsymp-2022/&quot; title=&quot;Government IT Symposium conference page&quot;&gt;Government IT Symposium&lt;/a&gt;,  wanted to improve their digital content&apos;s accessibility. For six months he partnered with Jennie Delisi from the state of Minnesota&apos;s Office of Accessibility. They dedicated a small amount of time each month to studying and took notes along the way to share with you.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You may wonder who benefits from being the mentee (a person receiving mentorship)? Sam shares, “Anyone looking to learn more about accessibility. For example:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If you’re hoping to become more comfortable and confident talking about accessibility. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If you work in web design or build products for consumer use.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In both of these cases, this mentorship is for you.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The mentor (person providing the mentorship) benefits too. “You get a window into the perspective of people exploring a topic for the first time. They may raise questions that surprise you. And, you will learn from their unique perspectives,” according to Delisi.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Goal and Expectation Setting&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As a mentee, it is important to have a general idea of what you want to learn during your mentorship. This can help the mentor bring the right information to your meetings, and help you set more concrete goals. Alley said, &quot;We knew we had work to do to get our website accessible and compliant. The staff at Fusion Learning Partners also wanted to learn how to approach each project with accessibility in mind so we weren’t in a position of cleaning up messes after they happen. Instead, we want to better anticipate and plan accordingly.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For both the mentee and the mentor, it is important to be open about your expectations. Delisi recommends thinking about these concepts before starting:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How much time do I want to use for meetings?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Will I have time between meetings for follow up? How much?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What is my communication and learning style?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This last one seems more appropriate for the mentee, but it applies to both! Mentors should know their learning style because the resources they have on file may not match the mentee&apos;s learning style. For example, some mentors learn better by reading articles, but their mentee may learn better by watching videos.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;At their first meeting, Alley shared how much time he wanted to spend each week on learning activities. Delisi sent a follow-up email to help Alley set more specific goals. She wrote:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&quot;Here is a sample goal for headings. It could be: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;understand the purpose of headings, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;know where and when to use them, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;know how to test to ensure you are using them correctly.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The key performance indicators (KPIs) for this goal could be:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Review x training materials on headings. (List them so you have a plan for your study time. We can create this list together.)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Review materials within your daily work. Find examples of where you have used headings correctly, where you have not, and where you have questions. Record these. (This acts as your baseline to measure your improvement. It is ok if there are problems! In fact, that is how you will learn where you were making mistakes. This helps you make better choices as you work going forward.)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Review questions with Jennie at next mentorship meeting.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Fix some of the issues you found previously, then measure the improvement. Record this.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;When working on a new project, do your best to apply what you have learned. Test your headings. Record this score. (Note: we all find issues as we test. That is the purpose of testing. But, the beauty of the comparison is that you are going to notice that you have improved your score over time. The biggest reason to do this is to see for yourself that it improved. And, to help us identify where you may need more help – and that’s ok! That is why we are meeting together.)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use the above as a model to create KPIs for your goals.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Learning Needs to be Flexible&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Alley found that &quot;things change, so being adaptable to shifting focus, new information, changing priorities, etc. was super helpful. Jennie also created an environment where I wanted to share everything – good, bad, or otherwise. She was a solutions partner rather than someone who tells us what the standards are and how we’re failing. We set goals, checked in on them, and continually worked towards them.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As the mentor, Delisi learned that she had to build in more time to accommodate the changing mentee&apos;s priorities. &quot;You may have a plan in your mind, based on the initial goals. This includes resources you will share. But life&apos;s unexpected turns really influences our accessibility work! Hold time to prepare resources addressing those &apos;in the moment&apos; needs your mentee will have.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Alley&apos;s Outcomes and Next Steps&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Alley felt that becoming more familiar with &quot;accessibility terminology, standards, and procedures was extremely helpful. An example – when working with a virtual platform for the hybrid portions of the Government IT Symposium I always asked for a VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template). I had been under the assumption that a VPAT meant that the site/platform was accessible. I have learned that it can just be a list of how a site is NOT accessible. Virtual platform vendors are often working towards solutions, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they have accessible design in mind. We have used products in the past that claimed to be accessible, but weren’t. I now know the red flags to look for and the questions to ask that will ensure we use products that are the most accessible. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What does he plan to do next in terms of his digital accessibility learning? &quot;We started a wonderful thing this year at the IT Symposium by having a greater focus on accessibility with:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Speakers on topics related to digital accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Virtual and in-person experience labs.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Vendors focused on accessibility, and other resources available. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I want to continue to push in each of those areas to ensure we are at the forefront of innovation and new information in the accessibility space. We have several folks who help ensure we’re being accessible, but I hope to expand that network so we aren’t always relying on a small handful of folks. Fusion Learning Partners oversees several other conferences as well. I want to apply this learning and the best practices across all our offerings.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Delisi&apos;s Next Steps&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&quot;In my former career as a music therapist, there was an established system for not only mentees, but also to support the mentors.&quot; When she switched careers she noticed this structure wasn&apos;t as formal for digital accessibility. But the good news is that there are more accessibility mentorship programs starting! &quot;I will be looking for opportunities to mentor those wanting to develop their mentorship skills.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Advice For Human Resource Departments&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Digital accessibility mentorship has unique components. People may want this type of mentorship as a digital accessibility coordinator, project manager, product manager, and other roles. The type of focus they want may include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Technical skills.&lt;/strong&gt; People who want to learn more in this area may want deep dives into a specific aspect of accessibility like documents or developing mobile apps.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Consulting skills.&lt;/strong&gt; Some digital accessibility professionals need to develop ways of approaching a wide variety of team members. This can include working with executives and policy makers, business analysts and project managers, or document and video production staff.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Advocacy skills.&lt;/strong&gt; Even with laws and policies, many people continue to need to use advocacy skills in their work.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Ask questions of potential mentees and mentors to ensure that you understand their needs and skills before making matches. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Advice for Potential Mentors&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&quot;There is often the misconception that being a mentor requires a lot of time and expertise.&quot; Delisi&apos;s advice: &quot;Start small if you are unsure! You can:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Be available for one-time mentorship sessions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provide mentorship on limited topics.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Meet with someone and learn about them and their goals before agreeing to a longer-term commitment.&quot;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Alley and Delisi set their mentorship agreement to be 6 months. Some mentor and mentee work could be in-depth for a short period of time. Others can be less frequent but over a longer period. And Delisi shares that &quot;a good mentor will always share when they do not have expertise in a particular area. You can always help the person find someone with a specific knowledge area.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Once you know what you are willing to offer, share your availability. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Let colleagues know you are ready to mentor. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Contact your human resources department. They may have a formal mentorship program.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Reach out to individuals you know who may be looking for a mentor.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Share your availability when at a conference. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Advice to Potential Mentees&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Alley has a lot of advice for potential mentees! &quot;There can often be an overwhelming amount of information out there. Some can be hard to navigate, seem contradictory, or really just scare folks into thinking they’re not accessible and therefore – doing a bad job. Meeting with Jennie really tore down those walls and made everything much more manageable. It created a space that we were able to dedicate time to our own improvement. We felt like we were a part of a team and everyone wins in the end.&quot; Alley feels there is also a win for his employer. &quot;Focusing on accessibility has helped &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Broaden our offerings.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Brought in more dedicated stakeholders.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Helped us be seen as leaders in an area that has a ton of new innovation going on.&quot;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;He advises everyone to &quot;Take the leap! We met for an hour once a month and just that much time and space was enough to make huge improvements. This process has really helped us lead with accessibility in mind rather than being reactive to issues we might have. It can be scary to think that something you’re offering might be inaccessible, but being in a mentorship helped alleviate those feelings.”&lt;/div&gt;

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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>570781</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2023-03-28T17:00:22Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>Sometimes your video or meeting has information onscreen, but nobody’s voice describes it. What if someone cannot see the screen? Audio description is the answer.</Description><Audience/><Title>Important audio description tips: techniques to make visuals heard</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>keyboard testing</Subject><Subject>interactive elements</Subject><Subject>keyboard-only</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Successful Teams Ensure 100% of their Members Understand Keyboard Accessibility</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Hierarchy chart. 1st level: “Keyboard testing”. 2nd level (text with icons): Who (head), What (gear), Why (talking bubble with question mark).</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/keyboard-testing-feature-blog_tcm38-565807.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Closeup of finger pressing a key</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/keyboard-testing-feature-blog-thumb_tcm38-565808.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2023-02 - Keyboard Accessibility</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-565776&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2023-02-23T21:58:39Z</Date><ShortDescription>Keyboard testing is one of the most basic digital accessibility tests. If you are going to learn one test, start with this one!</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Do You Know Your Role?</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;script type=&quot;text/javascript&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;


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&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Jennie Delisi, Accessibility Analyst&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Who Tests, What Gets Tested, and Why&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Keyboard testing is one of the most basic digital accessibility tests. If you are going to learn one test, start with this one! It helps many people, including people who:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use screen reading software, such as people who are blind.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use alternative access methods like keyboard only (no mouse), switches, or use their voice to operate their computer. These may be people with tremors, or people with other types of mobility challenges.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The goal of keyboard testing is to answer these questions:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Can someone use all interactions without a mouse?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Can that person (visually) tell which interaction they are on?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Are the interactions in the order a person expects?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Anyone that makes digital communications needs to know how to do these tests. Even if you create basic digital communications! Some examples include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Emails.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Social media posts.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Documents.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Web pages (including SharePoint pages).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Mobile apps.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;E-learning.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Digital maps.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Data visualizations.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Are you on a team building or reviewing a technology solution? Each team member needs to understand what keyboard accessibility is and why it is important. Depending on their role, they may also need to know how to test. This includes team members like the:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Project manager.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Business analyst.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Designer.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Developer.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Testers (both accessibility and quality assurance professionals).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Keyboard tests check interactive elements. If you are a mouse user, these are things you click on (links, buttons, menus). For forms, they are the ways you can give your response: radio buttons, check boxes, dropdowns for choices, text areas. More complex interfaces sometimes have accordions, dialogs/modal windows, toggles. Don’t worry if you are not yet ready for the complex ones! We will start with the basics.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This leaves many elements you do not need to test with a keyboard. Anything you are to read or notice, but not interact with, should not get keyboard focus. This includes:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Headings.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Paragraph text.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Images that do not have a link.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What about access to alternative text? It depends.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Screen reading software’s access to alternative text is tested during other types of accessibility testing.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If you are testing something that allows you to add alt text (when testing an authoring tool itself, not if you are a content author), this should be keyboard accessible. An example: when creating an email, you can insert an image. In Outlook, to add the alternative text using just your keyboard:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Bring focus to the image.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Shift + F10 opens the context menu.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Arrow keys bring you to the “edit alt text” menu option.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Enter key selects this option, and you are brought to the text field for entering alt text.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Ready to learn more? This article covers: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Keyboard testing basics.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Keyboard-only use planning and requirements writing.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Reporting and fixing problems.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Resources for learning more.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 id=&quot;keyboardTesting&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Keyboard Testing Basics&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Your keyboard test needs 3 basic checks:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Keyboard-only use works.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Visual indicators are present.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Predictable and correct order.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Do them twice:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;At regular size/magnification.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Magnified to 200%.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;For intermediate and advanced testers:&lt;/strong&gt; Learn more details by reviewing &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/quickref/?currentsidebar=%23col_customize&amp;amp;tags=keyboard&amp;amp;levels=aaa&quot;&gt;How to Meet WCAG (Quick Reference), with WCAG 2.1 A and AA selected for success criteria related to keyboard&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Test #1: Identify and evaluate interactive elements&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You are checking to be sure that all interactions can happen without a mouse. You can use your tab key (and sometimes arrow keys and other keys on your keyboard) to go between these elements and use them. Some examples:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use your tab key to move between links, buttons, form controls, or groups of radio buttons.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Within the radio buttons, use your arrow key to move between the options.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;When in a dropdown (like a submenu), use your up and down arrow keys to move between the options.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use your enter key, and sometimes the space bar, to select something. You can use the enter key when your focus is on a link to go to that page. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How to identify interactive elements&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Beginners ask: how do I know if something is interactive? &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Answer: If you are able to use a mouse, you can slowly move your mouse across the area you are testing. If your pointer changes from an arrow to something else, that is interactive. Here’s an example: for Windows operating systems, pointers can change from an arrow to a caret or text cursor for text entry areas. Microsoft shares more information and image examples in &lt;a href=&quot;https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/uxguide/inter-mouse&quot;&gt;Windows 7 Mouse and Pointers&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/how-do-i-know-if-its-interactive-blog_tcm38-565784.png&quot; title=&quot;Arrow (pointer) next to unfocused link with text “Read the quick cards.” Underneath is same link, with index finger (pointer) over it, darker text color.&quot; alt=&quot;Arrow (pointer) next to unfocused link with text “Read the quick cards.” Underneath is same link, with index finger (pointer) over it, darker text color.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;HowDoIknowIfItsInteractive&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Mouse pointers may also change from an arrow to a finger pointing to show there is a link. When checking which elements are interactive, you are not checking what shape it changes to, just noticing when it changes. When you do your keyboard test, you want each of the areas with changes to the mouse pointer to also be usable with just a keyboard.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Another way to complete this check for interactive elements is to review the code. This is useful if you are testing a web page or app. Look for the names of elements (like &amp;lt;button&amp;gt;), input type, and events (like onclick).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/focus-order-blog_tcm38-565797.png&quot; title=&quot;Screenshot of Office of Accessibility’s January newsletter, web version. Numbers go from link (#1), to an obscured button (#2), logo (#3), link to view as a webpage (#4).&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of Office of Accessibility’s January newsletter, web version. Numbers go from link (#1), to an obscured button (#2), logo (#3), link to view as a webpage (#4).&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;focus-order-blog&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When you use a tool like &lt;a href=&quot;https://accessibilityinsights.io/docs/web/overview/&quot;&gt;Accessibility Insights for Web&lt;/a&gt;, you can get instructions and visuals while testing, as shown in the image above. I completed the keyboard-only test on the web version of our &lt;a href=&quot;https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/bulletins/3446773&quot;&gt;January newsletter&lt;/a&gt; (use this link to try for yourself!). The tool showed each element that got focus with the tab key as I moved across the page. It also shows me the order (we cover this in Test #3). This type of tool can make it easier to share your results with other people. Note: this tool works for web apps and sites only. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use WebAIM’s table in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/techniques/keyboard/#testing&quot;&gt;Keyboard Testing article, Keyboard section&lt;/a&gt; while testing. They list expected keyboard behaviors.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are other tools that can help you run this test, like &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ssa.gov/accessibility/andi/help/install.html&quot;&gt;ANDI&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Identify keyboard traps!&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You don’t want to find a keyboard trap! A trap is where you cannot move away from something after getting to it with the keyboard – being “trapped.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Get ready for WCAG 2.1&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Intermediate and advanced testers can also check for these:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If you get access to more content when you mouse over something. Make sure you can also access this with just a keyboard. Example: a tooltip.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If you can use a single letter keyboard shortcut, make sure you can turn this off, remap it, or it is only active when the component has focus.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Test #2: There is a visual indicator when you move to an interactive element&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Once you start using your tab key on a webpage, you may see a rectangle around the interactive elements on the page. This rectangle follows as you move to the different interactive elements with your tab key. This is called a focus indicator. They are not always rectangles. They could be a background and emphasis change, or some other visual that tells you “you are here.” Each interactive element needs a focus indicator.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/test-number-2-visual-indicator-blog_tcm38-565798.png&quot; title=&quot;Expanded hamburger menu. Sub-menu item with focus: collapsed accordion “For Government” is 2 of 4. It has a dotted line around the text&quot; alt=&quot;Expanded hamburger menu. Sub-menu item with focus: collapsed accordion “For Government” is 2 of 4. It has a dotted line around the text&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;test-number-2-visual-indicator-blog&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The submenu item “For Government” has a dotted line around it, indicating it has focus.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Test #3: You arrive at interactive elements in a predictable order&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When reading English text, we go from left to right, top to bottom. When we review information on an unfamiliar webpage or document, this is how we visually scan the page to see what is there. As you complete your check, ensure that interactive elements get focus in this order. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here’s an incorrect order:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Footer link.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Button on the top of the page.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Link in the main content.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This order passes the test:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Button on the top of the page.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Link in the main content.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Footer link.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h2 id=&quot;keyboardPlanning&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Keyboard-Only Use Planning and Requirements Writing&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For email writers, document authors, social media professionals, map makers, and data visualization creators&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You may feel overwhelmed at the idea of testing everything you create. Most of your content will only use a few interactive elements. By getting comfortable using keyboard-only to access your content, you will quickly learn how to ensure keyboard accessibility for those interactions you commonly use. Your audience will notice! Key elements to think about include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Links, radio buttons, and check boxes.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Placement of hashtags.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Interactions that reveal additional content.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Project Managers&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Work with your project team to determine the best ways to ensure keyboard-only accessibility. This includes the business analyst, designer, developer, quality assurance professional, and your digital accessibility subject matter expert. Reserving time in the early stages of the project for this work will reduce testing time and rework at the end of the project. Key questions to ask include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How will someone use this component with just a keyboard (no mouse)?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How will someone using a keyboard know they have focus on this area?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What order do elements get keyboard focus on this page?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Who (which role) will conduct and be responsible for testing?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Business Analyst&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Depending on how specific your business requirements need to be, you can take different approaches to make sure the project’s end product is accessible with a keyboard. For a more global approach you can add a requirement like “Meets the state of Minnesota’s digital accessibility requirements” then include a link to the latest version found on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot;&gt;Accessibility Policies and Standards webpage&lt;/a&gt;. The project team can then pull the current requirements from document. Be sure to use the most current version of the standard. For example, in the future, the state of Minnesota may require WCAG 2.1 success criteria for levels A and AA related to keyboard-only use. This includes: 1.3.2, 1.4.13, 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.4, 2.4.3, 2.4.7, 2.5.4. As of February 2023, the standard only requires WCAG 2.0 A and AA (1.3.2, 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.4.3, 2.4.7).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If your plan is to capture detailed accessibility requirements, they might read something like:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The calendar widget operates both with mouse-only and keyboard-only interactions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The browser’s default focus indicator is visible during keyboard-only use for all interactive elements.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The page’s focus order is header region elements, search, menu/navigation area elements, main content elements, footer elements.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Note that you may not need this low-level detail on large efforts when working with developers and testers with a lot of experience and digital accessibility expertise. They will understand all the details. On a small agile-style effort this level of detail might be exactly what is needed.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Developer&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As you work, review:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Can each component operate with keyboard-only?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Is the visual indicator present for each element?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Do elements receive focus in the proper order (left to right, top to bottom)?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 id=&quot;reportingAndFixing&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Reporting and Fixing Problems&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Not all project team members are responsible for discovering and fixing accessibility issues, but everyone’s contributions are important! As you get better at communicating about the problem, the faster it will get fixed. Some tools    include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Document steps to replicate the problem.&lt;/strong&gt; Include the page, the section, and the elements before and after the element with the problem.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Capture screenshots.&lt;/strong&gt; This should show the area just above and below the element. When pasting this into a report or email, add alternative text.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bonus tip:&lt;/strong&gt; use the “snip in 10 seconds” for areas that may disappear before you can take your screenshot.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Describe the expected behavior.&lt;/strong&gt; Sometimes the person receiving the information is not familiar with keyboard accessibility. Repeat the steps to replicate the problem but reword with how it should operate.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Reference the relevant WCAG criteria.&lt;/strong&gt; For some situations, sharing the specific part of Minnesota’s accessibility standard can help support getting it fixed more quickly. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 id=&quot;resources&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Learn More&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;People are not born knowing how to do a keyboard accessibility test! This is something I learned by studying and practicing. You can gain these skills too! Here are some resources to get you started.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Why to test using just a keyboard&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The Office of Accessibility’s online &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/experience-lab/motor.jsp&quot;&gt;Experience Lab – Motor page&lt;/a&gt; has activities that may help. You can watch demonstrations and try some activities.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/perspective-videos/keyboard/&quot;&gt;W3C’s Web Accessibility Perspectives: The Keyboard Compatibility&lt;/a&gt; page begins with a video. It also includes information you can read, and links for learning more.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Write better requirements, design&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;IBM’s Design Toolkit has easy-to-follow information, including visual examples. The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ibm.com/able/toolkit/design/ux/#tab-order&quot;&gt;tab order page on their UX tab&lt;/a&gt; is good for beginners.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Practice testing&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://accessibility.18f.gov/keyboard/&quot;&gt;18f has a testing page&lt;/a&gt; that includes examples. Use this to learn more about expected results and common issues.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/demos/bad/&quot;&gt;W3C’s Before and After Demonstration&lt;/a&gt; shows accessibility issues and how they operate when fixed.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>565776</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2023-02-23T21:58:46Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>Sometimes your video or meeting has information onscreen, but nobody’s voice describes it. What if someone cannot see the screen? Audio description is the answer.</Description><Audience/><Title>Important audio description tips: techniques to make visuals heard</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>audio description</Subject><Subject>described audio</Subject><Subject>video</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Important Audio Description Tips: Techniques to Make Visuals Heard</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Audio waveform with text underneath: Audio Description.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/audio-description-blog_tcm38-561037.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Audio waveform.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/audio-description-blog-thumb_tcm38-561029.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2023-01 - Audio Description</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-560867&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2023-01-23T21:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Sometimes your video or meeting has information onscreen, but nobody’s voice describes it. What if someone cannot see the screen? Audio description is the answer.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>People may only hear your meeting and video’s visuals</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Jennie Delisi, Accessibility Analyst&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Imagine you are participating in a meeting. Half of the participants are together in a room. You are one of the online participants. The camera shows the speaker and the presentation slides. Suddenly, everyone in the room laughs, but nothing funny is onscreen. You reread the slide, but don’t get the joke. What happened?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We often communicate with a blend of audio and visual information. But there are times when only one of these communication channels are available. When communicating visual information we can take steps to ensure all of our audience receives the important information, even if they cannot see or understand the visual content. For videos this includes:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Important graphics.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Onscreen text.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Visuals that advance the plot.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Visual jokes.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;People Who Use Audio Description&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Many people use audio description. This includes:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;People who are blind or have vision limitations (also known as “low vision”).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;People who are deafblind. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Some people with cognitive disabilities find information about what is onscreen helpful to support understanding. They may not know which visuals onscreen are important, or what some of them mean.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Types of Audio Description with Examples&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are different approaches to audio description. Select the approach that best fits your content, project requirements, and video hosting location and player.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Audio description included in the script&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some people plan their script or talking points to include descriptions of visuals onscreen. This can be a cost-effective way to include audio description. I use images in my presentations to reinforce learning concepts. I build the description of the visuals into my talking points.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I gave a presentation about improving communication about accessibility. The session material focused on conversation partners – the people we speak with as part of our jobs. Some of our conversation partners are people learning new digital accessibility skills.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;img title=&quot;Woman writing on sticky notes, on a board.&quot; src=&quot;/mnit/assets/SlideScreenshot-downsized_tcm38-561039.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Woman writing on sticky notes, on a board.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;SlideScreenshot-downsized&quot; /&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For this image I included the following sentences with my talking points: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“When they go to do that action, do they know what to do? Again, this is their goal. This person is writing information onto sticky notes on a wall. The items she knows how to do will feel comfortable to her. She will be more likely to tackle those items first.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I included this audio description in the live presentation, and it is also in the recording. This did not require any post-production work.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The other benefit of this approach is that there is only one version of the video for everyone to review. The challenges with this approach can be:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Complex visuals may take more time to explain and may not benefit all viewers.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Some audio description may be unintentionally missed if you record in one take.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Extended audio description&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Extended audio description uses a version of a video made with more time to include descriptions. Production teams use this when there is not enough time in the natural audio breaks to include the descriptions. A narrator’s voice interrupts during audio breaks to describe what is happening onscreen.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some videos have a separate audio track for the audio descriptions. This requires an audio description capable video player. &lt;a title=&quot;Keyboard Compatibility video&quot; href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/perspective-videos/keyboard/&quot;&gt;Example: Web Accessibility Initiative’s video “Keyboard Compatibility.”&lt;/a&gt; The button beneath the player allows you to “Enable Audio Description.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are times when having a separate audio track for audio description is not possible. In these cases, production teams may choose to produce two versions of the same video. One version with extended audio description, the other without. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The UK Channel 4 created 2 versions of their Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games Trailer. Warning: this video contains some images of blood and other fluids. Also, at the time of publication of this article, the automated captions mistakenly identify bocce balls as “botchable” and COVID as “covert.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Video without audio description - Super. Human.&quot; href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjIP9EFbcWY&quot;&gt;Super. Human. (video without audio description).&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Audio described video - Super. Human.&quot; href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy0nPCeruVc&quot;&gt;Super. Human. (audio described version).&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Similarly, the Office of Accessibility created 2 versions of the Accessibility Matters video:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Video without audio description - Accessibility Matters&quot; href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dypgQOjV6I&quot;&gt;Accessibility Matters (video without audio description).&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a title=&quot;Video with audio description - Accessibility Matters&quot; href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oMPgoU507c&quot;&gt;Accessibility Matters (audio described version).&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;img title=&quot;Screenshot of YouTube video. Captions include audio description.&quot; src=&quot;/mnit/assets/AccessibilityMattersAudioDescription-downsized_tcm38-561034.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of YouTube video. Captions include audio description.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;AccessibilityMattersAudioDescription-downsized&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figcaption style=&quot;margin-bottom: 30px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Image caption: The captions and audio in the Accessibility Matters video include the audio description. Here they describe the volume slider in the foreground, the image of the woman in the background, and the action the slider is taking (decreasing until muted).&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The benefit of this approach is that the audio description can have an adequate amount of time to ensure visuals are well described. Drawbacks to this approach include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Need to produce two versions of the video.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Hosting and publicizing two versions of the video; or having a video player capable of playing the audio description track.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Additional cost.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Standard audio description&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Standard audio description is also done in post-production. It involves fitting audio description into the natural audio breaks. As with extended audio description, the narrator’s voice interrupts the audio breaks to describe what is happening onscreen. Standard audio description only uses the time available during natural audio breaks – no additional time is added for them.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The benefit of this approach is that the video is the same length to review as the version without audio description. Drawbacks to this approach include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Need to produce two versions of the video, or at least record a separate audio description track.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Hosting and publicizing two versions of the video; or having a video player capable of playing the audio description track.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Additional cost.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Considerations&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Will you be making a live or recorded video? Most project team members will need a basic understanding of audio description.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Identify visual content without audio&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Think about anything you will visually present and is important. Consider this scenario: if someone is on the phone with me, and can hear the audio, but not see the screen. What would I be sure to tell them is happening? &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Just like alternative text, you do not want to describe everything. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Plan: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What will happen onscreen during the live event, or in a recording. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What might someone want to know happened onscreen?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Build audio descriptions into scripts&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Planning a presentation? Making a video? You can build into your talking points or scripts the audio description of the key visuals. Planning is a key element to success! It:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Reduces the post-recording cost.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Sometimes eliminates the need for a video player that is audio description capable.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Improves the quality of the audio descriptions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As you plan your video’s visuals, also plan your audio description. Be sure to include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Important information shared in a chart. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The keyboard shortcut as well as the location onscreen if the video shows how to find something on your website. This helps people who use screen readers or don’t use a mouse.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Text that appears onscreen. Example: a person’s name and title that displays at the bottom of the screen.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Decide how to handle content that you cannot write into the script&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You may decide that some information needs audio description, from a distinct narrator. Considerations include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Where is the video hosted? &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Do you have a choice of video players?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How will you share the different versions of the video so people needing the audio description version will find it?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Next, write the audio descriptions. If they need to fit within the natural audio breaks (included in the main audio track), plan these moments into your video without competing audio.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Assign a narrator just for the audio descriptions. Having a distinct voice helps listeners distinguish the audio description from the other audio elements, like dialogue.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Record your video, load the audio description track or version, test&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Quality checks of audio description include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Sound quality.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Validating that all required audio description is present.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ensuring that if there is an audio description track or audio described version that it is present, and works.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Keep Learning&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Audio description, like alt text, takes skill and practice. Until you feel confident, you may want to work with a vendor who has training and experience. But keep learning! Some suggestions include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Visit the &lt;a title=&quot;Office of Accessibility website - multimedia page&quot; href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/multimedia.jsp&quot;&gt;Multimedia page’s Description tab on the Office of Accessibility’s website&lt;/a&gt; to learn more.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Streaming a tv show or movie? See if an audio description option is available. Learn by observing how others approach different visuals.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Add audio descriptions into your online meetings and in-person presentations. Have a visual? Describe it for your group.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Like all digital accessibility skills, regular practice will help you ensure more people will benefit from your visuals and videos.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>560867</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2023-01-23T19:57:44Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>RFPs and accessibility: what is an RFP? How does accessibility fit? Who has a role and what do they do? What is the vendor&apos;s responsibility?</Description><Audience/><Title>Buying Accessible IT: Who is responsible?</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>RFP</Subject><Subject>Request for Proposal</Subject><Subject>vendor</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Buying Accessible IT: Who is Responsible?</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Open laptop. Signed document draped over screen. Text: RFP, Request, For, Proposal.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/rfp-blog_tcm38-561038.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Open laptop. Signed document draped over screen. Text: RFP, Request, For, Proposal.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/rfp-blog_tcm38-561038.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2023-01 - Buying IT</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-561042&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2023-01-23T21:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>RFPs and accessibility: what is an RFP? How does accessibility fit? Who has a role and what do they do? What is the vendor&apos;s responsibility?</ShortDescription><Subtitle>A brief introduction to how Minnesota builds accessibility into the buying process</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Jay Wyant, Chief Information Accessibility Officer&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In 2009, the State of Minnesota convened a task force to write and implement a digital accessibility standard as directed by &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/16E.03&quot; title=&quot;law 16E.03, subd. 9&quot;&gt;law (16E.03, subd. 9).&lt;/a&gt; In addition to publishing and updating &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/Stnd_State_Accessibility_tcm38-61585.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Minnesota State Accessibility Standard (PDF)&quot;&gt;the standard (PDF),&lt;/a&gt; the task force spent a great deal of time working out a decision matrix for state employees to use when buying digital content and technology. That’s because, like many governments, the state buys much more of its technology than it builds. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The digital accessibility standard applies to all digital systems, websites, applications, and content. It references both:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.section508.gov/&quot; title=&quot;Section 508 website&quot;&gt;Section 508,&lt;/a&gt; which applies to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/&quot; title=&quot;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0&quot;&gt;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0,&lt;/a&gt; which provides testable success criteria for digital technology.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The state is obligated to follow the standard. Since it buys much of its technology and digital services from the private sector, we often hear the question: who is responsible for accessibility? The state or the vendor selling to the state? This article will help answer that question. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The short answer is both: it&apos;s the state’s responsibility to set expectations, and the vendors’ responsibility to meet them.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What we buy &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When it comes to buying information and communication technology (ICT), there are two main types of purchases:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Pre-built technology, such as computer hardware and commercial off-the-shelf software (COTS). This is sometimes called “commodity” technology.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Professional/technical services, such as website and application design and development, commonly referred to as “P/T Services.” &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are others, but for the purposes of this article, we’ll focus on these two types.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Goal: Accessible digital information and technology&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It sounds simple enough. If it’s a COTS/commodity, shouldn’t we be able to verify its accessibility before buying? And if it’s a service, can’t we secure a guarantee the final result is accessible before paying?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;After all, if we order a pair of slacks online and it turns out to be the wrong size or a flawed product, we can return it and get our money back. Why can’t we do the same for digital technology?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In some cases, we can get this level of assurance. For example, when the Office of Accessibility built the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/word-document-training.jsp&quot; title=&quot;Accessible Word Document Training&quot;&gt;Accessible Documents training,&lt;/a&gt; we went through multiple review cycles at every development phase. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;But given the state buys hundreds of technologies every year and renews hundreds, if not thousands, of existing licenses annually, we can’t always exercise this level of control. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In those cases, we rely on the following factors:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Credibility of the vendor’s information.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Spot-testing when possible.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Contract language.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Monitoring and follow-up by the implementation team.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This article focuses on the first factor: the information we request from the vendor and how we assess its credibility. The key elements to a successful IT purchase include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Process:&lt;/strong&gt; following a consistent, structured process that ensures both fairness and good decisions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Information:&lt;/strong&gt; asking detailed questions that give us good answers but respects the vendor’s investment in time and resources.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Selection:&lt;/strong&gt; leveraging the process (whether it’s a formal request for proposal - RFP - or another selection method) provides the state with both flexibility and protection of taxpayer resources.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The buying process&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Buying in government can be complex due to many state laws and regulations that govern who can do what. This article will focus on the more formal RFP process. COTS and P/T RFPs follow similar steps, although there are some differences in the information we can get from vendors. At the State of Minnesota, the standard RFP language includes text stating that the entire system must be accessible. It references Section 508 and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It would be nice if we could stop there and prepare for the winning vendor to deliver a 100% accessible system. However, accessibility is only one part of the overall criteria that determine which vendor will win the project. Other criteria typically include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Functional requirements (key features and options).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Technical requirements (such as integration with certain systems, database types, and so on).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Security requirements.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Cost.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some purchases can include other criteria such as:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Project plan, including a proposed timeline for key deliverables.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Prior experience with similar projects.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The RFP allocates a certain number of possible points when scoring responses under each category. The highest-scoring vendor gets the first opportunity to negotiate a contract for the project. This may not necessarily be the vendor who scored highest on accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;So how can we best ensure accessibility? Ideally, we test all products before we buy. If we can’t do that, the buying process includes key steps and tools to help give buyers more confidence before making the final decision.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;RFP evaluation and scoring&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Most RFP solicitations follow a detailed process. RFPs are published, vendors submit proposals, and the state receives and logs their proposals. The next step is to review, evaluate, and score each proposal according to relevant criteria. The following is a high-level overview of the process.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Phase 1: First review&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;In this &lt;strong&gt;phase&lt;/strong&gt;, the team reviews, evaluates, and scores all the components of the standard call for proposals. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The person managing the RFP collects all the scores, and combines them with other factors such as cost and specific technical requirements that are important to the project’s success, such as accessibility. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most RFPs stop here.&lt;/strong&gt; The contract manager starts negotiations with the highest-scoring vendor.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Larger or higher-profile RFPs may have a second phase. For those RFPs:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Cost may be a smaller percentage of the score, with more points for technical requirements and accessibility. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The contract manager reviews all scores to decide a cut score. The cut score only functions when there is a clear separation between vendors. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;All proposals that score below the cut are dropped from consideration. The remaining proposals continue to the second review phase. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Phase 2: Second review&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;At this point, the team may ask the vendor for a demonstration of their proposed solution. The demonstration phase is highly structured to ensure a fair comparison. This ensures that each vendor has the same opportunity to show what they can do. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For COTS proposals, the vendor demonstrates the proposed product.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For P/T proposals, they demonstrate either a mock-up or a previously developed product.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Evaluators observe the demonstration phase to score multiple criteria, including:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Specific functional requirements.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Security.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Questions for vendors&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The goal of the buying process is to get enough information to make a decision that best benefits the state. This means asking good questions that evaluators can score. We have one set of questions for proposals and another for demonstrations.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Proposals&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If we cannot thoroughly test the final product ourselves, we make our purchase decision on the credibility of the vendor’s information. The more detailed the information on their technology’s accessibility, as well as plans for improvement, the higher the score.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The questions we ask can vary depending on the type of product and whether it is the first or second tier of the evaluation process. In the proposal phase, there are several types of data we can ask for:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Questions on processes for vendors to answer within the proposal narrative.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Policy Driven Adoption for Accessibility (PDAA) worksheet.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Links to previously completed work or accessible document examples.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility Conformance Report&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For nearly all COTS products, we ask for an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR). ACRs use the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat&quot; title=&quot;Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT)&quot;&gt;ITIC’s Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT ®).&lt;/a&gt;  The ACR is the vendor’s self-assessment of their product’s accessibility. Some vendors may hire a third party to test the technology and issue the ACR.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We evaluate the ACR to learn how well the vendor describes their product’s accessibility. For example, a vendor who identifies specific accessibility issues and their plans to fix those issues is more credible than a vendor that claims to be 100% accessible without explanation.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;ACRs only apply to pre-existing products. Some P/T projects may still request an ACR of prior work as a way to measure vendor experience.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Narrative questions&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Whenever possible, we include the following questions in most requests for vendor proposals:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Describe how you ensure your staff and contractors have the knowledge and skills to create accessible digital technology within the scope of the project or services requested within this RFP.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Describe your approach to ensuring accessibility for your solution (e.g., strategy, tools, design, testing, ongoing validation). 
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Include if/how you incorporate accessibility into your development process (e.g., requirements, design, development, testing, maintenance, bug prioritization). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Include how you ensure accessibility post-implementation (e.g., future enhancements). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;When relevant, we ask the vendor to provide links to websites, copies of documents, or access to other samples of digital information technology their organization has developed that meet accessibility standards. The materials should be relevant to the services and/or technical skills called for in this solicitation.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For significantly larger P/T projects, we may ask more detailed questions about their training and processes.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As with ACRs, the evaluation of narrative questions focuses on:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The depth of detail the vendor provides in their answers.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The credibility of the vendor’s claims regarding accessibility knowledge, processes, and practices.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Policy-Driven Adoption for Accessibility (PDAA)&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/PolicyDrivenAdoptionAssessment_tcm38-62067.xls&quot; title=&quot;Policy-Drive Adoption for Accessibility (PDAA) - (Excel document)&quot;&gt;PDAA (Excel document)&lt;/a&gt; is a maturity worksheet  that focuses on the vendor’s status or progress toward a/an:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accessibility policy.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Metrics and compliance process.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Organization-wide governance system.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The goal of the PDAA worksheet is to track maturity/improvement over time. We include PDAA in some key solicitations.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Samples of prior work&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some projects may have the capacity to evaluate samples of prior work. This is particularly useful for P/T contracts or when the vendor is expected to provide an accessible document or online training.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Demonstrations&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In two-tiered solicitations, the demonstrations provide evaluators with the opportunity to see how well the vendor can match our expectations. Just as with proposal evaluations, accessibility is just one of a range of criteria that are scored, including:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Specific functional requirements.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Security.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For the accessibility portion, evaluators look at how well the presenters can demonstrate:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Keyboard accessibility, including:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Functionality.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Visible focus.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Logical tab order. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Zoom.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In most cases, the demonstration will only show a portion of the product. Just like the other evaluations, the focus is on our confidence that the vendor understands and supports accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;So, whose responsibility is it?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It is our responsibility to make the best possible decision regarding accessibility. And it is the vendor’s responsibility to deliver what they promise.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Let’s say the winning vendor claims their technology is accessible. We have every right to expect the vendor to fix any issues that arise. As we noted earlier, if they don’t, we can cancel the contract. The problem is buying technology is not the same as buying a pair of pants. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Some technologies are so tightly integrated that you can’t just remove just a single part.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Sometimes there’s nothing else more accessible.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Sometimes the agency decides other features are more important.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Note: The Office of Accessibility is updating the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/it-procurement.jsp&quot; title=&quot;IT Procurement webpage&quot;&gt;exception process.&lt;/a&gt; Look for a report on it in a newsletter article soon!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Resources: Check out the Procurement  section of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/&quot; title=&quot;Office of Accessibility&apos;s website&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility website.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Blog post: &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/352361&quot; title=&quot;Blog post on Minnesota Department of Veteran Affairs&apos; experience&quot;&gt;Minnesota Department of Veteran Affairs’ experience scoring accessibility.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>561042</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2023-01-23T19:56:47Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>The state of Minnesota recently held a training for employees. There were many great questions about Microsoft Teams accessibility! This article is part 1 of a 2 part series, sharing answers to those questions.</Description><Audience/><Title>Improve Accessibility of Your Teams Meetings - Questions and Answers (Part 1)</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Microsoft</Subject><Subject>Teams</Subject><Subject>meetings</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Improve Accessibility of Your Teams Meetings: Questions and Answers (Part 2)</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Microsoft Teams logo</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/microsoft-teams-blog_tcm38-548006.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Microsoft Teams logo</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/microsoft-teams-blog-thumb_tcm38-548004.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2022-12 - Teams Accessibility Answers Part 2</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-552468&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2022-12-19T19:56:05Z</Date><ShortDescription>The state of Minnesota recently held a training for employees. There were many great questions about Microsoft Teams accessibility! This article is part 2 of a 2 part series, sharing answers to those questions.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Tips to make your Teams Meetings more inclusive</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Kris Schulze, Experience IT Manager, and Jennie Delisi, Accessibility Analyst&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Ever want the inside scoop on Microsoft Teams accessibility? On October 12, 2022 Microsoft gave a training for State of Minnesota employees. They had the opportunity to learn the latest of what is available in the version of Teams they use – part of the Government Community Cloud (GCC). We collected the questions they asked, the answers we got, and we are sharing them with you! &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We shared the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/547970&quot;&gt;first part of the answers in the November edition&lt;/a&gt;.  And, now we bring you even more Teams accessibility information!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Many thanks to the subject matter experts that contributed to these responses, including:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Macauley Kloetzly, Microsoft.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Jay Wyant, Chief Information Accessibility Officer.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Scheduling inclusive remote meetings&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;“Please share boilerplate language we can use to help attendees request and set-up appropriate accommodations.”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&quot;If you are a person with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation, please contact [Name] at [email address] or [phone number].&quot; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Include a date by which you need a response. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Include information about accommodations already provided. Example: if you will have CART for the meeting, let everyone know. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The facilitator’s role for accessible meetings&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;“How can the facilitator maximize use of available options for those who are hard of hearing or deaf? For people with other types of disabilities?”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Pause when asking if anyone has questions. Let there be air silence for at least 15 seconds before moving on. This benefits multiple people, including people who are deaf, hard of hearing, use a communication device, or have some type of cognitive disability.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If you call on someone using the raise hand option, there may be a delay before they speak. Pause and give them time to respond. The delay could be because:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;They use a different access method and need time to get to the unmute button.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;They have a sign language interpreter who voices for them. They are communicating to the interpreter what they would like spoken aloud.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;They are reading the captions which have a slight delay. They want to finish reading what was last said before they begin to speak.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;When you display an on-screen item such as a whiteboard, spreadsheet, etc., pause for at least five seconds before discussing it. Give an introductory phrase to let everyone know you are reviewing the item. You can say, &quot;Would anyone like me to make this larger on the screen? Just a quick reminder that you can each select Ctrl + the scroll wheel to zoom in on shared content.    Let&apos;s pause for a few seconds to let everyone take a look.&quot;  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Always encourage speakers to say their names before speaking. Even when Teams displays the person’s name and highlights their image while they are speaking, it helps:&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;People learn how to pronounce your name.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;People learn to associate your name with your voice.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Live Captions and CART&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;“What are the options for live captions and Communication Access Real-time Translation (CART) in Teams meetings?”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As an attendee, you may choose to turn on the auto-generated captions for yourself. It’s important to remember that live auto-generated captions will not be as accurate as CART captions, and are not a replacement for accommodation requests for CART captions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;To turn on live auto-captions in a meeting, select More Options… from the meeting control bar. Choose Turn on live captions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As the meeting planner, it is important to consider the choices you make that can impact accessibility. If you will provide CART captions for your meeting, you have options to: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provide them in a separate Streamtext browser window.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Set up CART captions within the Teams meeting.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you provide both options, attendees can choose whether to view the live captions or the CART captions within the caption field in the Teams meeting. Whether you choose one of the above, or both, you must communicate your specific request when coordinating with your caption provider.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some users may prefer to view CART captions in a separate browser window (like Streamtext). This enables users to pay attention to what’s on the screen and read the captions, as well as adjust text size, font, and color. On-screen captions within Teams appear two lines at a time and if you miss the text, it&apos;s gone. If you offer CART, plan to make it available both within Teams and via a separate link.   &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You may want to review Microsoft’s guidance: &lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/use-cart-captions-in-a-microsoft-teams-meeting-human-generated-captions-2dd889e8-32a8-4582-98b8-6c96cf14eb47&quot;&gt;Set up CART captions in a Microsoft Teams meeting&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;ASL Interpreter&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“&lt;strong&gt;How  can I keep the ASL interpreter’s video in the same window as the meeting?”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Your meeting may provide American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting. If so, the attendee can Pin the ASL interpreter video and Fit to frame so that videos aren&apos;t cropped. To select these options, right-click (Shift + F10) on the &lt;strong&gt;More options ellipses…&lt;/strong&gt; in the video feed next to person’s name that you would like to pin.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We’re looking forward to Microsoft’s new Sign Language View in Teams Meetings that will roll out to the Government Community Cloud (GCC) in December 2022. This new feature will let viewers keep the ASL interpreter prioritized on center stage in consistent locations throughout every meeting. Learn more about this new feature in this Microsoft Community Hub post: &lt;a href=&quot;https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-teams-blog/introducing-sign-language-view-for-teams-meetings/ba-p/3671257&quot;&gt;Introducing Sign Language View for Teams Meetings&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Collaborative Features Like Whiteboard &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;“Using whiteboards in meetings seems to be a struggle for people who use keyboard shortcuts, navigate with a screen reader, and see colors differently (some colors appear as grayscale tones). Do you have any tips?”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here are some resources you might find helpful:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Microsoft offers tips in their article &lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/tips-to-make-whiteboards-more-accessible-5bc7996a-de50-40fe-ab71-c5a94f478609&quot;&gt;Tips to make whiteboards more accessible&lt;/a&gt;. Before your meeting, you can provide attendees with information on how to use the &lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/use-a-screen-reader-with-the-whiteboard-app-in-microsoft-teams-a527208d-4d36-45ec-ba1a-7887aef5c82b&quot;&gt;Whiteboard app with a screen reader&lt;/a&gt;.   &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here are some other considerations:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Some team members may need extra time to complete this task. Remember that some team members are listening to their software while trying to review items on the whiteboard and add their own. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Completing whiteboard tasks may be more difficult for some people with cognitive disabilities or people that use alternative access methods. Larger groups can make it even more difficult for people to ask for more time, and to read and contribute. Consider providing an option to complete parts of the whiteboard ahead of the session. This may help people that need more time or don&apos;t do well when lots of things are shifting on the board. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;When discussing what is on the whiteboard, and moving or grouping items, describe them. This helps many people follow what you are doing. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It may be difficult for some people if others are talking while they contribute to the whiteboard. If participants are using captions or a sign language interpreter, this requires them to focus on either the whiteboard or the communication happening through speech.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It is difficult for some people to listen, think about what they will contribute, and add to the whiteboard. Consider your goals for the time. Designate times for people to listen versus think and contribute. This helps everyone, including people that use screen readers, or have cognitive disabilities.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Chat During a Meeting and Accessibility&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Note: Microsoft releases new features and functions all the time.  This content is current as of December 2022.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;“Can you review how to mute meeting chat notifications?”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;One quick way to mute chat notifications for yourself is to change your Teams status to &lt;strong&gt;Do not disturb&lt;/strong&gt;. This will mute all notifications, except those from the meeting you are currently in. Be sure to change your status back after the meeting. Here’s how (two ways):&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Open the Teams search box (Ctrl + E) at the top of the Teams app and type /DND. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/change-your-status-in-teams-ce36ed14-6bc9-4775-a33e-6629ba4ff78e&quot;&gt;Change your status in Teams - Microsoft Support.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Want to stop chat notifications for one specific meeting? Example: a meeting you are not attending? &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Navigate to &lt;strong&gt;Chat&lt;/strong&gt; on left navigation of Teams. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select the ellipses next to the chat you want to mute. Choose &lt;strong&gt;Mute&lt;/strong&gt; to stop chat notifications. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/MuteChat_tcm38-552502.png&quot; title=&quot;Closeup of Mute Chat option&quot; alt=&quot;Closeup of Mute Chat option&quot; style=&quot;width: 83%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;MuteChat&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;“Can you talk a little more about the problem (for people using screen readers) with attendees chatting in the chat during a presentation?”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Have you ever tried to listen to a presentation while someone is talking to you? Some people use screen readers or other text-to-speech tools. These assistive technologies read text aloud to them. Sometimes the assistive technology reads the messages automatically. In these moments when information is being automatically read, the person is now listening to: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The meeting audio.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Their assistive technology.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;They may also be thinking about quieting their assistive technology for the moment using a keyboard command. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This can take their attention away from the meeting.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are some new features available for screen readers to improve their experience, but each person will have a different level of comfort using these features for a variety of reasons.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This issue may not impact only people using text to speech tools. Some people who have challenges with focus and attention, like attention deficit disorder or who have had a concussion, may also find the stream of chat messages distracting.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;“Meeting chats are distracting when I’m using the screen reader. If I mute chat notifications will this help? Or, if I use the Don’t show chat bubbles option and leave the chat panel closed?”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;“Can I have my meeting participants use chat during a meeting? Will this be accessible?”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The answer is complicated. If you are the host of a meeting, it is important to know how your choice to use meeting chat can impact your attendees. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As the attendee, you should try the solutions, then choose what works best for you. Here are some things to consider:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If you choose “Don’t show chat bubbles” and leave the chat panel closed during the meeting, you will not have any visual   distractions. However, there is no notification (like a state change, or change to the chat icon) that tells you there are new messages. You get either 100% of the notifications, or none. 
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;You must remember to check the chat panel every once in a while for messages. For some meeting participants, this can be hard to remember.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;When you open the chat panel to hear the “Last read” notification where the new messages start, you must navigate backward through the new messages. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;You must use the virtual PC cursor setting to navigate the chats, something that may be less common for some screen reader users. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Once you arrive at the “last read” notification, this will not update until a new message arrives. If no new message has arrived, you must listen to the existing messages again, and remember that you have already heard them, to determine these are already read messages.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Meeting hosts may choose to use one or more strategies such as these to help make chat use easier for everyone:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Have a one person dedicated to reading chats to the group during specific times in the meeting agenda. This helps people focus on the meeting content. It is especially helpful during hybrid meetings for several reasons: . 
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It provides clear times people can use the chat. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It reads the chat aloud for those who prefer to keep chat silenced visually or auditorily.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It helps ensure everyone has a chance to be heard.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Have times in the agenda dedicated to participants reviewing chat for themselves. At this time, there can be no audio occurring so people can focus on reading chat.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;“How do I mute chat notifications, and use the ‘Don’t show chat bubbles’ option?” &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Using these two options together will stop both the chat notifications within the meeting for people using screen readers, and the chat bubble notifications. Each person must set these options for themselves. Here’s how: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select the &lt;strong&gt;More options ellipses&lt;/strong&gt; next to the meeting chat in the left navigation of the main Teams Chat window (not within the meeting itself). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Choose &lt;strong&gt;Mute&lt;/strong&gt; to stop any chat notifications coming in. This stops the screen reader from announcing chat. The chat bubbles still appear. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;To turn off chat bubbles, go to the &lt;strong&gt;More actions ellipses&lt;/strong&gt; in the Teams meeting window. Select the option for &lt;strong&gt;Don&apos;t show chat bubbles&lt;/strong&gt; near the bottom of the list.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/MoreOptionsEntireMeetingMenu_tcm38-552499.png&quot; title=&quot;Screenshot of Teams meeting options. Don’t show chat bubbles is 15 out of 18 active options.&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of Teams meeting options. Don’t show chat bubbles is 15 out of 18 active options.&quot; style=&quot;width: 45%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;MoreOptionsEntireMeetingMenu&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>552468</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2023-01-23T19:56:36Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>The state of Minnesota recently held a training for employees. There were many great questions about Microsoft Teams accessibility! This article is part 1 of a 2 part series, sharing answers to those questions.</Description><Audience/><Title>Improve Accessibility of Your Teams Meetings - Questions and Answers (Part 1)</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Microsoft</Subject><Subject>Teams</Subject><Subject>meetings</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>2022 Accessibility Year in Review</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Wooden building blocks: &quot;2022 Review&quot; with others graphically illustrating blog topics</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/year-in-review-blog_tcm38-552528.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Building block: &quot;2022 Review&quot;</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/year-in-review-blog-thumb_tcm38-552525.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2022-12 - 2022 Accessibility Year in Review</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-552503&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2022-12-19T19:55:30Z</Date><ShortDescription>A brief summary of what happened in digital accessibility at the State of Minnesota.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>A few of the MN Office of Accessibility 2022 activities and accomplishments</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Jay Wyant, Chief Information Accessibility Officer&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Working from home has gotten comfortable. Our dog waits for me to sit at the kitchen table with my coffee so he can lay at my feet while I work. The downside is the lack of casual conversation. The sort where one person says to another:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“So, another December, another year. What did you do this year?”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Whew! It was really, really busy! So good of you to ask! How about we sit down for a cup of coffee and I can tell you all about it?”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;So grab your beverage and let’s take a quick look back.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;3 years after WCAG 2.1 became official, we assembled a team of experts from different agencies with a variety of skills and backgrounds to see if the state should add these criteria to the State Accessibility Standard. The standard derives its authority from 2009 state law that required it comprise, at a minimum:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended in 1998.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The law also made provisions for adding revisions and updates. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In 2022, the team members carved out spare time over 6 months to dive into the nuances of each criteria to understand:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How did the criteria support end users?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What might technology and content creators have to do differently?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;While team members all agreed that WCAG 2.1 is a good thing, there is concern about the ability of our tools to support the criteria. Ultimately, the team unanimously agreed to:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Support adding it to the state standard. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Seek feedback about tools and processes to enable conformance.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To get buy-in from IT and agency leaders, the team planned three presentation and feedback sessions open to all state employees:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;General Introduction to WCAG 2.1, for all audiences.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;WCAG 2.1: Deep Dive, for project managers, product owners, and technology creators such as web and app developers and document remediators, and anyone working on a mobile app.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A Case Study, for all audiences.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The team contracted with WebAIM for the first two presentations. CapTech, a consulting company, volunteered to present their experiences for the case study.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;After each session, attendees responded to a survey that asked, among other questions, &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Should the State plan to adopt 2.1 as part of its state accessibility standard?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How much time do you need to prepare?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Which WCAG 2.1 success criteria would you like more training or guidance on?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The first two surveys had over a 30% response rate. We’re still reviewing the data but overall it is extremely positive. We’ll post an update once we know our next steps.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Procurement for Accessibility&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility Master Contract&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The folks at the state who manage procurement – how we buy services and technology – work hard to make it as easy as possible for both buyers and sellers. Two ways they do this are through master contracts and pre-registering vendors.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A master contract for captioning, audio description, and accessible documents expired last year. This year, we worked with the Department of Administration to:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Draft a Request for Proposal (RFP) for potential vendors.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Review and score vendor proposals.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Set a cutoff for final vendor selection.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The new &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mmd.admin.state.mn.us/AccessibilityMN/AccessibilityMNMainPage.htm&quot;&gt;Accessibility Master Contract&lt;/a&gt; went live late this summer and will be in force for five years.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Vendor pre-registration&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Vendors who evaluate websites for accessibility and related services can apply to be on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/admin/business/mnsite/&quot;&gt;MNSITE&lt;/a&gt; program. This enables state agencies to hire vendors quickly and more efficiently than through an extensive RFP process. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Like the Accessibility master contract, this program renewed in the fall of 2022. This required all vendors to re-register. We are continuously encouraging qualified vendors to &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/admin/business/mnsite/vendors/&quot;&gt;register&lt;/a&gt; and be available for state contracts.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Onboarding for Digital Accessibility Coordinators&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Digital Accessibility Coordinators (DACs) are the backbone of the State of Minnesota’s accessibility efforts. They: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Staff all of the projects we’ve talked about on this page.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Lead the accessibility work with their agencies and business partners.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provide training and support.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Help out other coordinators.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Promote accessibility everywhere!&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some coordinators have been with us for ten years, while others are just getting started. To help everyone, a team of new and experienced coordinators put together an onboarding packet. This packet includes:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;General expectations of individual coordinators as well as DACs as a team.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Information for their supervisors.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Best practices and resources for testing, procurement, and other activities.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Links to training and other information.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Training and Testing for Major Systems&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Office of Accessibility’s small staff size means that our time is best suited to providing consultations to project teams, and training, and guidance for all state staff . But there are times when projects are so large and critical that we have to be directly involved.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;One example is our help desk software. Jennie Delisi, our Accessibility Analyst has worked closely with the implementation team to:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Design accessible templates. The goal is to ensure that all user  interfaces are accessible. This requires understanding the features and limitations of the technology’s templating system. Jennie worked with the team to devise and test processes to ensure accessible output.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Create accessibility test plans. The system has multiple interfaces. Each needs functional and accessibility testing. Jennie led accessibility testing, and followed up with the vendor to ensure they addressed known accessibility issues in upgrades. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Another example   is a system or technology solution that integrates with many others. Jennie worked with a team implementing a solution that classifies and protects data. This impacts many different tools used at the state of Minnesota. This could include: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Email.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Documents.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Systems that generate emails and documents. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The team brought Jennie onto the project early because of the project’s complexity. She:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provided preliminary feedback about accessibility issues with the administrative interfaces. Jennie shared this feedback with the vendor, and followed up with them to track progress on the improvements.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Worked with the Quality Assurance (QA) professional from the team. Together they identified when to include digital accessibility testing in the project plan. Jennie led the accessibility portions of the test plan. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Incorporated people with disabilities who use assistive technology into the pilot groups. Jennie worked with the QA, business analyst, and project manager to plan how the project team would: 
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Communicate inclusively about the pilot opportunity.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ensure they could address specific needs for the testers.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Have accessible feedback opportunities. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Education and Awareness &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The State of Minnesota has over 35,000 state employees spread over 70 agencies, boards, and commissions. We’re always looking for ways to promote digital accessibility and get them involved. Our activities this year included the following efforts. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We celebrate GAAD every year. The continuation of remote work among many state employees meant we had to be creative to encourage participation. We organized six separate events throughout the day, each on a different topic. All of them tied to the current exploration of WCAG 2.1 that we mentioned earlier.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Rachael Bradley-Montgomery, Co-chair of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Accessibility Guidelines Working Group, began the celebration with a wonderful keynote. She explained why and how accessibility guidelines change and evolve. Then five sets of presenters and guests followed up with impactful discussions and personal stories of digital accessibility’s value in:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;End user impact of accessibility standards.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Buying accessible technology.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Projects that shift left for accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Creating accessible visual content.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Web application accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You can &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/533052&quot;&gt;watch all 6 sessions&lt;/a&gt; yourself!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessible PDF Training&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We have a lot of accessible PDF experts here at the state. At the same time, more employees need to learn how to make accessible PDFs, particularly those who work for smaller agencies and boards. Some of our experts got together and created this wonderful “&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/pdf-101.jsp&quot;&gt;PDF 101&lt;/a&gt;” about all the basics of creating PDFs that meet our high standards.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;They chunked the information into 11 short, easily digestible modules. You can start at the beginning or just pick the topic you need to know now.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Even better: its free and open to the public, so you can share this with your colleagues.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Experience Lab&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In the past, our office collaborated with Digital Accessibility Coordinators to create an “experience lab.” We first offered the lab at the MN Government IT Symposium. Then again at a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Accessibility Standard. This year, we reconvened team members to create a virtual version that we provided in person at the 2022 IT Symposium.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We designed the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/experience-lab/&quot;&gt;Experience Lab&lt;/a&gt; to give individuals a flavor of how people with disabilities experience digital technology. The goal is to encourage people to stop and think about how their work can impact others. Then encourage them to learn more about what they can do to make technology and digital information more accessible and usable.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;508 Guidance&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Most digital accessibility conversations are about how to conform with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). There is relatively little information on accessible hardware or software outside of WCAG criteria.  We convened a group of Digital Accessibility Coordinators who are passionate about the topic and did a “deep dive” into the non-WCAG portions of Section 508.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This resulted in a &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/508%20Guidance%202022%20-%20State%20of%20MN_tcm38-551544.docx&quot;&gt;guidance document (Word)&lt;/a&gt; that provides a starting point for state employees who either:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Create software.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Work with vendors on software or hardware.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It also attempts to clarify how to use 508’s Functional Performance Criteria (FPC) section.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A related goal is to clarify state expectations regarding hardware systems such as multifunction printers. It provides vendors with guidance on how to demonstrate their technology’s support for accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The coordinators who drafted this document spent countless hours diving into the details of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.access-board.gov/ict/&quot;&gt;rule’s text&lt;/a&gt;. The goal was to set clear expectations for state staff and vendors. This document provides state employees with a solid resource when making decisions about buying or updating software or hardware.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
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&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>552503</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2023-01-23T19:55:57Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>Learn the roles project team members play in improving the accessibility of technology projects. This includes the Chief Business Technology Officer, Product Owner, and Project Management Office Supervisor.</Description><Audience/><Title>5 Insider Tips To Make Accessibility Part Of Workflow</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Workflow</Subject><Subject>project planning</Subject><Subject>testing</Subject><Subject>Workforce One</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>5 Insider Tips To Make Accessibility Part Of Workflow</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Text: Workforce One; diverse group making a hand stack.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/workforce-one-blog-alternative_tcm38-548007.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Diverse group of people making a hand stack.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/workforce-one-blog-thumb_tcm38-548005.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2022-11 - Insider Accessibility Tips</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-548022&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2022-11-16T21:10:31Z</Date><ShortDescription>Learn the roles project team members play in improving the accessibility of technology projects. This includes the Chief Business Technology Officer, Product Owner, and Project Management Office Supervisor.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Minnesota’s Workforce One Team Shares Their Accessibility Plan</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;JoAnn Rautio, Minnesota IT Services partnering with the Department of Employment and Economic Development, and&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Jennie Delisi, Office of Accessibility&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You may have said to yourself: accessibility testing should be part of a technology project&apos;s workflow. The questions your colleagues may ask next are &quot;who will do that?&quot; and, &quot;how does that work in real life?&quot; The answers to both questions are:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It takes a team of people, working together.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It takes time to mature the process, catch all aspects of each type of workflow.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;And, it is an ever-evolving process.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This month we learn from the team of state employees who work on and support the Workforce One project. Some work for Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) – the state of Minnesota&apos;s IT department. Others work for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/deed/programs-services/workforceone/&quot;&gt;DEED&lt;/a&gt;, &quot;Nearly 2,000 state, city, county, and non-profit employment and training providers use Workforce One (WF1) to track employment and training services to more than 100,000 customers across Minnesota&apos;s One Stop network.&quot; WF1 is a web-based client management application. It &quot;was created through a partnership between the Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;JoAnn Rautio, Quality Assurance (QA) and digital accessibility coordinator for MNIT partnering with DEED, has a significant history with the team. &quot;The WF1 project began in 2011, and I started in 2014 on that project. In the project scope they included that it was to be designed and coded as accessible for all users.&quot; More specifically, according to Annie Tietema (former product owner), they felt a commitment to creating and enhancing the accessibility because:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&quot;At DEED, we serve internal and external customers for whom we must provide accessibility systems per the law.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It makes systems more usable for everyone.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It helps us attract a more diverse pool of employees.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It&apos;s the right thing to do!&quot;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Rautio feels that &quot;to truly have accessibility in the application lifecycle, it has to be part of everyone&apos;s role.&quot; This digital accessibility culture is how the MNIT partnering with DEED team approaches all their work. &quot;It is everyone&apos;s role to create and enhance the applications for all customers.&quot; And when asked how the team approaches accessibility, Rautio reports their approach is positive. &quot;Digital accessibility is a work in progress and we continue to grow. DEED has taken a proactive step by creating the Performance and Technical Management team which is committed to providing accessible systems.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tip 1: Have a Leader Who Champions Accessibility&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Brian Allie is the Chief Business Technology Officer for Minnesota IT Services Partnering with DEED, Commerce, the Public Utilities Commission, and Explore Minnesota. He shares, &quot;In my role I have both a legal and moral obligation to champion accessibility in the entire Software Development Life Cycle, whether that be developing or purchasing software. As an organization we need to emphasize that accessibility, like security, is part of the process for any software implementation.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Leaders play an important role in ensuring that everyone can address accessibility in their role. Allie explains, &quot;This means giving teams the tools they need to accomplish that and giving accessibility testing the same level of value as all of the other testing that goes into software development.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tip 2: Check Technology Tools Before Using&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Many industries talk about doing checks or reviews before starting something. For example:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Know Before You Go – U.S. Customs and Border Protection.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Know What&apos;s Below. Call Before You Dig – Minnesota&apos;s Office of Pipeline Safety.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Check. Call. Care – First Aid.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Bridget Fitzgerald, MNIT partnering with DEED&apos;s Project Management Office Supervisor and Technology Intake Coordinator, kicks off the important workflow around checking accessibility for requested technology. She says, &quot;DEED staff are continuously submitting technology requests to me: requests for software tools, applications, and plug-ins to make their work more effective and efficient. When they do, the requests must be vetted for accessibility.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are more paths to follow, depending on the type of product. &quot;I route these requests to our MNIT Accessibility Coordinator, JoAnn Rautio. She:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;reviews the company&apos;s completed Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT),&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;runs accessibility tests on the requested technology, and&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;scores the tool&apos;s accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We double-check with the MNIT Enterprise Accessibility office, to see if the tool&apos;s accessibility has been tested by other agencies. When we send out Requests For Proposals (RFPs) or contract with a vendor, Accessibility is part of the equation. We want to know&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;how the vendor approaches accessibility in their tool,&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;if it can be used without a mouse,&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;if they have coded keyboard shortcuts.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;An accessibility review is part of the new technology intake process.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tip 3: Include Accessibility in Product Approvals and Priorities&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Becca Johnson is the Workforce One product owner. Johnson says, &quot;The WF1 Team keeps accessibility at the forefront of every system enhancement, and as the Product Owner, I am responsible for prioritizing new or updated functionality to ensure our system is functional, compliant, and user-friendly for all. I am the final level of approval for system enhancements and communicate/demonstrate changes to users in a way that is accessible for anyone, regardless of any hidden or visible disabilities.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tip 4: Practice Accessibility Regularly to Improve Outcomes&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;John Dufner is the business analyst on the project. He explains, &quot;Accessibility is a fundamental component of our Workforce One Project. All of our application development has an eye towards users who require some form of accessibility need. Therefore, once coding is complete, as a business analyst, I test the page not only for functionality but also for accessibility. I use add-on tools to assist me such as WAVE, AXE, and JAWS in addition to performing keyboard testing. Using these tools frequently changes your mindset so that you start to envision pages with an eye towards accessibility. This can be seen in page layout and structure.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And, accessibility testing done by the team has other benefits. Rautio explained, &quot;All roles have responsibilities to test for accessibility to prevent bugs. Similar to other development bugs, accessibility is considered a bug if not coded correctly from the spec. It is valued the same as a unit and exploratory testing. We all learn from the errors because we have to take time to document the issues.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In conversations with this team, everyone worked on their general accessibility knowledge. That allows them to play to their strengths, experience, and training in their specific areas. The digital accessibility coordinator or subject matter expert can come in with that deeper accessibility knowledge and fill in any accessibility gaps. This capitalizes on their expertise and specialty skills. And, they can provide additional training for the team as needed.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tip 5: Build Upon What You Learn&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Finally, when asked what is one tip Rautio would share based on all the learning this team gained in the last 14 years, she shares, &quot;Continue to learn. Continue to improve.&quot; Doing this helped Rautio and the team learn new techniques, discover new tools, and continue to refine the way they work together. It helped them &quot;improve our jobs and make them more efficient.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Bonus Tip&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Newer to having a team digital accessibility approach? This team shared 3 tips just for you!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Become a champion. Talk to your digital accessibility coordinator and project manager about wanting to develop this with your team.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Add the free &lt;a href=&quot;https://wave.webaim.org/extension/&quot;&gt;WAVE,&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.deque.com/axe/browser-extensions/&quot;&gt;axe,&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ssa.gov/accessibility/andi/help/install.html&quot;&gt;ANDI&lt;/a&gt; extensions to your browser. Scan a project page. Talk with your teammates about the results.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Be willing to adjust the process. Be Agile –
&lt;ol&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What worked well (keep doing!).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What didn&apos;t work well.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What will we do differently!&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>548022</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2022-11-16T22:36:11Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>The state of Minnesota recently held a training for employees. There were many great questions about Microsoft Teams accessibility! This article is part 1 of a 2 part series, sharing answers to those questions.</Description><Audience/><Title>Improve Accessibility of Your Teams Meetings - Questions and Answers (Part 1)</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Microsoft</Subject><Subject>Teams</Subject><Subject>meetings</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Improve Accessibility of Your Teams Meetings: Questions and Answers (Part 1)</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Microsoft Teams logo</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/microsoft-teams-blog_tcm38-548006.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Microsoft Teams logo</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/microsoft-teams-blog-thumb_tcm38-548004.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2022-11 - Teams Accessibility Answers</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-547970&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2022-11-16T21:10:31Z</Date><ShortDescription>The state of Minnesota recently held a training for employees. There were many great questions about Microsoft Teams accessibility! This article is part 1 of a 2 part series, sharing answers to those questions.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Tips to make your Teams Meetings more inclusive</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Jennie Delisi, Accessibility Analyst&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Ever want the inside scoop on Microsoft Teams accessibility? On October 12, 2022 Microsoft gave a training for State of Minnesota employees. They had the opportunity to learn the latest of what is available in the version of Teams they use – part of the Government Community Cloud (GCC). We collected the questions they asked, the answers we got, and we are sharing them with you!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Many thanks to the subject matter experts that contributed to these responses, including:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Macauley Kloetzly, Microsoft.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Kris Schulze, Experience IT Manager.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Jay Wyant, Chief Information Accessibility Officer.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Microsoft Teams Accessibility Resources&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;“Is there a link to Microsoft Teams tips?”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here are some accessibility resources from Microsoft:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/accessibility-tools-for-microsoft-teams-2d4009e7-1300-4766-87e8-7a217496c3d5?culture=en-us&amp;amp;country=us&quot; title=&quot;Microsoft webpage linking to Teams accessibility topic pages&quot;&gt;Accessibility tools for Microsoft Teams.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility/&quot; title=&quot;Accessibility information for Microsoft products&quot;&gt;Accessibility Technology &amp;amp; Tools.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility/features?activetab=pivot_1%3aprimaryr2&quot; title=&quot;Microsoft accessibility features sorted by functional needs.&quot;&gt;Accessibility Features.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility&quot; title=&quot;Microsoft&apos;s accessibility help and learning page&quot;&gt;Accessibility help and learning.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Giving Presentations&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;“Is pink the recommended color for an accessible on-screen mouse cursor while presenting?”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;“How can you adjust the appearance of the cursor?”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Screenshot%20Mouse%20and%20Pointer%20settings_tcm38-548008.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Screenshot of Mouse Pointer settings in Windows 10.&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of Mouse Pointer settings in Windows 10.&quot; style=&quot;width: 43%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Screenshot Mouse and Pointer settings&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If meeting participants need to follow your mouse pointer during a demonstration, try this tip. Choose a color with good contrast against whatever is behind it. When planning your presentation think about concepts like:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What is the slide background color (if using PowerPoint)?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What is the background color for the web pages I am demonstrating?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Are there times where I have to move between 2 different colored areas, and still need people to be able to track my cursor?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Remember that color is not your only tool:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Describe where your mouse pointer is as you navigate across the screen. This also helps people who cannot see the screen or don’t see it well.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Change settings to use the CTRL key to draw attention to the current mouse pointer location as necessary (looks like a target).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provide a handout with key screen shots that include indications of specific locations. Participants can review this after the meeting.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here are Microsoft resources for these mouse settings:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/make-windows-easier-to-see-c97c2b0d-cadb-93f0-5fd1-59ccfe19345d#:~:text=you&apos;re%20pointing-,Make%20your%20mouse%20more%20visible%20by%20changing%20the%20color%20and,that%20work%20best%20for%20you.&quot; title=&quot;Microsoft instructions to change mouse pointer visibility&quot;&gt;Make Windows Easier to See – Know Where You’re Pointing section&lt;/a&gt; includes instructions for changing the color of your mouse pointer.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/find-your-mouse-pointer-fast-dbc1d222-778c-da15-5218-cb8336074554&quot; title=&quot;Microsoft instructions for adding a circle around your mouse pointer&quot;&gt;Find Your Mouse Pointer Fast&lt;/a&gt; – instructions for enabling a circle to appear around your mouse pointer when you use the CTRL key.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Screen Readers and PowerPoint Live&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;“Is there a way for a screen reader user to read the content [when the presenter is using PowerPoint Live]?”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;PowerPoint Live is a way to enable presentation participants to advance through the slides shared in Teams at their own pace. It also enables participants to use any links you have within your PowerPoint during the meeting. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Microsoft has instructions to “&lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/use-a-screen-reader-to-attend-a-powerpoint-live-session-in-microsoft-teams-d2bdc7aa-4288-4159-a1ca-02f63e4a9a27#:~:text=Read%20slide%20contents,-The%20screen%20readers&amp;amp;text=follow%20these%20steps%3A-,In%20the%20Microsoft%20Teams%20meeting%20where%20the%20presenter%20is%20using,switch%20the%20scan%20mode%20on.&quot; title=&quot;Use a screen reader with PowerPoint Live&quot;&gt;Use a screen reader to attend a PowerPoint Live session in Microsoft Teams.”&lt;/a&gt; This includes instructions for getting the screen reader to read slide contents. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Using PowerPoint Live during your presentation? Consider sharing the link to this information in your meeting invite.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use of Background Filters and Your Camera&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;“If the custom background appears reversed to (you) does it appear correctly to participants?”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Yes. When you load an image into Teams to use as your background it appears in reverse for you. Any text will appear backwards to you. People viewing you during the meeting will see the text in your background image in the correct orientation. Microsoft recently added a way to &lt;a href=&quot;https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-teams-blog/turn-off-mirror-my-video-in-microsoft-teams-meetings-to-match/ba-p/3114332&quot; title=&quot;Turn off &amp;quot;Mirror my video&amp;quot;&quot;&gt;Turn off “Mirror my video.”&lt;/a&gt; The article has instructions on how to use this setting and provides other helpful information.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Cameras, backgrounds, and their use can be both a positive and a negative experience for a variety of needs. Some people find the use of a more uniform background helpful for focusing on the person (as opposed to their background). Some mentioned during the training that the flickering difference between the background image/filter and the person cause them challenges. Other people may find having people’s videos on distracts them from focusing on content. Some ideas:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provide opportunities for people to share their needs in a variety of ways. Listen when someone shares that an aspect of cameras being on either helps them or makes it difficult for them. Ask for their suggestions on ways to make the experience better. Work together to find something that works well for all involved.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Be thoughtful when you select a background image to use. Consider how this may help others in the meeting.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If you are finding people having their videos on is distracting for you, you have the option to turn them off (just in your view). In your Teams meeting window go to the more actions (3 dots) – select Turn off incoming video. Your camera will stay active for others (if you keep it on).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Transcription&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;“Why did the transcription stop?”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;According to Microsoft the organizers, presenters, and people in the same organization or “tenant” attending the meeting can start or stop the (automated) transcript. If portions of a meeting are being recorded, when the meeting recording stops you may need to restart the transcript. &lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/view-live-transcription-in-a-teams-meeting-dc1a8f23-2e20-4684-885e-2152e06a4a8b&quot; title=&quot;Transcript in a Teams meeting&quot;&gt;Transcript in a Teams meeting&lt;/a&gt; shares information about using the automated transcript feature.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;But Wait, There’s More&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We got so many great questions during the training! Check out the December edition for the rest. Not yet subscribed? Keep reading!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>547970</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2022-11-16T21:02:57Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>Minnesota’s focus on diversity and inclusion enables us to hire from a wider pool of candidates than many others. Learn from 3 state employees about the link for them between assistive technology and digital accessibility.</Description><Audience/><Title>People: The Best Reason for Accessible Digital Technology</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>employment</Subject><Subject>ndeam</Subject><Subject>equity</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>People: The Best Reason for Accessible Digital Technology</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Diverse people in workplace settings.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/meaningful-in-minnesota-blog_tcm38-544887.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Diverse people in workplace settings.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/meaningful-in-minnesota-blog-thumb_tcm38-544885.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2022-10 - Meaningful in Minnesota</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-544857&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2022-10-24T19:10:31Z</Date><ShortDescription>Minnesota’s focus on diversity and inclusion enables us to hire from a wider pool of candidates than many others. Learn from 3 state employees about the link for them between assistive technology and digital accessibility.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>National Disability Employment Awareness Month’s Meaning in Minnesota</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Jennie Delisi, Accessibility Analyst&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Your colleagues. Your neighbors. Your friends.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;They need accessible digital technology. You may not even know that they do. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Sometimes knowing more about how digital accessibility impacts real life makes it easier to understand why:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;We must continue to learn.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;We must continue to innovate and transform our digital spaces.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;We all must continue to advocate.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Minnesota has a strong digital accessibility history. Why? For over 10 years our state government employees have worked and continue to work to improve access to information by Minnesotans. And, we have goals around hiring and retaining qualified employees with disabilities. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The state’s Information Technology department, Minnesota IT Services (MNIT), is the home of the Office of Accessibility. This Office leads digital accessibility for the state of Minnesota. The Office partners with the state’s digital accessibility coordinators, state agencies, and all state employees. Together this group is transforming the way we buy, build, and use technology. Our shared goal: improve digital accessibility used by Minnesotans and state employees.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Let’s meet some employees who need the technology used at work to be accessible. In honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, this month we learn from:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Donald Hirasuna, Minnesota Department of Commerce.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tommy Sar, Minnesota Department of Health.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) employee.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;They share the type of work they do, and how digital accessibility improves their ability to give Minnesota their best.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Doing Important Work&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Minnesota state employees have jobs that require all kinds of knowledge and ability. Hirasuna works at the Department of Commerce as a Rates Analyst. “I typically conduct econometric analyses to evaluate forecasts from utilities.” Sar works for the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). “I’m a business application specialist at MDH’s Agency Projects and Planning Office. I establish governance and serve as system administrator for certain shared applications such as Absorb Learning Management System and Smartsheet. I also provide shared applications consultation and solutions to better empower MDH employees to serve Minnesota.” The MnDOT employee’s job involves the creation and managing of a database. In addition, he writes and submits reports.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The essential duties for each position are very different. And yet, common to all 3 positions is using:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Digital information - they must review it, create it, and sometimes store for later use. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Digital interactions - with other people and systems.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Technology covered by the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot; title=&quot;state of Minnesota&apos;s Digital Accessibility law and standard&quot;&gt;state of Minnesota’s Digital Accessibility law and standard.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Also common for these 3 people? They use assistive technology.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Assistive Technology – Essential Tools&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Assistive technology is:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“any item, piece of equipment, or product system,
&lt;br /&gt;
whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized,
&lt;br /&gt;
that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.”
&lt;br /&gt;
[From the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/admin/star/program-services/info-and-assistance/&quot; title=&quot;What is AT?&quot;&gt;What is AT page - Minnesota STAR Program.&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;These essential tools enable access to accessible digital information. You may be familiar with how you can talk to your phone, and it types messages for you. For a person with a disability who is unable to type or type well, this and other speech to text assistive technology is essential. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Job accommodations like speech to text and other assistive technologies are an important part of making it possible to hire more people with disabilities. In today’s competitive job market, it is important to be able to hire from the widest pool of qualified potential employees. And, as documented by McKinsey and others, more diverse workforces perform better. The availability of job accommodations, combined with using accessible technology gives the state of Minnesota a greater number of candidates to select from.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Each of the people we spoke to this month uses different assistive technologies. Sar shares, “I use a hearing aid and manual wheelchair. I regularly use captions and text-to-speech features found in various software and operating systems.” And some people, like Hirasuna, use an assistive technology that provides a combination of features. He uses Fusion. This software has features including screen magnification (beyond what is available in the operating system), and a screen reader.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The MnDOT employee shares how he uses his assistive technology while completing tasks throughout the day. “I use assistive technology like JAWS and Seeing AI to complete my work assignments.” Seeing AI is an app that includes features like:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Speaking text that is in front of your device camera.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Identifying products by their barcodes.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Describing the people around you.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Identifying currency bills. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;He continues, “I use JAWS (a screen reader) to read and respond to my email; create and manage a database; edit my work, submit, and organize reports. I also use a Montesquieu Braille device to read and take notes or edit my work.” He also shared how assistive technology contributes to a higher role for him and other people who use this type of technology. “Assistive technology makes it possible to support myself and my family.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Assistive technology relies on accessibility when working with digital information. When something is not accessible, using a document, web form, or software may not work for some people. This is why we all have a role to play.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Built-In Accessibility Improves Access, Efficiency&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When you encounter a curb-cut built into a sidewalk while walking with a baby in a stroller, it makes life simple. If you use a wheelchair, it makes using the sidewalk possible. You don’t have to stop and think about how to do something. You don’t have to consider another route. You just use the curb-cut to transition from the sidewalk to the street.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Digital accessibility that follows recognized standards uses this same approach in digital spaces. Documents and emails, surveys for gathering feedback, and collaborative spaces are just a few examples that require designing and building content, templates, and systems following these standards and best practices.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The MnDOT employee shared that he uses a screen reader. This means that for his assistive technology to access information:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Alt text for images should clearly identify key information in graphics.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Headings throughout documents and websites will make it easier for him to hear the outline and move to the section he needs.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Form fields in a PDF, survey, or web page must use proper labels – both visible and for the form field itself. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Hirasuna shares, “With my partial vision, I work best with a combination of a magnifier and reader.” How do you ensure that he can use your information? &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Consider people who magnify when reviewing wireframes and design proposals. Ensure this will work well if the person magnifies to 200% (current state of Minnesota standard).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use quality graphics. These are more likely to remain clear when magnified.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Make magnification a part of your testing. Look for information that may overlap, making something unreadable. Check that dropdowns contain all their text when magnified. Try completing text fields within your form.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Sar reminds us that sometimes, technology itself is the curb cut. “While many dislike the general shift to virtual meetings, for me, it is a huge boon. Face-to-face meetings weren’t always great for me due to being hard of hearing. I can only hear with my left ear so if the speaker(s) are positioned to my right or behind, I have a very hard time understanding them. Since I don’t have stereo hearing, it is difficult to track multiple speakers and pick out voices in a loud environment. Throw in bad acoustics and I might as well not attend the meeting. However, virtual meetings usually mean&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;One person speaks at a time.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Their voice goes directly into my ear. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;I can adjust the volume.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;I can use an Artificial Intelligence (AI) generated captioning or a live transcript. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Another example is whiteboards. I dislike physical whiteboards because as a wheelchair user, I can only reach the bottom portion of the board. I also have difficulty writing legibly on vertical surfaces. Whereas digital whiteboards are fully accessible to me.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And this is where the state of Minnesota digital accessibility standard is important. You don’t have to remember what helps each person in this article. The standard provides a way to plan digital accessibility that works for many. One aspect is using an accessible digital whiteboard. One that also enables a person using a screen reader or magnifies to use it too. Pair this with describing what is happening onscreen as people are using it during the meeting. Now it is accessible for many people, including people who use a wheelchair, people who magnify and/or use a screen reader, and those attending by telephone. And, everyone will be able to actively participate in your meeting.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We Still Need to Ask What People Need&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Important: remember to include information about how to request an accommodation. People may need them in different scenarios. Think about situations like meetings, webinars, and conferences. The MnDOT employee shares a best practice: “When people make a request for accommodation in technology, respond quickly and efficiently for they rely on it for their work.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Throughout your work, think about when a person may need to make a request. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Have a plan on how to integrate this into your workflow. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Draft language your team can include in communications. This should include the contact information of a person or office to reach out to when making a request. Include their email and phone number. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ask your Human Resources team who to contact if you get a request. Many will have an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Coordinator.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And there is still other work to do. Building more equitable, inclusive spaces means understanding the needs of people like Sar, Hirasuna, and the MnDOT employee. Consider involving people with disabilities when planning your next IT project. They have wishes for the next versions of digital interactions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Other Points to Ponder&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Each of our interviewees shared concepts they hope you will consider in the coming year.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The MnDOT employee wants everyone to “keep all abilities in mind when communicating digitally. Don’t assume assistive technology users communicate the same way as you. Instead, try to understand how they communicate digitally. As language is for communication, technology, too, is for communication. If the point is to communicate, don’t make it inaccessible.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“My wish,” shares Hirasuna, “is that all organizations continue to work on their understanding and appreciation of the skills that persons with disabilities can bring to the office.  Also, my hope is that employers continue to strive to provide a working environment that recognizes the unique challenges faced by individuals with disabilities and to further recognize that different challenges are not equivalent to additional challenges.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Rather than view accessibility as a chore you’re legally obligated to work with,” says Sar, “understand that accessibility features often benefit those who don’t need it. They can enable more efficient productivity, reduce errors, or just make work more pleasant. Captions and transcripts are great for later reference and record keeping as well as missed attendees. Alt-text may ensure people understand the point of a graph or image. By normalizing and embracing accessibility as USABILITY, everyone benefits. But more importantly for me, that’s fewer barriers to an inclusive work environment where more people with disabilities can be gainfully employed and support themselves, their families, and society as a whole.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Join the Movement&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As part of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, you have already taken an important step. You took time out of your day to learn more about people. Thank you! Here are some ways you can continue to build awareness and understanding in the coming year:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Discover the hiring practices supporting people with disabilities in your organization. In Minnesota, there is information on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mmb/careers/diverse-workforce/&quot; title=&quot;Minnesota Management and Budget&apos;s website - welcoming a diverse workforce&quot;&gt;Minnesota Management and Budget&apos;s website about welcoming and supporting a diverse workforce.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Plan time in your calendar weekly, even 15 minutes, to practice improving digital accessibility in your daily work. It is amazing what you can accomplish in a year with regular practice.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
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&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>544857</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2022-10-24T14:42:01Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>Do you create content, or are you a member of a project planning team? Do you test digital content that uses color? Learn information that can help you plan and test engaging digital projects.</Description><Audience/><Title>More Attractive, Engaging, Accessible: How to Use Color with Intention</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>color</Subject><Subject>project planning</Subject><Subject>testing</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>More Attractive, Engaging, Accessible: How To Use Color With Intention</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Color wheel with eye dropper tool in the center. Icons encircle: text, graph, thinking, eye, webpage, pen and paper.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/use-color-with-intention-blog_tcm38-544888.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Color wheel with eye dropper tool in the center.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/use-color-with-intention-blog-thumb_tcm38-544884.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2022-10 - Use Color</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-544858&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2022-10-24T19:10:31Z</Date><ShortDescription>Do you create content, or are you a member of a project planning team? Do you test digital content that uses color? Learn information that can help you plan and test engaging digital projects.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Planning and Testing Tips to Meet Color Requirements</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Jennie Delisi, Accessibility Analyst&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Color – something we use every day at work. Many of us don’t even think about it! It is part of:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Heading styles.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Link font color.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Bullets in lists.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Error messaging.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Table row headers, column headers, data cells.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And this list just relates to text!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This month we review the concept of color as a sensory characteristic of text. We cover who needs you to use color intentionally, what to consider when planning to use text with color, and how to test.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Why Use Color Intentionally&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You may know someone that cannot tell the difference between red and green. Or someone that accesses text but not any of the visuals onscreen. People may find color difficult to perceive for a variety of reasons. Consider people who:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Have difficulty perceiving certain color combinations.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Have low vision. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Have a cognitive disability that makes it difficult to notice more subtle sensory differences.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Are blind.   &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use Color with Intention&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use color – it helps many people engage with your content! And, add these concepts to your checklist (more details will follow):&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use good contrast between foreground and background.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use more than just color to communicate information. Another way to say this: do not use color alone to communicate.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Bonus if you are able to:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Let users choose the foreground (text) and background colors.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Plan to use Color&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Each of us plays a role in planning to use color with text.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Individual Contributor&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Selecting colors for specific tasks? Think about how you (and other people) will test them. Plan to use colors that meet the contrast requirements. Plan for use of text with color in:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Emails.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Documents.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Web pages, applications, forms (including surveys).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Software.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Mobile applications.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Social media.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Infographics…&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are few jobs today that someone may have where color is not a consideration.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In terms of text color, think about the color of:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Heading styles.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Paragraph text.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Link font color.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Bullets in lists.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Error messaging.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Table row headers, column headers, data cells.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Often I hear people say “I use the default colors, so those are accessible. Right?” Maybe. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The company or organization may not have tested the default colors for the specific way you are using them. It&apos;s best to test it yourself.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Consider:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Did they test the default color contrast against the background you selected?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Did they test the default color the way you are using it – have you changed anything compared to how they tested it?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Did they test the version you are using, which may have changed some of the colors?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Using something you haven’t used before or since the latest update? Consider that the default color of the text may not have enough contrast.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When planning to use color to communicate something like status of a project, or an alert, use text and color. Do not use color alone. Review your plan to determine if readers need to be able to perceive color of the text to understand the information. Examples include: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If a category of content uses green text for one category, blue for another, and does not have text to identify the name of the category. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If red responses to sample questions indicate incorrect and do not have text that also identifies them as incorrect.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If the color of text (paragraph, heading, table cell) indicates its status as complete, partially complete, or not yet started.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Revise your plan to ensure that color is not the only way the content communications information.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Project Planning Team&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How IT projects will use color and text is an important consideration for &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Designers.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Business analysts.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Quality assurance professionals.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Developers.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Project managers. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The information for individual contributors (above) will start you thinking about how this impacts your projects.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You may also want to add specific information in your plans that references the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). For state of Minnesota employees, this is currently version 2.0, A and AA. Consider building in greater accessibility by adding AAA and 2.1 success criteria. The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/quickref/?currentsidebar=%23col_customize&amp;amp;tags=color&quot; title=&quot;How to Meet WCAG (Quick Reference) with color tag selected&quot;&gt;How to Meet WCAG (Quick Reference) with color as a selected tag&lt;/a&gt; identifies the following success criteria to include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics – Level A. “Note 1: For requirements related to color, refer to Guideline 1.4.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;1.4.1 Use of Color – Level A. “Color is not used as the only visual means of conveying information, indicating an action, prompting a response, or distinguishing a visual element.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) – Level AA. “The visual presentation of text and images of text has a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1, except…”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;1.4.6 Contrast (Enhanced) – Level AAA. “The visual presentation of text and images of text has a contrast ratio of at least 7:1, except…”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;1.4.8 Visual Presentation – Level AAA. “For the visual presentation of blocks of text, a mechanism is available to achieve the following…”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;1.4.11 Non-text Contrast – Level AA (Added in 2.1). “The visual presentation of the following have a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 against adjacent color(s)…”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Note: the success criteria listed above does not include color related to other uses, such as visible focus. This is important as well, but the scope of this article is on the use of color and text.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Examples of Tools for Planning to Use Color&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Color Contrast Planning Tools&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are many tools available to help you select colors to use. Here are some examples:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/&quot; title=&quot;WebAIM Color Contrast Checker&quot;&gt;WebAIM Color Contrast Checker.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.levelaccess.com/color-contrast-checker/&quot;&gt;Level Access Color Contrast Checker.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Each has a style for adjusting potential colors and displaying colors for your consideration. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tools for Checking for Color Used Alone&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Test 1: check for color words.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A simple testing tool is your Find option within a browser, document, or content editor. Search for words related to the colors available on the page, e.g., the text “errors are shown in red.” Common examples are red, green, orange, yellow. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You may have access to other tools that use automated tests to search for the use of color words.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Test 2: check for text presented in different colors.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Examine the page and identify text that uses different colors. You may be able to determine this by scanning with your eyes. For some, this may be easier by examining the color codes. When encountering different colored text, review to determine if color change is required for understanding the content.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Prepare a List of Text to Test&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When testing text, review anything that is not black and white, or text with background colors you have previously tested and found to pass. Make a list of these elements. For testing text they could be:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Heading styles.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Paragraph text.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Link font color.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Bullets in lists.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Error messaging.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Table row headers, column headers, data cells.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Note: some text on the page may be part of images. This article will not cover specifics for testing this type of text.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Places to consider reviewing (often forgotten):&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Footnotes.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Footer text in a document or on a website.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Error messaging that appears after failing to complete or incorrectly completing a form element.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Visited link colors if they change from how they originally appear.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Sections of a document, webpage, or application that have a different background color.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Text in panels or sections of an application or web application that the user can expose. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Text that does not appear on the page until a user completes a task or makes certain selections.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Text that becomes available in a pop-up, notification, or similar elements.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Options for Testing&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are a variety of tools available for testing color contrast. Select ones that work with your abilities, type of technology, and display preferences.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Common to all is the need to determine:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Color code of the text (find the color code in the code, use an eye dropper selection option within your tool, or run an automated checker).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Color code of the background.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The color contrast ratio. For this, most people use a tool to calculate it.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Sometimes there are special considerations:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;When the background or text color uses a gradient, or the background is an image.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If a particular letter in a word disappears because of the way the font has color applied.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For testing to determine if content uses color alone, review the section above: Tools for Checking for Color Used Alone.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For testing color contrast, in addition to the testing tools in the section above (Color Contrast Planning Tools) some other examples are:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.tpgi.com/color-contrast-checker/&quot; title=&quot;Colour Contrast Analyser (CCA)&quot;&gt;Colour Contrast Analyser (CCA).&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://wave.webaim.org/&quot; title=&quot;WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool&quot;&gt;WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ssa.gov/accessibility/andi/help/howtouse.html&quot; title=&quot;ANDI&quot;&gt;ANDI.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Testing Protocol Examples&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Understanding Documents for each success criteria in WCAG have a section called Sufficient Techniques. Each Sufficient Techniques page has a Tests section. There is a procedure, followed by expected results. Here are some Test sections that may be helpful to review:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/general/G14#tests&quot; title=&quot;Test section of Ensuring that information conveyed by color differences is also available in text&quot;&gt;Ensuring that information conveyed by color differences is also available in text.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/general/G14#tests&quot; title=&quot;Test section of Ensuring that information conveyed by color differences is also available in text&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/general/G205#tests&quot; title=&quot;Test section of Including a text cue for colored form control labels&quot;&gt;Including a text cue for colored form control labels.&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/general/G182#tests&quot; title=&quot;Test section of Ensuring that additional visual cues are available&quot;&gt;Ensuring that additional visual cues are available when text color differences are used to convey information.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/general/G18#tests&quot; title=&quot;Test section of Ensuring that a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 exists&quot;&gt;Ensuring that a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 exists between text (and images of text) and background behind the text.&lt;/a&gt; Note: this is the test process used behind the scenes for many automated testing tools.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Looking for more test protocols? Start with the specific success criteria. Find its Understanding Document. Then, review the sufficient techniques for one that is close to your situation.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Still not sure how to test? &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If you work for the state of Minnesota reach out to your digital accessibility coordinators. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Everyone should also sign up for trainings! Our newsletter includes training opportunities each month, some of which are free!&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Resources – Learn More&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For people who want more resources about use of color here are some suggestions:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/maps/&quot; title=&quot;Map Accessibility section&quot;&gt;Map Accessibility section&lt;/a&gt; of the Office of Accessibility website, particularly the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/maps/design.jsp&quot; title=&quot;Design page&quot;&gt;Design page.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Working with Colors module in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/&quot; title=&quot;Accessible Word Document Training&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility’s Accessible Word Document Training.&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot;&gt;How to improve non-text contrast: color schemes and interface components.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=534351&quot; title=&quot;Blog: How to improve non-text contrast&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>544858</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2022-10-24T14:42:01Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>What are you doing for National Disability Employment Awareness Month? This article has events and resources!</Description><Audience/><Title>You Need To Know: What’s YOUR role in NDEAM?</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>employment</Subject><Subject>ndeam</Subject><Subject>equity</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>You Need To Know: What’s YOUR role in NDEAM?</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>NDEAM logo &quot;Disability: Part of the Equity Equation&quot;</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/ndeam-blog_tcm38-541043.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Glowing lightbulb</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/ndeam-blog-thumb_tcm38-541044.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2022-09 - NDEAM</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-541021&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2022-09-21T18:10:31Z</Date><ShortDescription>What are you doing for National Disability Employment Awareness Month? This article has events and resources!</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Everyone has a role in National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;script id=&quot;th-iframe-script&quot; src=&quot;chrome-extension://ofdopmlmgifpfkijadehmhjccbefaeec/assets/comms/commsiframe.js&quot; type=&quot;text/javascript&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
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&lt;/script&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Jennie Delisi, Accessibility Analyst&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). This year’s theme is Disability: Part of the Equity Equation. Disability inclusion that is part of a multifaceted community, and that is truly inclusive, is a key part of the equation for building a strong workforce.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This article shares information for everyone, including people who are:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Employers.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Employees.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Co-workers.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Job applicants.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Take some time in October to become more aware of the intersection of disability employment, equity, and your role. Benefit from the events, resources, and conversations. You may find yourself surprised by how much of a stakeholder you really are!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Read to Learn, Watch a Video&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Understanding the experiences of people with disabilities in employment can help you learn more about your role. People who work in the field of digital accessibility often share their recommendations in blogs and videos. There are many different ways to access this – there is something for every learning style.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Reading&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/450250&quot;&gt;A Decade of Digital Accessibility in Practice - The impact of digital accessibility in our workplaces&lt;/a&gt;. This article from 2020 features interviews with people with disabilities. They discuss the impact and changes during the 10 years since the start of the state’s digital accessibility standard.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/502918&quot;&gt;Minnesota Embraces the 2021 National Disability Employment Awareness Month Theme - Steps Organizations Can Take to Improve Inclusion&lt;/a&gt;. State of Minnesota digital accessibility coordinators share ways their organizations are improving access to employment.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Videos&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/5OSWz6vd77Y?autoplay=0&amp;amp;rel=0&quot;&gt;End User Impact of Accessibility Standards (Video)&lt;/a&gt;. State employees share how digital accessibility impacts their professional and personal lives.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/perspective-videos/&quot;&gt;Web Accessibility Perspective Videos&lt;/a&gt;. The W3C has short videos to help you “learn about the impact of accessibility and the benefits for everyone in a variety of situations.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Attend Events and Activities&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;These are just a few of the public events taking place in Minnesota to celebrate NDEAM.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Historical display of people with disabilities and employment&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnddc/&quot;&gt;Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities&lt;/a&gt; is displaying a set of posters in the State Capitol building on the history of people with disabilities and employment. Each poster will have a QR code that leads to more information on the exhibit.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Where: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mnhs.org/capitol/&quot;&gt;Minnesota State Capitol Building&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When: First week in October, 2022.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;DeafExpo&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;DeafExpo is a traveling exposition of products, services, and events geared toward people who are deaf, deafblind, or hard of hearing, as well as their families and others.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Registration is free.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Where: Minneapolis Convention Center.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When: Saturday, October 8, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Learn more on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://deafnation.com/expo/minneapolis/&quot;&gt;DeafNation Expo – Minneapolis webpage&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Are you in New York? There is also a &lt;a href=&quot;https://deafnation.com/expo/rochester/&quot;&gt;DeafNation Expo event in Rochester, NY&lt;/a&gt; on October 1, 2022.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Online panel discussion for employers&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) panel discussion about how individuals with disabilities achieved their career goals. Learn about the journey individuals with disabilities have experienced in the education, job search, recruitment, onboarding and career advancement process. Panelists will share practical tips and advice on how businesses can make disability part of the “Equity Equation.” The event includes a welcome by DEED Commissioner Steve Grove.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Where: Online.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When: October 10, 10 a.m. Central Time.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Register on the DEED: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItceispzosHZpFYVJpY5YS_e7qAeHC3Aw&quot;&gt;National Disability Employment Awareness Celebration Event meeting registration page&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Host Events and Activities&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Disability Employment Policy website includes activities for &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/initiatives/ndeam/ideas&quot;&gt;31 Days of NDEAM&lt;/a&gt;. These include ideas and resources for hosting them. Some examples:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Train supervisors.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Assess ERecruiting accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Holding discussions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And, digital accessibility is a key part of any event or activity’s planning, promotions, and materials! &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/&quot;&gt;Minnesota’s Office of Accessibility website&lt;/a&gt; has resources you can use. Don’t forget to ensure your social media and presentation materials are accessible.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>541021</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2022-10-03T18:11:35Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>Learn about the difference between grids and tables. This article includes a decision-making tool!</Description><Audience/><Title>Find Grids Vs Tables Accessibility Scary? Relief = 2 Simple Questions</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>tables</Subject><Subject>grids</Subject><Subject>accessibility tree</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Find Grids Vs Tables Accessibility Scary? Relief = 2 Simple Questions</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>&quot;Table or Grid&quot; with woman holding head in open-mouthed puzzlement</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/table-or-grid-blog_tcm38-541018.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Question mark inside browser window</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/table-or-grid-blog-thumb_tcm38-541020.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2022-09 - Scary Tables</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-541013&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2022-09-21T17:58:29Z</Date><ShortDescription>Learn about the difference between grids and tables. This article includes a decision-making tool!</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Simple definitions to help business analysts, developers, and you!</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;script id=&quot;th-iframe-script&quot; src=&quot;chrome-extension://ofdopmlmgifpfkijadehmhjccbefaeec/assets/comms/commsiframe.js&quot; type=&quot;text/javascript&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;/script&gt;&lt;script id=&quot;th-iframe-script&quot; src=&quot;chrome-extension://ofdopmlmgifpfkijadehmhjccbefaeec/assets/comms/commsiframe.js&quot; type=&quot;text/javascript&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;/script&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Kim Wee, Minnesota IT Services Partnering with the Department of Education&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When displaying data for web, the code you write builds the Document Object Model (DOM) structure and accessibility tree. It is crucial to verify we are presenting the relationship between the cell contents, and the row and column headers in a programmatic way. Remember the POUR principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable and Robust. If we forget about semantics, roles, and relationships, all kinds of things can go wrong.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This article will not cover a lot of details about fixing the accessibility tree. But, as a developer, sometimes you get into problems if you pick a framework that automatically creates the code. And sometimes, you can go in and fix it. Sarah Higley does a great job describing some possibilities for fixing the accessibility tree in her &lt;a href=&quot;https://sarahmhigley.com/writing/roles-and-relationships/&quot;&gt;Roles and relationships article&lt;/a&gt;. However, fixing is something done after you begin to build. If you consider accessibility first when you choose whether to use a table or a grid, it will improve the accessibility of your solution and reduce the number of issues you will find when testing.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;But how do you know which to use? Visually, tables and grids may look similar. Where they often differ is in the level of interactivity. Interactions include editing cell content or selecting or deselecting a cell. If most or all cells require some sort of interaction, it may be best to use a grid. If the primary goal is to read the data, stick with a data table.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Grids also have the benefit of including one stop in the tab order. This can make keyboard navigation much easier and more efficient.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Disclaimer: My goal for this article is to focus on data display options. I have not included options for page layout and grids on purpose.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Data Grids (more specifically, ARIA grids)&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Have you heard the saying…the first rule of ARIA - don&apos;t use ARIA? I tend to agree. However, in this case, the ARIA grid solution is pretty slick and robust! &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Consider using an ARIA grid when you have data you want to present in a tabular format, and you have any of the following: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A lot of data.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Keyboard interaction.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;You want column and row headers to be automatically read by a screen reader. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In many cases, creating a grid can be easy, by adding role=&quot;grid&quot; to the &amp;lt;table&amp;gt;. Take a look at the examples listed on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/ARIA/apg/example-index/grid/dataGrids&quot;&gt;ARIA Authoring Practices Guide, Data Grid Examples page&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By adding both role=&quot;grid&quot; to the table and tabindex=&quot;-1&quot; to each &amp;lt;td&amp;gt; the screen reader user now has one tab stop - to the first interactive element in the grid. Then, by using the keyboard arrow keys, they can: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Navigate the other data cells.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Have the row and column header information read.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use the space or enter key to interact with the other elements.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tables (Data Tables)&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You can read more detail about the semantics of data, layout, and presentation tables in last month’s article &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/538604&quot;&gt;Easy Read that will Demystify Tables, Reflow, and Magnification&lt;/a&gt;. Watne and Shoemaker state: &quot;Use (data) tables for two-dimensional information.&quot; I would add: and if the primary purpose is to read through the data in order to consume and understand it. Even if there are a few actions included in the data cells, your best bet is to stick with the use of a HTML table. Remember, the first rule of ARIA! At this time, ARIA supports people using screen readers. There are other functional needs your readers may have which ARIA does not support.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In summary&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When displaying tabular data, begin by asking yourself two questions. First, how do you want people to take in and interact with the data? Next, which criteria below applies best?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use a table when:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Reading the data is the primary use.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;There is little to no interaction.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Consider a grid when:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Interacting with the data is the primary use.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Interactions include the ability to select rows and/or has form elements.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And always remember to test the accessibility of your page!&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>541013</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2022-10-03T18:11:35Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>You can improve your digital accessibility skills in just 15 minutes a week. This article provides some fun ways to start learning.</Description><Audience/><Title>How to Make Short Weekly Learning Time = Digital Accessibility Wins</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>skills</Subject><Subject>learning</Subject><Subject>digital accessibility</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>How to Make Short Weekly Learning Time = Digital Accessibility Wins</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Man seated, working on a laptop. Overhead: alarm clock and a trophy.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Beginner%20Activites_Blog_tcm38-538770.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Man seated, working on a laptop. Overhead: alarm clock and a trophy.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Beginner%20Activites_Blog%20Thumb_tcm38-538686.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2022-08 - Beginner Digital Accessibility Activities</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-538596&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2022-08-29T20:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>You can improve your digital accessibility skills in just 15 minutes a week. This article provides some fun ways to start learning. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>15 Minute Learning Activities</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Jennie Delisi, Accessibility Analyst&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When it comes to starting your digital accessibility learning journey, we all need some help to take control and just start. This article will help you when you feel:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Lost, because you don’t know where to start.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Fear of self-judgment, for not having a clear plan.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Overwhelmed because of the size of the topic.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Start here!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Commit to 15 minutes per week (you can do more if you have time). Starting small will feel manageable. Make a recurring calendar appointment for yourself.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Bookmark this article. Add it to your calendar appointment. Use this as your learning plan, or on those days when you do not have another learning activity already identified.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Track your progress. Document 2 items from each study session:
&lt;ol&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What did you do? This will help you review your progress over time. Sometimes we forget where we started. Demonstrating progress will keep you working on your goal.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What questions do you have after completing the activity? These will help you decide what to focus on during future study sessions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Ready to start? This month we have simple and fun activities that will help you begin to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Spot the Auto-Captions Game - Videos&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Auto-captions” means machine generated.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And, the accuracy of auto-captions can vary based on the tool.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Why does this matter?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Check out these videos and see for yourself. Yep, you get to watch videos at work this week. You&apos;re welcome!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Humorous Example of the Dangers of Auto-Captions&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This video has  3 important visuals that aren’t described in the audio. Because there is no audio description I am including them here before you view the video.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Before the actors go through the script the first time, onscreen is the text “Round One: Original Script.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;After the punch sound, and you hear “let’s do that again,” onscreen text is “Round Two: Computer’s Interpretation of Original Script.” This version has the actors speaking what had been in the auto-captions during Round One.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;After the phrase “You wanna get” – instead of punching the man, this time the other man grabs his face around the mouth and looks like he is typing on his face. The man whose face he is typing on says “does it again.” Then, the text onscreen is “Round Three: Computer’s Interpretation of Round Two.” This version has the actors speaking what had been in the auto-captions during Round Two.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23H8IdaS3tk&quot; title=&quot;Caption Fail: Jamaican Vacation Hoax video&quot;&gt;Caption Fail: Jamaican Vacation Hoax (video).&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Good Captions Example&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This video has a lot of visual jokes, so the company made 2 versions. Disclaimer: Minnesota IT Services does not own or promote the contents of the videos linked in this article.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Version with captions: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsOeC8ZLidQ&quot; title=&quot;Meet Carnival&apos;s New CFO: Shaquille O&apos;Neal video&quot;&gt;Meet Carnival’s New CFO: Shaquille O’Neal (video).&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Version with captions and extended audio description: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgIJk6L5Oac&quot; title=&quot;Meet Carnival&apos;s New CFO: Shaquille O&apos;Neal audio described video&quot;&gt;Meet Carnival’s New CFO: Shaquille O’Neal (audio described video).&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Understand the Impact of Visible Focus – Interactive Game&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This in-browser game is fall and Halloween themed. Use your tab key to participate. Sometimes you see the visible focus, and other times you do not. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Check it out – use the TAB key to select the pumpkin. Then follow instructions: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://focus.hteumeuleu.com/&quot; title=&quot;Hocus :focus game&quot;&gt;Hocus :focus&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Screenshots and Text Alternative – Thinking Activity&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You have a broken monitor – just for images. You are only receiving text (for some strange fictional reason). The text is all you get from documents, web pages, and emails.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You receive instructions to complete a task, and with it, a screenshot you can&apos;t use. Now what?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The alternative text someone completed for the screenshot tells you what you need, right?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Does it describe what is in the screenshot - the important details?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Does it tell you if there are arrows pointing to specific buttons or areas of the screenshot?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Does it tell you the name of the location of the item you are to find (example: in the ribbon) or does it say the direction like, “on the right” (not helpful if you cannot see the image)?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What would you use as alt text for this image? &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Note: if you check the alt text for this image, it includes everything, which is not the correct answer. Reason: too much detail. But I provided it for an important reason. If you cannot see this image and want to participate, I need to provide everything that people with vision get from this example.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For your alt text, focus on the purpose you are including the screenshot. For this image, you want the reader to follow Minnesota IT Services on Twitter. What does the reader need the image to show / tell them?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/TwitterFollowMNITButton_tcm38-538700.png&quot; title=&quot;Minnesota IT Services verified Twitter account page, displaying the banner image, account logo, account description. 3 buttons: more options, messages, follow. Red arrow pointing to follow button. Account handle is @MNIT_Services. Account description: Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) is the IT agency for…St Paul, MN. URL, date joined.&quot; alt=&quot;Minnesota IT Services verified Twitter account page, displaying the banner image, account logo, account description. 3 buttons: more options, messages, follow. Red arrow pointing to follow button. Account handle is @MNIT_Services. Account description: Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) is the IT agency for…St Paul, MN. URL, date joined.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;TwitterFollowMNITButton&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Keyboard Testing Challenge – Learn, Try&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Everyone should have some basic keyboard accessibility testing basics.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are HTML keyboard shortcuts, and there are software keyboard shortcuts, like for applications like Microsoft Teams.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This challenge is to learn one thing you can do using only your keyboard for Microsoft Teams or another application you use every day.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;One example:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For Microsoft Teams: navigate to the chat interface, open an already started chat, get to the text box to reply, use the send button. (CTRL + 2, arrow to a chat then ENTER to open it, TAB to text field if not already there, type your message, TAB to the send button, ENTER)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;3 supports for this task:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/techniques/keyboard/#testing&quot; title=&quot;WebAIM&apos;s keyboard testing table&quot;&gt;WebAIM&apos;s keyboard testing table&lt;/a&gt; - lists common commands and expected behaviors for HTML&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/keyboard-shortcuts-for-microsoft-teams-2e8e2a70-e8d8-4a19-949b-4c36dd5292d2&quot; title=&quot;Microsoft Teams keyboard shortcuts&quot; style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Open Sans&amp;quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Microsoft Teams keyboard shortcuts&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/keyboard-shortcuts-for-microsoft-teams-2e8e2a70-e8d8-4a19-949b-4c36dd5292d2&quot; title=&quot;Microsoft Teams keyboard shortcuts&quot; style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Open Sans&amp;quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;&quot; /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/keyboard-shortcuts-accessibility-quick-card_tcm38-228375.pdf&quot; title=&quot;PDF of common keyboard shortcuts&quot; style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Open Sans&amp;quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Downloadable PDF of common keyboard shortcuts&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Page Titles – Learn, Try&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What are they?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Open a webpage.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Hover with your mouse over the browser tab (or look at the code, or listen with a screen reader to the tab).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Page title: the text that displays in the browser tab.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Example:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/BrowserPageTitles_tcm38-538774.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Screenshot of 3 browser tabs. 2nd tab has focus and hover text identifies the organization (Office of Accessibility, mn.gov). Other tabs display: Twitter notifications and Yammer feed.&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of 3 browser tabs. 2nd tab has focus and hover text identifies the organization (Office of Accessibility, mn.gov). Other tabs display: Twitter notifications and Yammer feed.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;BrowserPageTitles&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;Figure 1: The middle tab hover text displays the page title: Office of Accessibility / Minnesota IT Services mn.gov.
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Without knowing the URL, the page title/ text of each of these tabs shows that I have 3 tabs open: Twitter notifications, The Office of Accessibility page on the MNIT website, and Yammer.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Who uses it?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;People using screen readers hear this when they load a page, and when they navigate between open tabs. (Who has just one tab open at a time, right?)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;People who keep multiple tabs open. Sometimes you have multiple tabs open within the same site. Using the example of a conference, it can be helpful to know which page is for registration, which page is the schedule, etc. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
How do I add the correct page title?
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use the title element. Here&apos;s an article to help: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/html/H25&quot; title=&quot;Providing a title using the title element&quot;&gt;Providing a title using the title element.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Want more information?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/page-titled.html&quot; title=&quot;Understanding Success Criterion 2.4.2: Page Titled&quot;&gt;Understanding Success Criterion 2.4.2: Page Titled&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Next: review some of the page titles of web pages you visit throughout the day. Are they accurate?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;An Introduction to Headings – Learn, Testing Tool&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For everyone:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Learn about why headings matter and how and when to use them. This applies to those making all types of content.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://accessibility.princeton.edu/how/content/headings&quot; title=&quot;Headings Create the Page Outline&quot;&gt;Headings Create the Page Outline&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/techniques/semanticstructure/&quot; title=&quot;Semantic Structure: Regions, Headings, and Lists&quot;&gt;Semantic Structure: Regions, Headings, and Lists&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A great resource for ongoing learning is the W3C&apos;s Web Accessibility Tutorials. And, they have a page called &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/tutorials/page-structure/&quot; title=&quot;Page Structure Tutorial&quot;&gt;Page Structure Tutorial.&lt;/a&gt; I like this page because it is easy to quickly review a concept or learn a small amount of information.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For document creators, check out the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit-accessibility/AccessibleDocs/Styles/index.html&quot; title=&quot;Module 2: Working with Styles&quot;&gt;Module 2: Working with Styles.&lt;/a&gt; This is from the State of Minnesota’s online, self-paced &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/&quot; title=&quot;Accessible Word Document Training&quot;&gt;Accessible Word Document Training&lt;/a&gt; (note for state employees: this is also available in your Enterprise Learning Management tool).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tool to try: Paul J. Adam’s Headings Bookmarklet for Accessibility Testing&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To use it:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Go to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://pauljadam.com/bookmarklets/headings.html&quot; title=&quot;Paul J. Adam&apos;s Headings Bookmarklet for Accessibility Testing page&quot;&gt;Paul J. Adam’s Headings Bookmarklet for Accessibility Testing page.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Add to your bookmarks option 1: go to the Headings Bookmarklet link, drag to your bookmarks bar.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Add to your bookmarks option 2: tab to the Headings Bookmarklet link, copy the link, go to your bookmarks manager and create a new bookmark using this link.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ready to check headings on a webpage? Select that bookmarklet.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Note: this tool does not tell you if there are mistakes. It identifies what has heading code, and the level.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Review the results:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Yellow highlights, &amp;lt;&amp;gt; with heading level or WAI-ARIA role and level become available on the page for each text that has them.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Which text on the page should be a heading and does not have one?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Which text on the page has a heading but should not?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Are there any skipped headings? Note: slightly more complicated testing tools like &lt;a href=&quot;https://wave.webaim.org/&quot; title=&quot;WAVE&quot;&gt;WAVE&lt;/a&gt; can identify skipped heading levels.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Next Steps&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Congratulations! You have completed the activities. Now you can:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Begin to find answers to the questions you recorded.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Find a study partner! This can be so helpful. This provides another person to help find answers, and someone to work with on similar goals.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Be sure you have subscribed to the Office of Accessibility newsletter. We will have webinars, tech tips, and articles to help you learn more.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>538596</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2022-08-30T14:29:18Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>Two digital accessibility coordinators share details about the relationship between tables, the presentation of data, magnification, and reflow.</Description><Audience/><Title>Easy read that will demystify tables, reflow, and magnification</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>tables</Subject><Subject>reflow</Subject><Subject>magnification</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Easy Read that will Demystify Tables, Reflow, and Magnification</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Device in landscape orientation. Part of a data table onscreen. Continues offscreen to the right and on the bottom. Arrows over device edges to indicate this.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/reflow_Blog_tcm38-538692.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Device in landscape orientation. Part of a data table onscreen. Continues offscreen to the right and on the bottom. Arrows over device edges to indicate this.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/reflow_Blog%20Thumb_tcm38-538685.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2022-08 - Tables and Reflow</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-538604&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2022-08-29T20:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Two digital accessibility coordinators share details about the relationship between tables, the presentation of data, magnification, and reflow.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Learn more about “resize text” and “reflow”</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Editor’s note: The Office of Accessibility is working with subject matter experts as we explore WCAG 2.1. One discussion that comes up is around tables, data, magnification, and reflow. This month we learn from two digital accessibility coordinators:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Linda Shoemaker, MNsure.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;John Watne, Minnesota IT Services partnering with the Minnesota Department of Revenue.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Together they cover:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Why should we talk about reflow when deciding how to present information to our readers.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How reflow differs from the requirement to enable the resizing of text.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Why reflow and data tables don’t mix.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If tables don’t reflow, when should we use them.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Linda starts us off, sharing some reflow basics.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Benefits of Reflow&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Reflow allows people with low vision to read enlarged web content without having to scroll in more than one direction. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Reflow also helps people with mobility issues who have difficulty scrolling in more than one direction. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Everyone benefits when all content is easily viewed on a mobile device.  Reflow rearranges web content into one column on devices with smaller screens so that scrolling in more than one direction is not necessary.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How is Reflow Different from Resize Text?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The purpose of resize text 1.4.4 is to enable users to increase &lt;strong&gt;text size by 200% without the page display getting messed up.&lt;/strong&gt; For example: text should not overlap other text or elements and all the information on the page should still display. This passes even if you need to scroll in two directions to reveal it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The purpose of reflow 1.4.10 is to enable users to &lt;strong&gt;zoom content to 400% without having to scroll in two directions.&lt;/strong&gt; There is no requirement to resize the text to a particular size as in 1.4.4. For some implementations the text may continue to enlarge as the magnification increases. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; These two criteria go hand in hand, so you might as well test them together. More information is in:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/resize-text.html&quot; title=&quot;Understanding Document for 1.4.4 Resize Text&quot;&gt;Understanding Document for 1.4.4 Resize Text.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/reflow.html&quot; title=&quot;Understanding Document for 1.4.10 Reflow&quot;&gt;Understanding Document for 1.4.10 Reflow.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Next, John’s going to share some specifics about tables.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tables and Reflow Don’t Mix&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Sometimes a table is the best way to present data. This helps people reviewing and working with the information. For example, state personnel might use a web application to monitor the status of property files submitted by each county. The appropriate workers might use the application to approve or delete the submitted files after reviewing them. A sortable table is the most efficient way to present the data for every file. It can display attributes of each file. The workers may use the attributes for filtering or sorting the data. The following figure gives an example of how this table can look when viewed on a laptop display, at default 100% magnification in the browser.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/7-column-table-2_tcm38-538695.png&quot; title=&quot;Table showing 10 data rows, including a column holding &amp;quot;Delete&amp;quot; buttons to delete the row. Column headings are &amp;quot;Delete,” &amp;quot;Tracking ID,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Submitter,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Submission Type,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Assessment Year,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Status,&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;Complete / Incomplete.&amp;quot;&quot; alt=&quot;Table showing 10 data rows, including a column holding &amp;quot;Delete&amp;quot; buttons to delete the row. Column headings are &amp;quot;Delete,” &amp;quot;Tracking ID,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Submitter,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Submission Type,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Assessment Year,&amp;quot; &amp;quot;Status,&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;Complete / Incomplete.&amp;quot;&quot; style=&quot;width: 90%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;7-column-table-2&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In this example, the table has 7 columns, and the people using this application need to view all the columns. The table fits easily on the page when viewed on a notebook display or wider, at 100% magnification. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The entire table will not fit within a screen width on a mobile display, or at greater magnification, without scrolling both horizontally and vertically. And, readers need to have the data presented as a 7 column unit. It would not communicate the information the same way if the second half of this table, for example, moved beneath the first half. The following figure shows how both scroll bars appear when the user magnifies to 200% on a page of the same width.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/zoomed-in-table-2_tcm38-538696.png&quot; title=&quot;Table showing files at 200% magnification. Both horizontal and vertical scrollbars appear, and only the first 4 of 7 columns and 3 rows of data appear on the page.&quot; alt=&quot;Table showing files at 200% magnification. Both horizontal and vertical scrollbars appear, and only the first 4 of 7 columns and 3 rows of data appear on the page.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;zoomed-in-table-2&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This application demonstrates how reflow may not make sense when you must use a data table, especially when one or more of the following conditions apply:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The table must include multiple columns of data.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;You cannot use text wrapping within one or more columns.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The minimum width requirements for the columns add up to more than the width of the display, at the selected magnification.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Even when you should not reflow a table, you should still reflow related items on the page as needed. The example data table includes two controls above it. One for specifying the maximum number of rows displayed, the other a filtering text field. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When viewing the entire table without horizontal scrolling, as in the first figure, the two controls are in a single row, above the left and right ends of the table.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/single-row-controls-2_tcm38-538693.png&quot; title=&quot;Show entries drop down and filter list text field, displaying in a single row.&quot; alt=&quot;Show entries drop down and filter list text field, displaying in a single row.&quot; style=&quot;width: 75%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;single-row-controls-2&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;Figure 1: Two controls in a single row.
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When needing horizontal scroll bars to display the whole table, as in the second figure, the controls reflow. When reflowing the controls, the maximum number filter appears above the filter text field.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/stacked-controls-2_tcm38-538694.png&quot; title=&quot;Show entries field and filter list, magnified, displaying one over the other, as if in a column.&quot; alt=&quot;Show entries field and filter list, magnified, displaying one over the other, as if in a column.&quot; style=&quot;width: 36%; height: auto; margin: 10px 0px 10px 0px&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;stacked-controls-2&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;Figure 2: Two controls, reflowed one over the other.
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Linda – this covered how our readers use content with magnification and reflow. Do you have recommendations for when to use a table and making them easier to use?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When to Use a Table&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Choosing to use a table is all about the data&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use tables for two-dimensional information (&quot;data table&quot;).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Data tables organize data into rows and columns of related information. The information in each cell has little meaning on its own. It&apos;s the topics in a cell&apos;s row and/or column header that provides the context and meaning for the cell&apos;s content.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For example, the table below is about the price of apples, oranges, and bananas by year.  The data cells contain prices related to a particular fruit (column header) in a particular year (row header).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;table border=&quot;1&quot; cellpadding=&quot;1&quot; cellspacing=&quot;1&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%&quot; title=&quot;Cost of Fruit by Year&quot; summary=&quot;This is a sample table. Details are in surrounding text.&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;caption&gt;Fruit Prices 2020 - 2022&lt;/caption&gt;
&lt;thead&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;th class=&quot;&quot; scope=&quot;row&quot; style=&quot;&quot;&gt;Year&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th class=&quot;&quot; scope=&quot;col&quot;&gt;Apples&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th class=&quot;&quot; scope=&quot;col&quot;&gt;Bananas&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th class=&quot;&quot; scope=&quot;col&quot;&gt;Oranges&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/thead&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;th class=&quot;&quot; scope=&quot;row&quot;&gt;2020&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;td class=&quot;&quot;&gt;$4&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td class=&quot;&quot;&gt;$1&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td class=&quot;&quot;&gt;$3&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;th class=&quot;&quot; scope=&quot;row&quot;&gt;2021&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;td class=&quot;&quot;&gt;$5&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td class=&quot;&quot;&gt;$2&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td class=&quot;&quot;&gt;$9&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;th class=&quot;&quot; scope=&quot;row&quot;&gt;2022&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;td class=&quot;&quot;&gt;$8&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td class=&quot;&quot;&gt;$7&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td class=&quot;&quot;&gt;$6&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We understand from the related information in the table above: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Apples were $4 in 2020, $5 in 2021 and $8 in 2022.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Bananas were $1 in 2020, $2 in 2021 and $7 in 2022. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Oranges were $3 in 2020, $9 in 2021 and $6 in 2022.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This is an example of two-dimensional information appropriate to code as an HTML &amp;lt;table&amp;gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What about &quot;layout&quot; or &quot;presentation&quot; tables?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Although presentation tables are not prohibited under WCAG 2.0 AA, they are deprecated in HTML5:  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tables must not be used as layout aids. Historically, some web authors have misused tables in HTML as a way to control their page layout. This usage is non-conforming … &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Screen readers will correctly identify a presentation table from a data table ONLY if you coded the presentation table correctly (e.g., no &amp;lt;th&amp;gt; elements; no &amp;lt;td&amp;gt; elements with a header or scope attribute). And there are still problems with presentation tables even if you coded them correctly: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If the user enlarges text on the page, text within a pixel-sized table cell may overflow its cell boundaries, and overlap/obscure adjacent content. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Actual order of the content (as you coded it) may not match the intended reading order. This may cause assistive technology users to perceive the content in an order different than author intended. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It’s an old fashioned and clunky way to control page layout. There more flexible (and standard compliant) ways to control and position page elements. Grids, for example. (More to come on grids in a future article!)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tips for Making Tables Readable and Easy to Use&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Be clear and concise&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use short descriptive text for the table headers and avoid abbreviations if possible. This helps all readers retain the information especially when scrolling/tabbing through many rows and columns.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Check that the data cells do not contain too much information. If you are using paragraphs or lists in cells, this could indicate you are using the table for presentation rather than data. Consider reorganizing your content as headings, paragraphs, and lists. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Strive for simple rather than complex table structure &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Avoid merged cells&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Avoid multiple levels of header cells / combining topics separated by blank rows. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Avoid header cells that span multiple columns and/or rows.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Technically, you can code tables using the above structures to be accessible but consider restructuring the information to make it less complex for all readers.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;See this &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/tutorials/tables/&quot; title=&quot;Tables Tutorial&quot;&gt;Tables Tutorial&lt;/a&gt; on appropriate structural markup for simple and complex tables. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use correct HTML markup so users of assistive technology can understand the logical relationships in the table&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Identify row and column headers with the &amp;lt;th&amp;gt; element.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Identify data cells with the &amp;lt;td&amp;gt; element&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Set the scope attribute to col or row&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/tutorials/tables/caption-summary/&quot; title=&quot;Use captions and summaries&quot;&gt;Use captions and summaries&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Avoid blank cells. If the cell has no data, then indicate the cell is intentionally blank (i.e., “NA,” “blank,” “no data.”)  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>538604</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2022-08-30T14:26:37Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>Learn how to apply the principles of color contrast requirements for non-text items such as interface components.</Description><Audience/><Title>Keep Minnesota Bright</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>color</Subject><Subject>WCAG</Subject><Subject>interface</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>How to improve non-text contrast: color schemes and interface components</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Array of buttons, toggles, and search bars demonstrating different color palettes.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/non-text-contrast-blog_tcm38-534386.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Two versions of a toggle: left toggle for &quot;off&quot; with gray background and right toggle for &quot;on&quot; with green background.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/non-text-contrast-blog-thumb_tcm38-534387.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2022-07 - More on WCAG 1411</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-534351&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2022-07-20T20:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Learn how to apply the principles of color contrast requirements for non-text items such as interface components.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Understanding Success Criteria 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;script id=&quot;th-iframe-script&quot; src=&quot;chrome-extension://ofdopmlmgifpfkijadehmhjccbefaeec/assets/comms/commsiframe.js&quot; type=&quot;text/javascript&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;/script&gt;&lt;script id=&quot;th-iframe-script&quot; src=&quot;chrome-extension://ofdopmlmgifpfkijadehmhjccbefaeec/assets/comms/commsiframe.js&quot; type=&quot;text/javascript&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;/script&gt;&lt;script id=&quot;th-iframe-script&quot; src=&quot;chrome-extension://ofdopmlmgifpfkijadehmhjccbefaeec/assets/comms/commsiframe.js&quot; type=&quot;text/javascript&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;/script&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By: David E. Miller, Minnesota IT Services, Partnering with the Department of Corrections&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Since May 1999, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) have had us thinking about colors. From the start, WCAG told us to use more than just colors to convey information and to use sufficient contrast between foreground and background colors. In December 2008, WCAG 2.0 stated that text should have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 to its background. For those who consume text visually, the contrast ratio is extremely important. It ensures that your eyes can pick out all the lines, curves, dots, and serifs of the text for ease of reading. It makes the text pop.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You may know these guidelines by heart and are subconsciously checking for them daily. WCAG 2.1, published in June 2018, introduced some new guidelines. This article covers one of those additions: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/quickref/#non-text-contrast&quot;&gt;1.4.11 Non-text Contrast – Level AA&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Text of the criterion: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“The visual presentation of the following have a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 against adjacent color(s): &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;User Interface Components: Visual information required to identify user interface components and states, except for inactive components or where the appearance of the component is determined by the user agent and not modified by the author;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Graphical Objects: Parts of graphics required to understand the content, except when a particular presentation of graphics is essential to the information being conveyed.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What does this add to WCAG, and how does it apply? The answer to that can be quite complex as the Understanding Success Criterion 1.4.11 page may lead you to believe. Some basic rules will help ensure that those who design, develop, and test digital content adhere to WCAG 2.1.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What does this apply to?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The simple answer to this question: everything that’s not text, and: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;conveys information, or &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;is useful to understand the information.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This article will focus on user interface components, which include: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;buttons, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;text boxes, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;list boxes, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;checkboxes, and&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;radio buttons.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here is a screenshot of some user interface components rendered in Google Chrome. They use the default styling:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Screenshot-Inputs-new_tcm38-534433.png&quot; title=&quot;A group of checkboxes (some checked), a group of radio buttons (one selected), a textbox, and a submit button. All label text is visible.&quot; alt=&quot;A group of checkboxes (some checked), a group of radio buttons (one selected), a textbox, and a submit button. All label text is visible.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Screenshot-Inputs-new&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;Figure 1: Input controls using Google Chrome&apos;s default styling, dark colors on a white background.&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In addition to the text there are: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;a couple of HTML fieldsets for grouping the checkboxes and radio buttons, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;the checkboxes and radio buttons themselves, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;a box for entering text, and &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;a button to submit the answers.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are also graphical differences between selected and unselected items.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here are some screenshots of the same input controls with only slight styling changes:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Screenshot-InputsDarkBGOnly-new_tcm38-534435.png&quot; title=&quot;A group of checkboxes (some checked), a group of radio buttons (one selected), a textbox, and a submit button. No label text is visible.&quot; alt=&quot;A group of checkboxes (some checked), a group of radio buttons (one selected), a textbox, and a submit button. No label text is visible.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Screenshot-InputsDarkBGOnly-new&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;Figure 2: The same controls with a black background.&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Screenshot-InputsDark-new_tcm38-534434.png&quot; title=&quot;A group of checkboxes (some checked), a group of radio buttons (one selected), a textbox, and a submit button. All label text is visible.&quot; alt=&quot;A group of checkboxes (some checked), a group of radio buttons (one selected), a textbox, and a submit button. All label text is visible.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Screenshot-InputsDark-new&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;Figure 3: The same controls with a black background and white text.&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Figure 2 shows what the WCAG 2.1 section 1.4.11 calls user interface components. It also demonstrates the concept that a well-designed user interface component will be visible regardless of the background color. By using simple HTML, you can test this out using a variety of background colors. No matter what background color you choose, the user interface components show up well.  By using simple HTML and not overriding how the browser styles user interface components, you’ll get something that’s more than likely accessible. If you start &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;customizing the styling of controls, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;creating your own components, or &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;using components from a third-party vendor, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;you’ll need to pay far more attention to how the colors of the controls contrast with their surroundings.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What can colors indicate?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Colors indicate many things – sometimes all at once. Consider the following aspects for components.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Existence &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If a component does not contrast well with its environment, a user might not notice the control. Good contrast allows a user to see the component in the first place.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Purpose &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The shape of a component often can be a clue to its purpose. Examples include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;round controls are radio buttons, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;square controls are checkboxes, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;large rectangular controls are textboxes, and&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;rectangles with arrows are dropdowns.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Shapes are partly determined by how a component contrasts with its surroundings. If that contrast isn’t strong, users may not understand the shape and purpose of the component.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;State&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Think about whether a component is enabled or disabled, selected or not. In the screenshots above, the radio buttons visually indicate a selected state. How? They have a filled circle within the control’s outline. The shape of the main control stands out from the surroundings even though the selection indicator is the same color as the outline of the control. It stands out because a ring of white surrounds it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Focus&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When a component has focus it should clearly indicate that to the user. This is typically done by highlighting or outlining. The user can only detect them if the color used contrasts with both the surroundings and the control itself.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Color Indication Summary&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;When selecting colors, ensure there is at least a 3:1 contrast ratio between a color and its neighboring colors.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If color is required to understand a control’s relationship to other controls (i.e., which radio button is selected and which ones aren’t), you also need to ensure that there is a 3:1 contrast between any colors used to indicate those differences. For example, the center color of a selected radio button must have a 3:1 color ratio to the center color of an unselected radio button.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;This can be a confusing concept. The contrast is not between the button’s center and the outer ring (although that does matter). It is between the centers of buttons in different states. You want to enable the user to distinguish between states.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Pick your color schemes carefully&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Background colors&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When choosing colors for a color scheme, choose one or two colors to use as your background. If picking more than one, they should both be light or both be dark.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Foreground colors&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When choosing foreground colors pick ones that have at least a 3:1 contrast ratio to the background color(s). Preferably this is a 4.5:1 ratio so they also meet text contrast requirements.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Graphic design&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Once you pick colors that have sufficient contrast, it is a good idea for your graphic design to alternate neighboring colors between light and dark. This ensures that the contrast is visible. For the outline of a custom-designed control, consider making it a dark outline with a light-colored center. Better yet, use a double outline of light outside of dark with a light center. This way, all parts will still show clearly whether you place the control over a light or a dark background.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Specifications and Testing&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Capturing all of this in specifications can be tricky. The State of Minnesota currently requires WCAG 2.0 Level AA, but you can craft your business specifications to be forward-thinking. If guideline 1.4.11 is important to your business, document that your business specifications should follow WCAG 2.1 Level AA guidelines.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Design specifications should call out the colors you chose and how to use them. Examples:&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Background colors 1 and 2 shall only be used for backgrounds, or within user interface components to ensure adequate contrast to foreground colors.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Foreground colors 3, 4, and 5 shall be used only for text and for the primary color in user interface components (the color with defines the outline or shape of the component).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;When a user interface component is designed with multiple colors, those colors shall alternate between foreground and background colors as you move from the outermost color to the innermost color.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;User interface components shall be designed using scalable vector graphics (SVG) so they scale up and down without degrading in quality.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The last specification is important to users who zoom or magnify. It ensures they can still clearly make out details of user interface components. Using raster images (BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG) cannot guarantee that easily.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It can be very useful to show examples of these concepts in the design specification. You can also share the actual user interface you created components using these specifications.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Ideally, check the color contrast of the main design colors while you write the specficiations. This is more efficient and cost-effective than after the team delivers the UI for testing. If the specifications are clear, and there are call outs of the approved design colors, testing is simpler. Testers check:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;contrast ratio of the foreground and background colors, and &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;the proper use of those colors.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You can be sure the team followed the specifications by using a browser’s developer tools. They can help with identifying colors and styling.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Exceptions&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The guideline calls out two exceptions for user interface components:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Inactive components&lt;/strong&gt; – The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/non-text-contrast.html&quot;&gt;Understanding Success Criterion 1.4.11&lt;/a&gt; page says:&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li style=&quot;list-style: none&quot;&gt;
&lt;blockquote&gt;“Inactive components, such as disabled controls in HTML, are not available for user interaction. The decision to exempt inactive controls from the contrast requirements was based on a number of considerations. Although it would be beneficial to some people to discern inactive controls, a one-size-fits-all solution has been very difficult to establish. A method of varying the presentation of disabled controls, such as adding an icon for disabled controls, based on user preferences is anticipated as an advancement in the future.”&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;“Where the appearance of the component is determined by the user agent and not modified by the author”&lt;/strong&gt; – A user agent can be a web browser, a PDF reader, a document design tool, and so on. Most user agents have default styling of components that provides good contrast. If you do not define additional styling for a component, then the user agent will apply its default styling. This is adequate for this guideline.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Graphical objects&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This article does not discuss the graphical objects portion of the guideline. Many of the color concepts for user interface components can also apply to designing graphical objects. However, the design group also needs to ask additional questions like:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How will a user interpret this graphical object?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How will a user interpret changes in color for this graphical object?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Summary&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By following a couple of simple concepts, you can help ensure that your creation will adhere to WCAC 2.1, 1.4.11. You will get most of the way by defining background and foreground colors well, and alternating light and dark colors in component design. Alternatively, using HTML-defined objects with no additional styling will also satisfy the guideline. Involve all team members early when you create and approve specifications to make good, accessible design decisions that will benefit everyone.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>534351</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2022-07-20T21:03:17Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 includes color contrast requirements for non-text items. Learn why this is important, and what to consider.</Description><Audience/><Title>Keep Minnesota Bright</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>color</Subject><Subject>WCAG</Subject><Subject>forms</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Incognito Testing: Make Special Considerations, Get Expert Results</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Incognito mode icon in browser</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/incognito-mode-blog_tcm38-534394.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Incognito mode icon</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/incognito-mode-blog-thumb_tcm38-534393.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2022-07 - Testing in Incognito Mode</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-534388&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2022-07-20T20:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Tips on when and how to use incognito mode for accessibility testing.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Cybersecurity - Part of Accessibility Testing</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;script id=&quot;th-iframe-script&quot; src=&quot;chrome-extension://ofdopmlmgifpfkijadehmhjccbefaeec/assets/comms/commsiframe.js&quot; type=&quot;text/javascript&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;/script&gt;&lt;script id=&quot;th-iframe-script&quot; src=&quot;chrome-extension://ofdopmlmgifpfkijadehmhjccbefaeec/assets/comms/commsiframe.js&quot; type=&quot;text/javascript&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;/script&gt;&lt;script id=&quot;th-iframe-script&quot; src=&quot;chrome-extension://ofdopmlmgifpfkijadehmhjccbefaeec/assets/comms/commsiframe.js&quot; type=&quot;text/javascript&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;/script&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Jennie Delisi, Accessibility Analyst&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you don’t want a web browser to remember your activity, you can browse the web privately. &lt;a href=&quot;https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95464?hl=en&amp;amp;co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&quot;&gt;Google Chrome calls this Incognito mode&lt;/a&gt;. Many browsers have this capability, but they call it different names:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Edge: InPrivate browsing. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Firefox: Private window/Private browsing. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Safari: Private browsing.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some people only think about this when they don’t want the websites they visit stored in their browsing history. Accessibility testers can use incognito and private browsing modes to save time. That way you don’t have to clear your cookies and cache each time you start a test session. Before you start using extensions in private browsing modes you must think through how this impacts information security. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Think About the Data&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“A private browsing window can’t erase the records of your visit from a website’s servers, or from any networks you went through to get to a site,” &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.consumerreports.org/privacy/what-your-web-browsers-incognito-mode-really-does-a8213975018/#&quot;&gt;writes Nicholas Deleon&lt;/a&gt;. This also applies to any accessibility testing extensions you want to use. Each extension or app shares information about how they store data regardless of whether you use private browsing. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If your accessibility testing extension stores data in any way do not use protected information without permission from your project team. In short, while your browser may be in incognito mode, your app or extension may not. What is protected information? This depends on the definition used by your agency or company. It could include: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Sensitive information about people (like birth dates or social security numbers).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Information available only to a small number of people within an organization.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Information not publicly available.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Talk to Your Project Team&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Work with your project manager, digital security professional, and others on the team. Determine if your test plan can use extensions and private browsing.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Only Use It Temporarily&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you decide to use private browsing and extensions, make a plan. Turn off  “Allow in Incognito” or “Allow in private browsing mode”  when you finish each test session. Set a reminder so you don’t forget.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Other Options&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The security of data must be part of the test plan. If your project team does not approve private browsing and extensions because of data security, there are other options. Your project team and requirements may prefer to use more manual testing methods. The project team can work together to determine options for quality accessibility testing. It’s easier to include these considerations at the beginning of a project plan.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Talk to Your Digital Accessibility Coordinator&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When you need to use testing tools, your accessibility coordinator can help! State of Minnesota employees can reach out to their coordinators. They can let you know: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Options for your test plan.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Training available on specific testing tools.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The contact at your organization who can help.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Enabling Extensions for Incognito/Private Browsing Use&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Turning on private browsing mode usually disables extension access. To use an extension in private browsing mode you must enable it for that extension.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Chrome&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Open your Chrome extensions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Find the extension you want to use in Incognito Mode. Select the Details button. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Incognito_DetailsButton-new_tcm38-534389.png&quot; title=&quot;Chrome extensions page. Multiple extensions like Accessibility Insights and IBM Equal Access Checker. Each has a “details” button.&quot; alt=&quot;Chrome extensions page. Multiple extensions like Accessibility Insights and IBM Equal Access Checker. Each has a “details” button.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Incognito_DetailsButton&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;Figure 1: Arrow points to Details button for one of the extensions.&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Review the warning in the “Allow in Incognito” section. If this meets your requirements, enable it using the toggle for that section.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Incognito_AllowInIncognitoToggle-new_tcm38-534391.png&quot; title=&quot;Accessibility Insights for Web extension information. Includes description, version, and permissions. Arrow points to the text “Allow in Incognito.” The toggle button includes the warning text.&quot; alt=&quot;Accessibility Insights for Web extension information. Includes description, version, and permissions. Arrow points to the text “Allow in Incognito.” The toggle button includes the warning text.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Incognito_AllowInIncognitoToggle&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;Figure 2: Arrow indicates the “Allow in Incognito” section to review. The toggle for this is on the right of the section.&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Open a new Incognito Window (Ctrl + Shift + N). Your extension should now be available. Don’t forget to return to the permissions page and turn off the toggle when finished. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Incognito_ExtensionDisplayingInIncognito-new_tcm38-534392.png&quot; title=&quot;Screenshot of extension menu, expanded. Accessibility Insights for Web available with the option to pin.&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of extension menu, expanded. Accessibility Insights for Web available with the option to pin.&quot; style=&quot;width: 74%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Incognito_ExtensionDisplayingInIncognito&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;Figure 3: Extension menu expanded (looks like a puzzle piece). The extension is now available.&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Other Browsers&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Other browsers use similar methods for private browsing settings. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Go to the extension settings. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Open the details for the specific extension.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Find the option to turn on Private Browsing mode.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Open a private browser window and use the specific extension while testing.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Return to the extension settings – details and turn off the “allow in private browsing” option.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>534388</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2022-07-20T21:03:17Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>MNIT&apos;s Office of Accessibility celebrated Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) with a series of short presentations. </Description><Audience/><Title>Recordings Available: MNIT Global Accessibility Awareness Day Sessions </Title><Publisher/><Subject>a11y</Subject><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>GAAD</Subject><Subject>video</Subject><Subject>recording</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Category><Description/><Title>For Government</Title><Id>432439</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Recordings Available</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>GAAD logo next to word recap in a chat bubble with a keyboard in the background.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/gaad-recap-blog_tcm38-533199.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>GAAD logo with the word recap in a chat bubble.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/gaad-recap-blog-thumb_tcm38-533198.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2022-07 - GAAD 2022 Recordings</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-533052&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2022-07-08T20:44:30Z</Date><ShortDescription>MNIT&apos;s Office of Accessibility celebrated Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) with a series of short presentations. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>MNIT Global Accessibility Awareness Day Sessions</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), Minnesota IT Services’ (MNIT) Office of Accessibility hosted a series of short virtual presentations for State of Minnesota employees. The goal is to get everyone talking, thinking, and learning about digital accessibility and inclusion.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The presentations showcased the value of accessibility and how accessibility improvements drive more inclusion.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here are links to YouTube video recordings of each session. All recordings include ASL interpreting and closed captioning.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Introduction to accessibility standards&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/X-963qYUJzI?autoplay=0&amp;amp;rel=0&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/1-intro-thumbnail_tcm38-533189.jpg&quot; title=&quot;GAAD Session 1&quot; alt=&quot;Introduction to accessibility [video without autoplay] displaying slide on value of accessibility&quot; style=&quot;width: 60%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;GAAD Session 1&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Learn what accessibility guidelines are and how they change over time. Minnesota created its digital accessibility standard using Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. This session covers what’s next for WCAG and how WCAG 2.1 will help people with disabilities have greater access to digital information.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/GAAD%20Session%201%20Transcript_tcm38-533033.pdf&quot; title=&quot;GAAD 2022 Session 1 Transcript&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;GAAD 2022 Session 1 Transcript&quot;&gt;Introduction to accessibility standards transcript (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/GAAD%20Session%201%20Presentation_tcm38-533195.pdf&quot; title=&quot;GAAD 2022 Session 1 Presentation&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;GAAD 2022 Session 1 Presentation&quot;&gt;Introduction to accessibility standards presentation (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Speakers:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Governor Tim Walz&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Rachael Bradley Montgomery, Co-chair of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Accessibility Guidelines Working Group&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Jay Wyant, Minnesota’s Chief Information Accessibility Officer, MNIT&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;End user impact of accessibility standards&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/5OSWz6vd77Y?autoplay=0&amp;amp;rel=0&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/2-user-impact-thumbnail_tcm38-533188.jpg&quot; title=&quot;GAAD Session 2&quot; alt=&quot;End user impact of accessibility standards [video without autoplay] displaying two people speaking and an ASL interpreter&quot; style=&quot;width: 60%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;GAAD Session 2&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Lived experiences of people with disabilities are the most powerful ways to learn why accessibility matters. Understand the first-hand experiences of individuals with a variety of disabilities. Understand how digital accessibility impacts their professional and personal lives.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/GAAD%20Session%202%20Transcript_tcm38-533034.pdf&quot; title=&quot;GAAD 2022 Session 2 Transcript&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;GAAD 2022 Session 2 Transcript&quot;&gt;End user impact of accessibility standards transcript (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Speakers:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ken Rodgers, Disability Programs Coordinator, Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Kimberly Carlson, Management Analyst, Department of Human Services (DHS)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Angela Christle, Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, Sr, Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Buying accessible technology&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/fEF03yzi3ZM?autoplay=0&amp;amp;rel=0&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/3-procurement-thumbnail_tcm38-533194.jpg&quot; title=&quot;GAAD Session 3&quot; alt=&quot;Buying accessible technology [video without autoplay] displaying four people speaking in a video call&quot; style=&quot;width: 60%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;GAAD Session 3&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are many individuals involved in purchasing technology. When a technology purchase is not accessible, there is a real effect. Learn about the “happy path” to buy accessible technology – including accessibility at the beginning.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/GAAD%20Session%203%20Transcript_tcm38-533038.pdf&quot; title=&quot;GAAD 2022 Session 3 Transcript&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;GAAD 2022 Session 3 Transcript&quot;&gt;Buying accessible technology transcript (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/GAAD%20Session%203%20Presentation_tcm38-533196.pdf&quot; title=&quot;GAAD 2022 Session 3 Presentation&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;GAAD 2022 Session 3 Presentation&quot;&gt;Buying accessible technology presentation (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Speakers:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tracy Gerasch, Procurement Director, MNIT&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Lolly Lijewski, Digital Accessibility Coordinator, DHS&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tamera Williams, Contractor, Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Projects that shift left for accessibility&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z2PB881rcqQ?autoplay=0&amp;amp;rel=0&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/4-projects-thumbnail_tcm38-533190.jpg&quot; title=&quot;GAAD Session 4&quot; alt=&quot;Projects that shift left for accessibility [video without autoplay] displaying slide on code reviews&quot; style=&quot;width: 60%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;GAAD Session 4&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Dive into a case study of planning a project with accessibility in mind. Learn why the MDE project team included accessibility in specific parts of their project plan and timelines. Accessibility played a key role in the project&apos;s success. This case study was also covered in a &lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/index.jsp?id=38-522146&quot;&gt;recent blog post&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/GAAD%20Session%204%20Transcript_tcm38-533037.pdf&quot; title=&quot;GAAD 2022 Session 4 Transcript&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;GAAD 2022 Session 4 Transcript&quot;&gt;Projects that shift left for accessibility transcript (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/GAAD%20Session%204%20Presentation_tcm38-533321.pdf&quot; title=&quot;GAAD 2022 Session 4 Presentation&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;GAAD 2022 Session 4 Presentation&quot;&gt;Projects that shift left for accessibility presentation (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Speakers:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Jane Davison, System Analyst Unit Supervisor, MNIT partnering with DHS&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Courtney Petrosky, Project Management Supervisor, MNIT partnering with MDE&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Kim Wee, Digital Accessibility Coordinator, MNIT partnering with MDE&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Creating accessible visual content&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/kX-v7RjMelM?autoplay=0&amp;amp;rel=0&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/5-visual-content-thumbnail_tcm38-533192.jpg&quot; title=&quot;GAAD Session 5&quot; alt=&quot;Creating accessible visual content [video without autoplay] displaying slide on attractive, accessible designs&quot; style=&quot;width: 60%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;GAAD Session 5&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How do WCAG guidelines benefit all document users? Graphic designers, content creators, and trainers can learn how to make documents, PDFs, and forms that everyone can understand.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/GAAD%20Session%205%20Transcript_tcm38-533036.pdf&quot; title=&quot;GAAD 2022 Session 5 Transcript&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;GAAD 2022 Session 5 Transcript&quot;&gt;Creating accessible visual content transcript (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/GAAD%20Session%205%20Presentation_tcm38-533197.pdf&quot; title=&quot;GAAD 2022 Session 5 Presentation&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;GAAD 2022 Session 5 Presentation&quot;&gt;Creating accessible visual content presentation (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Speakers:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tamara Sawyer, Digital Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Jessica Cavazos, Health Educator, Minnesota Department of Health (MDH)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Jeremy DePew, Senior Designer and Communications Advisor, MNIT&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Web application accessibility&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/1mHdSnIu2sU?autoplay=0&amp;amp;rel=0&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/6-web-application-thumbnail_tcm38-533191.jpg&quot; title=&quot;GAAD Session 6&quot; alt=&quot;Web application accessibility [video without autoplay] displaying slide on presentation background&quot; style=&quot;width: 60%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;GAAD Session 6&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This is a story about eating your vegetables. And the considerations we need to make sure that websites and applications meet WCAG guidelines. Experts from the Minnesota Department of Revenue share how they created processes, tools, and resources to resolve accessibility challenges that developers face.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/GAAD%20Session%206%20Transcript_tcm38-533035.pdf&quot; title=&quot;GAAD 2022 Session 6 Transcript&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;GAAD 2022 Session 6 Transcript&quot;&gt;Web application accessibility transcript (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/GAAD%20Session%206%20Presentation_tcm38-533343.pdf&quot; title=&quot;GAAD 2022 Session 6 Presentation&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;GAAD 2022 Session 6 Presentation&quot;&gt;Web application accessibility presentation (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Speakers: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Joan Redwing, Chief of Application Development, MNIT&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Lexi Hafften, CBAP, Business Analyst, Revenue&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;John Watne, Java Developer and Digital Accessibility Coordinator, Revenue&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>533052</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><Tag><Description/><Title>Events</Title><Id>337918</Id><Key/></Tag><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessible Government</Title><Id>232634</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2022-07-12T14:35:32Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>State employees share successful tips you need to know to successfully advocate for accessibility.</Description><Audience/><Title>Accessibility Advocacy: Simple And Systemic Changes For High Impact - Part 2</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>change management</Subject><Subject>advocacy</Subject><Subject>culture</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Accessibility Advocacy: Simple And Systemic Changes For High Impact - Part 2</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Silhouettes of diverse group next to megaphone</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility%20advocacy_tcm38-528399.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Silhouettes of diverse group next to megaphone</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility%20advocacy-thumbnail_tcm38-528401.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2022-06 - Accessibility Advocacy Part 2</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-530635&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2022-06-15T20:00:52Z</Date><ShortDescription>Part 2 of 2: Change can be easier when you have a clear goal, a good plan, and persistence. Improving digital accessibility is no different. Read stories of accessibility advocates at the State of Minnesota. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>State employees share successful tips you need to know</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Jennie Delisi, Accessibility Analyst, Office of Accessibility
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In our &lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/index.jsp?id=38-528303&quot; title=&quot;last installment&quot;&gt;last installment&lt;/a&gt;, our interviewees shared changes that sparked their digital accessibility advocacy transformations. They also revealed small steps with big impact.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This month, they share: &lt;/div&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How to take those small steps into bigger changes. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How to nurture these types of changes.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Their advice for you in this journey, even if you are a manager or supervisor.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Thank you to this month’s article contributors:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tamara Sawyer, Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota Management and Budget&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Michelle Aguilar, Web Manager, Minnesota Department of Health&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Mike Reinhart, Service Portfolio Manager, Minnesota IT Services (MNIT)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Bryan Priem, Web Application Developer, MNIT Partnering with Labor and Industry&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Proshat Shafizadeh, IT Advanced Project and Program Manager, MNIT Partnering with the Department of Administration &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Adding Accessibility as Part of a Process&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We work in a community. There are opportunities for advocating in all different types of work. And, once you have seen an advocacy opportunity within your community, you can take action, like these examples that our contributors shared with us.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Focusing on improving usability&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Aguilar found she could improve accessibility by focusing on “usability - trying to make things more usable for customers. We want to have a better user experience.”  Many forms required people to complete them by hand, instead of electronically. She knew this created a barrier for some people. “Can we make this fillable, will it be a better user experience? It&apos;s just at the forefront of my mind now to have that be an option.&quot; Both the question - the spark to change the process, and the skills to make forms fillable became a more common part of her work. &quot;So now it&apos;s a little less daunting to try to create those forms.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Aguilar took her interest in usability and fillable forms as a spark to learn more. “I attended training for forms. You know, if you don&apos;t do something really often sometimes you lose that skill. But thankfully there&apos;s a lot of resources and tip sheets that I could refer to so that really helped a lot.” She recommends to “continue training and learning because accessibility changes all the time. Something we didn’t think was possible 6 months or a year ago is possible now. The software changes and we have new tools. Keep looking for ways to improve it and make it better.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Creating solid requirements &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Reinhart has a history of including accessibility “as a requirement, up front. My first job out of college was working for the Oklahoma Assistive Technology Center. I did computer assessments for people with disabilities.” While he wanted to include accessibility early, &quot;I&apos;ve been in roles where it&apos;s an afterthought&quot; for the organization. Working for the state of Minnesota provides him the opportunity to advocate in a different way. “The fact that it is a priority for the state is helpful. It’s great for us.” Mike shared that he references the importance the state places on accessibility when discussing accessibility requirements with vendors. This importance and visibility changes the communications he can do, and improves outcomes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Reinhart’s list of accessibility requirements had great importance at the start of the pandemic. “When COVID started a big challenge was that vendors of collaboration tools began rolling things out at lightning speed. It was easy for them to leave accessibility as something that they would come back to. And that created a lot of challenges. My approach became: I would have to do more work (to highlight its importance), and with the assistance of others. To push harder on the vendors for accessibility. To make sure that we got what we needed.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Working with established vendor processes&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Another aspect of changes to Reinhart&apos;s advocacy has been to better understand the other group’s processes. In his work, this has focused on vendors. He shared that especially when they feel the pressure to release new versions quickly “They need the customer feedback. This helps them add it to the product road map, including for new features.&quot; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Reinhart created a new process for himself and those working with him. &quot;The first thing we determine: is this a new feature request or is it an issue or an accessibility bug that needs to be fixed. That sends us down a couple of different paths. Generally we work with vendor representatives directly. They can help guide me on how best to approach resolving a particular issue within their company. My job is to help ensure they understand that the state of Minnesota is very committed to accessibility. And that we have requirements for their application.&quot; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Key to Reinhart&apos;s work is knowing when another approach may work for those greyer areas. Sometimes the accessibility standard and contract language doesn&apos;t clearly identify something needed. &quot;Another option for certain types of issues is a vendor’s community feedback channel. People can upload ideas for product improvement. They can upvote a particular feature request. When you get a lot of numbers there, that says to the vendor &apos;Hey, this is a feature that people want.&apos; It gets their attention.&quot; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And, like other aspects of accessibility, people are the key to culture change. Reinhart shared that &quot;We&apos;ve also done a lot of work to understand the hierarchy around accessibility in some vendor companies. Who&apos;s who in the organization. As we develop those relationships we try and bump the accessibility issues to higher levels of the organization.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Small steps become stepping stones to bigger changes&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In last month&apos;s article, Sawyer shared how joining up with others supported her advocacy development. One example: when she joined her agency’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion group (DEI), “we added an A for accessibility.  People don&apos;t understand that people with accessibility needs must be included. That was why I joined the group. I now have people working with me to try to bring in accessibility as part of the word inclusion. And that&apos;s been huge because I now have other people.” Once she joined the group she began to share why she joined.  “They&apos;re like, ‘Oh, I never thought of that.’” She shared that this was a big catalyst for change. And her timing was helpful, with everything going digital when the pandemic began.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Others we spoke with found that including accessibility early in the project had ripple effects. Reinhart shared that “Having accessibility in mind at the beginning is critical. It&apos;s where we get into: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Designing things. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Architecting things. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Building new processes.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you have to go back and fix it later, it&apos;s way harder than just doing it up front. It&apos;s just so much easier. It can help your decision making and your choices. And you&apos;ll wind up with better products and services as a result. I think we are getting much, much better as an organization at this, but we still have work to do.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Shafizadeh agreed. “For a project, please make sure before even selecting a vendor, or selecting a system, a tool, or approach - make sure that you account for accessibility. You review the accessibility. It should be part of the very early evaluation of the vendor of the system and then making a decision on what vendor or what system to move forward with.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Involving more people as you develop your advocacy skills is key, according to Priem. As accessibility became more a part of the culture at the partner agency he supports, more people invited him into conversations. “It definitely brings me into areas which I may not even be aware of. A project manager could be spinning up a new project and I may not be part of it. Because accessibility is now part of their inventory or tool set they say, ‘Oh yeah, we need to bring in the accessibility coordinator.’ (Then when) operational folks come together and put together a plan, when it becomes a project, this is the path we have to take. One of the (project plan) sections is accessibility, we have that in there. Something embedded into the process. And that was really brought about by Ty (Chief Business Technology Officer Tyrone Spratt).”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Priem shared the importance of having an executive that champions accessibility. &quot;(Tyrone Spratt) was instrumental in getting more people talking about accessibility. Especially providing an audience because that brings in everybody that may not even be aware of it. Now they have an opportunity to see what exactly that means for a whole project. People may not be involved, but they might be (later), so they can see how it fits into the bigger picture.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Quality changes need nurturing&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you are going to sustain a change, other influences must support your change. This support often comes from people in different roles. “I needed buy-in from people other than me and my supervisor,” shared Sawyer. One group that has supported these changes are the new employees. She continued, “They are coming in very enthusiastic, and I love that enthusiasm! A lot of them are taking care of their parents and their aunts and uncles, who have disabilities. They&apos;re seeing their parents declining. They really understand the need.” Aguilar shares additional advice: “Make connections with people who know more than you. I don&apos;t pretend to know everything about accessibility and I know who I can count on. I know who the experts are and I go to them when I have an issue. Also there&apos;s more than one way to do something and sometimes it&apos;s just good to get advice from other people. If you have a group of people you can go to and say ‘Would you design this in this way’ or ‘what would be a better way of doing this?’ Or ‘I have this error and I know I can fix it this way, but is that the best way to do this?’ It&apos;s a good thing to have a network.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Reinhart shared that at the beginning of the pandemic, with everyone suddenly needing to learn to use conferencing tools, and all the changes – he needed lots of people. One group: the project team that supported the effort. He saw improving accessibility advocacy and knowledge in the project manager (John Theiler), and with the quality assurance professionals (Experito Muyanja - also known as XP, and Kim Anderson).  He also shared that the state would not have been as successful in shifting to remote work “without the help of the digital accessibility coordinators. I just remember when the pandemic started people were helping with all kinds of things, like captioning, and some of the basic stuff. It would have been impossible to get what we needed done for our customers without the help of a lot of people.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Shafizadeh included another important group: “having the management’s understanding and support both from the IT and the business side. If I didn&apos;t have the support system I would have not been able to make changes in the accessibility of projects and incorporating accessibility. I&apos;m really proud to be part of a team and an organization that understands the importance of accessibility and is determined to make changes.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use new methods &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The pandemic quickly showed everyone business needed to happen in new ways. It was key for promoting awareness of accessibility at agencies, reaching new people. For many, this also meant developing new skills, new ways of communicating. When asked what she learned from this situation, Sawyer shared, “I think the biggest one is, mostly, not being afraid to send out a Teams meeting invite to say ‘Hey let&apos;s talk about this.’ Don’t be afraid to reach out and give guidance. Get people to understand that you&apos;re there to help them and to help them succeed. Help them understand why.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Aguilar’s group also used Teams to connect with employees, and host drop-in sessions. Their goal was to help agency employees learn more about accessibility. Aguilar sent “reminders and told people in different meetings about it. We&apos;ve gotten a lot of good feedback. Even if you don&apos;t have a question and you just go to that drop-in session, and listen and watch what people are demonstrating, what they need help with…You pick up some skills that way. That is one way that we&apos;ve tried to reach people and provide additional assistance.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As she gained skills in the new communication methods, Sawyer started a Microsoft Team for employees at her agency to learn more about accessibility. “I&apos;ve put a lot of training up and just yesterday somebody went ‘oh my gosh. I took this training and it was fabulous!’” Tamara finds webinars that are useful, then posts links for the group. “So there&apos;s some successes. Just having all these things for people to be able to easily find. I&apos;ve gone into much more of a guidance role. It used to be people would just send me documents and say ‘here make it accessible.’ Now they say ‘What else do I need to do?’ I think that&apos;s really cool to see!”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Sawyer has also adjusted her approach. She now focuses on “Fast things, not a four-hour long webinar to slog through. Everything has to be in small bites because we&apos;re so busy, especially with all the stuff for COVID added to everybody&apos;s job duties.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Priem has also changed how he introduces the training concept. Especially for IT teams, he suggests they start by doing “10 hours of training. Pick out different courses and just get the basics. Once you get the basics then you start seeing things differently. And you can start to apply it.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Advice for Managers and Supervisors&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I asked each of the interviewees to share advice for managers and supervisors. They generously shared thoughts for supporting a variety of roles.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Supervising accessibility coordinators and subject matter experts&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Sawyer advises that supervisors “give your employee the support that they need. Understand that they may feel that they are working within a silo, especially if they&apos;re the only accessibility person at your agency. Give them the time to do their job. Have an understanding of what their job is” and how their accessibility duties translate into tasks and projects. And “make sure that they get what they need for training because that&apos;s a huge one.” As part of training Sawyer included: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;conferences, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;continuing education, and &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;the ability to certify through the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.accessibilityassociation.org&quot; title=&quot;International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP)&quot;&gt;International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP).&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Supervising a team, division, or agency&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Priem shares that it is important to remember “it isn&apos;t just one person that does accessibility. It&apos;s everybody&apos;s job. I think it needs to be addressed that it&apos;s a team effort. And it needs to be brought in early so a supervisor needs to know to get on accessibility right away (as a part of projects). Don&apos;t wait until after something&apos;s built.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Persistence for the Accessibility Marathon&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When asked about key elements of the changes she has seen, Sawyer shares that for some of it, “it’s been a long slow process. I think as an organization, we have evolved. It&apos;s persistence and just never giving up.”&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
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&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>530635</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2022-06-15T19:56:17Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 includes color contrast requirements for non-text items. Learn why this is important, and what to consider.</Description><Audience/><Title>Keep Minnesota Bright</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>color</Subject><Subject>WCAG</Subject><Subject>forms</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Keep Minnesota Bright</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Grey dropdown with white text: Menu. Eye dropper is sampling the grey color.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/keep-minnesota-bright-main-image-blog_tcm38-531097.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Grey dropdown with white text: Menu. Eye dropper is sampling the grey color.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/keep-minnesota-bright-main-image-blog-thumb_tcm38-531094.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2022-06 - Understanding WCAG 1411</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-530701&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2022-06-15T20:00:52Z</Date><ShortDescription>Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 includes color contrast requirements for non-text items. Learn why this is important, and what to consider.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Understanding WCAG 2.1, 1.4.11 Color contrast for non-text items</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By: Tamara Sawyer, Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota Management and Budget&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 success criteria 1.4.11 sets new standards for color contrast on non-text items. These items include form controls such as buttons and form fields, and colors used on charts and graphs. So why is this important? Here’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/new-in-21/#1411-non-text-contrast-aa&quot; title=&quot;what a retiree had to say&quot;&gt;what a retiree had to say&lt;/a&gt; when they tried to fill out a form: “I couldn&apos;t use the ’Order Form’ — there were no text boxes. After a long call with customer service, I learned there were text box borders that were too light for me to see.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/name-address-special-instructions-blog_tcm38-531101.png&quot; title=&quot;Form: 3 items to complete. Name, address, special instructions. Text fields have light grey outlines. &quot; alt=&quot;Form: 3 items to complete. Name, address, special instructions. Text fields have light grey outlines. &quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;name-address-special-instructions-blog&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;figcaption style=&quot;text-align: center&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;3 items on this Order Form need completing. Each has a text “field” for responding. The outline for these text boxes is a light grey. This makes it difficult for some people to see them.&lt;/figcaption&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;After the form was updated with higher contrast, that same person stated: “It&apos;s easy for me to see all the icons and buttons and everything — even in the sunlight.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This person’s experience shows us how important good color contrast is. But, you may say to yourself, I don’t create fillable forms for other people. Why should I worry about color contrast?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Well, summer is coming here to Minnesota (I sure hope it lands on a Saturday this year), and with so many working from home, it’s not uncommon for people to work outside. It’s a beautiful way to get through the workday. But have you noticed how hard it is to see your laptop, tablet, or mobile device screen in the sunlight? Many people have this problem, even when not in the sun, due to vision disabilities. This is especially common with our aging population, such as the person quoted above. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Therefore, when designing your documents, keep &lt;strong&gt;WCAG 2.1, 1.4.11 – Non-text Contrast&lt;/strong&gt; in mind. Maybe you’re wondering how to know if you are meeting the new standard? First, don’t rely on your software to always comply with the new standards when adding things like form fields and buttons. Always use a color contrast checker to make sure the default colors have a minimum of 3:1 contrast ratio. Next, choose colors for charts and graphs that have good color contrast (again, using a color contrast checker). You can also use symbols and patterns in addition to color to make it easy for everyone to see and understand your graphs and charts. The Office of Accessibility lists some tools on their &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/websites-applications.jsp#4&quot; title=&quot;Web &amp;amp; Apps, Development/Testing page, under Color and Contrast&quot;&gt;Web &amp;amp; Apps, Development/Testing page, under Color and Contrast.&lt;/a&gt;  And lastly, visit the W3C website for more information on &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/non-text-contrast.html&quot; title=&quot;Understanding Success Criterion 1.4.11: Non-text Contrast&quot;&gt;Understanding Success Criterion 1.4.11: Non-text Contrast.&lt;/a&gt; We can all do our part to keep Minnesota bright!&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>530701</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2022-06-15T19:56:17Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>The Office of Accessibility is connecting with state employees this summer to discuss the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1. </Description><Audience/><Title>Exploring an update to the state’s digital accessibility standard</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>standard</Subject><Subject>WCAG 2.1</Subject><Subject>Web Content Accessibility Guidelines</Subject><Subject>wcag</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Exploring an Update to the State’s Digital Accessibility Standard</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Open laptop. Onscreen: map of Minnesota, text: WCAG 2.1. Behind the laptop are views of webpages.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/wcag-2.1-blog_tcm38-531098.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Open laptop. Onscreen: map of Minnesota, text: WCAG 2.1</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/wcag-2.1-blog-thumb_tcm38-531095.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2022-06 - Exploring Update to Accessibility Standard</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-530990&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2022-06-15T20:00:52Z</Date><ShortDescription>The Office of Accessibility is connecting with state employees this summer to discuss the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1. Minnesota&apos;s Chief Information Accessibility Officer shares details.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 and Minnesota</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Jay Wyant, Chief Information Accessibility Officer
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;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.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Beginning in September 2021, the Office of Accessibility convened an inter-agency workgroup to review &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/&quot; title=&quot;WCAG 2.1&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1.&lt;/a&gt; The question to the group: would they recommend updating the current &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/Stnd_State_Accessibility_tcm38-61585.pdf&quot; title=&quot;State Digital Accessibility and Usability Standard (PDF)&quot;&gt;State Digital Accessibility and Usability Standard (PDF)&lt;/a&gt; from WCAG 2.0 to 2.1? A formal decision has not yet been made. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Updating the standard would mean changes for a wide range of state employees and vendors. These include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Document creators, notably graphic designers, instructional designers, PDF remediators.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Website and web application teams. This includes business analysts, developers, and quality assurance testers.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Mobile app developers and testers.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Procurement specialists, such as those evaluating vendor accessibility conformance reports (VPATs).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Gathering information and feedback &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Minnesota IT Services (the state’s IT agency) and the Office of Accessibility are taking the following steps before making a formal decision:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;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). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The Office of Accessibility will gather feedback from state employees. Plans are being made.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Office of Accessibility would like state employees to share:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Any concerns they may have about how the updated standard will impact their work.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;New skills or resources they will need to be competent in applying the 2.1 success criteria.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What else do they need to feel properly supported as the state advances to the new standard?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This feedback will inform the decision to:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Adopt WCAG 2.1 as part of the state digital accessibility standard.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Determine how and when to announce the adoption. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We expect to schedule the effective date about a year after any announcement. Then employees must comply with the standard for all new content.   &lt;/div&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Get involved&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;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. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Together we can continue the journey towards an innovative digital government that works for all. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>530990</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2022-06-15T19:56:18Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>Very simple steps you can take to begin incorporating the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 into your work.</Description><Audience/><Title>5 Very Simple Steps You Can Take For Accessibility Improvement</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>websites</Subject><Subject>web apps</Subject><Subject>mobile</Subject><Subject>wcag</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>5 Very Simple Steps You Can Take For Accessibility Improvement</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Arrow, divided into segments, pointing up and to the right. Each segment has a number, from 1-5.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/5-steps-blog_tcm38-531096.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Arrow pointing up and to the right. Text within the arrow: 5.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/5-steps-blog-thumb_tcm38-531093.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2022-06 - Simple Steps Accessibility Improvement</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-530231&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2022-06-15T19:30:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Very simple steps you can take to begin incorporating the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 into your work.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>What you need to know for useful websites, and web and mobile apps</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By: Jennie Delisi, Accessibility Analyst, Office of Accessibility&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Minnesota Management and Budget recently posted “When you &lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/mmb/careers/why-work-for-us/&quot; title=&quot;bring your career to the State of Minnesota&quot;&gt;bring your career to the State of Minnesota,&lt;/a&gt; the work you do affects the quality of life of millions of Minnesotans.” For those working in information technology, this includes work on: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Websites. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Web applications. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Mobile apps. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We create and support technology for use by Minnesotans and state employees. This includes people with disabilities. Because digital inclusion is a priority, learning how to improve accessibility is important. Let’s talk about how to begin incorporating the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 into your work.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Step 1 - Start by Thinking About People&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We create information and communication technologies for people. Our intentions are good – we want everyone to find them helpful. When you imagine people using this technology think about people using it in different ways.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) created “quotes from personas (fictional people) to help you understand some aspects of the success criteria” for WCAG 2.1. They share these quotes in &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/new-in-21/&quot; title=&quot;What&apos;s New in WCAG 2.1&quot;&gt;What’s New in WCAG 2.1.&lt;/a&gt; Each quote will help you understand more about how people may be using your digital solution.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I find the following example about “orientation” is very simple to understand. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Problem: ‘I can&apos;t rotate my tablet — it&apos;s attached to my wheelchair.’&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Works well: ‘The application works whether I attach my tablet horizontally or vertically.’”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/table-with-reflow-problems-blog_tcm38-531105.png&quot; title=&quot;Device in landscape orientation. Table onscreen is in portrait orientation (information displays sideways).&quot; alt=&quot;Device in landscape orientation. Table onscreen is in portrait orientation (information displays sideways).&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;table-with-reflow-problems-blog&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;figcaption style=&quot;text-align: center&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This device is physically in a landscape orientation. The information on screen did not rotate
&lt;br /&gt;
- it still displays in portrait orientation. This makes it hard to read.&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Step 2 – Think about Your Current Project&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Open your current project or one you worked on in the past. Can you view and use it in both portrait and landscape orientation (also known as vertical and horizontal positions)? Like smartphones and tablets, today you can use many desktop monitors in both portrait and landscape positions. You may be able to set your operating system to display using either orientation. Example: for Windows, go into the Display settings. In the Scale and Layout group go to Display orientation. If set to landscape, change the setting to portrait. If viewing the project on your smartphone, try changing your device’s physical orientation from portrait to landscape and back.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Did the content respond to this change?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Step 3 – Review the Understanding Document&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Each success criteria for the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 has an Understanding Document. Like the others, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/orientation.html&quot; title=&quot;Understanding Success Criterion 1.3.4: Orientation&quot;&gt;Understanding Success Criterion 1.3.4: Orientation&lt;/a&gt; has the following sections:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Intent.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Benefits.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Examples.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Related resources.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Techniques.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Key Terms.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Start by reading the specific rule. It is at the top. In this case, &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Content does not restrict its view and operation to a single display orientation, such as portrait or landscape, unless a specific display orientation is essential. Examples where a particular display orientation may be essential are a bank check, a piano application, slides for a projector or television, or virtual reality content where content is not necessarily restricted to landscape or portrait display orientation.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Read more in the Understanding Document about how and when this applies.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Step 4 – Run One of the Tests for a Technique&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Go to the Techniques section of the Understanding Document. Orientation has a failure called: F97: Failure due to locking the orientation to landscape or portrait view. Following the link for each failure or sufficient technique will bring you to a page with more information. This includes a test you can run.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Like the Understanding Document, each of these pages has the following sections:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Important information about techniques.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Applicability.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Description.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Examples.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tests.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some may also have Related Techniques.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;After reviewing this page, go down to the Tests section. There is a procedure to follow and expected results.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Step 5 – Accessibility in Action&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Now you are ready to begin adding this requirement into your projects. Don’t worry if you don’t know everything as you begin. You are not alone in this work! The digital accessibility community has many people ready to help.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If you are a state of Minnesota employee, connect with your digital accessibility coordinator. They can help you get connected with people and resources when you have questions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Follow #a11y on Twitter and LinkedIn to learn from posts the international digital accessibility community shares.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Take one of the trainings listed in the Office of Accessibility newsletter. The subscribe link is at the bottom of this page.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Join lists for community groups. Some examples include:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/discussion/&quot; title=&quot;WebAIM&apos;s Web Accessibility E-mail Discussion List&quot;&gt;WebAIM’s Web Accessibility E-mail Discussion List&lt;/a&gt; is for anyone interested in discussing web accessibility issues. Individuals from all organizations and specialties are encouraged to join.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For those who are members of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.accessibilityassociation.org/s/membership-options-home&quot; title=&quot;International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP)&quot;&gt;International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP),&lt;/a&gt; the website has IAAP Connections, where you can join an existing discussion or start your own.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Your organization, like the state of Minnesota, may even have its own community of practice. Ask around.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Most Important – Don’t Let Fear Stop You From Taking That First Step&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Everyone in digital accessibility started somewhere. Don’t let fear stop you. Start with one small step. Even if you only feel confident doing step 1 above, start. Reviewing the quotes from personas will have an impact on your work. You will start to begin to find opportunities to advocate for greater inclusion. You will start to imagine solutions for projects. And, you will play an important role in making our digital spaces more inclusive for everyone.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>530231</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2022-06-15T19:56:19Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>State employees share successful tips you need to know to successfully advocate for accessibility.</Description><Audience/><Title>Accessibility Advocacy: Simple And Systemic Changes For High Impact</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>change management</Subject><Subject>advcacy</Subject><Subject>culture</Subject><Subject>wcag</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Accessibility Advocacy: Simple And Systemic Changes For High Impact</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Silhouettes of diverse group next to megaphone</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility%20advocacy_tcm38-528399.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Silhouettes of diverse group next to megaphone</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility%20advocacy-thumbnail_tcm38-528401.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2022-05 - Accessibility Advocacy Part 1</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-528303&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2022-05-18T19:14:52Z</Date><ShortDescription>Change can be easier when you have a clear goal, a good plan, and persistence. Improving digital accessibility is no different. Read stories of accessibility advocates at the State of Minnesota. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>State employees share successful tips you need to know</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Jennie Delisi, Accessibility Analyst, Office of Accessibility
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Change can be easier when you have a clear goal, a good plan, and persistence. Improving digital accessibility is no different. We often only observe the outcome of work others have done. But, what if we could understand how someone&apos;s advocacy skills developed?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We all have a role to play in improving digital accessibility. It can be as simple as ensuring that we understand how to make accessible:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Documents.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Websites.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Software.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Apps.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;But advocacy can also involve:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Identifying when a process, product, or project could better address accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Training ourselves, our teammates, vendors, and those on projects on ways to make these improvements.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Connecting with others to build stronger networks to build our accessibility capacity.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Advocacy starts with the question: what will make this better? Advocates take that next step to determine how to make it better, then take action.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For the next two months, we talk with five state employees that are advocates for greater digital accessibility. Each has a different role. They reveal some changes they have made, and what had the most influence. And they share advice for you and your supervisor to improve accessibility in your organization. In fact, there is so much great information that we will publish it in installments. This first installment focuses on celebrating the changes that sparked their advocacy skill development. And some of their smaller step recommendations.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Thank you to this month’s article contributors:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tamara Sawyer, Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota Management and Budget&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Michelle Aguilar, Web Manager, Minnesota Department of Health&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Mike Reinhart, Service Portfolio Manager, Minnesota IT Services (MNIT)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Bryan Priem, Web Application Developer, MNIT Partnering with Labor and Industry&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Proshat Shafizadeh, IT Advanced Project and Program Manager, MNIT Partnering with the Department of Administration &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Changes Sparking Transformations&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We often know we need to do something different. Once we change, we can often point to a specific event or moment that felt like a turning point. I asked each person about that moment for them. Not surprisingly, the pandemic with its shift to working from home was a common theme.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This did not mean they began their accessibility journey then, but its path changed. Reinhart explained, “There (became) such a focus on using the conferencing tools. We really had to be much more diligent about accessibility related to those applications and making sure that they are accessible.” This work was not new for him. He had already been “working with the vendor and pushing them to provide the feature updates that include accessibility. We&apos;ve done more of that in the last couple of years without question.” In addition, many vendors increased the speed and release of updates and new features. This changed the way Reinhart and others needed to interact with vendors, and proceed with work internally.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Also, working from home changed the way they worked with people. Aguilar said that “we used to do in-person training in a classroom at in the office.” Aguilar and her team worked to determine new ways to reach employees, to teach them about accessibility. Both she and Sawyer felt the absence of meeting employees in person. Sawyer shared that “the good part is that I have worked with many different teams (before the pandemic). Going to all online and all digital - people have really recognized the need for accessibility. Some of our groups have really embraced it. Going from all in-person to all digital where we&apos;ve made all their materials accessible - that has been a huge success. So on one hand, I feel this disconnect. But on the other hand I feel some groups are super successful.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Partially because of this feeling of disconnect, Sawyer reached out and joined a new group. “I think for me (another) big difference was joining in with this Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion group (DEAI) within my agency. It’s one thing to be a part of the statewide digital accessibility coordinators.” While she appreciated working with the network of coordinators from other agencies, Sawyer noted that they are less familiar with the everyday work at her agency.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;During this time, many observed a change in culture. Priem shares that “for a while I felt like I was sort of the only one who seemed to be aware of accessibility. And then, realized I’m not. It’s all over the place.” First Priem mentioned that the agency communications division began improving accessibility of their documents. But he had more to share! “My Chief Business Technology Officer, Tyrone Spratt: accessibility is in his playbook. [It is] a question that always is brought up. He is at the forefront of any new projects and contracting so accessibility comes up a lot. We have a security officer, Mike Woolley, who will often bring up his security issues but then mention that we also need to address accessibility. So, it’s everywhere. You can try to put your head in the sand and say, well, we’ll just forget about accessibility for a minute, but nope, there’s people saying we need to have that. We need to make sure it’s in there and we can’t move forward without it. It’s like a team effort and it was sort of grassroots. There’s more growth to be had, but we’re moving forward, we’re getting there.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some people we interviewed shared that furthering their education changed them and changed their advocacy. For Shafizadeh it introduced her to digital accessibility. “I remember that I just began my bachelor&apos;s degree program in information technology management from the University of Minnesota. As part of the program requirements I had to take a web development class. It was that web development class that dedicated an entire chapter to accessibility. I remember that I was completely blown away by my lack of awareness about digital accessibility. Once I began to learn about it, it was like a wakeup call.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For Sawyer, going back to school while working as a digital accessibility coordinator had impact. She took some courses related to Human Resources management, and diversity, equity and inclusion as part of a master’s program. “I think those 3 classes really helped with how I&apos;ve approached things. Now I approach things a little bit differently. Just knowing more about how to manage programs and how to manage people, has helped. It’s given me more confidence in standing up to make sure that my program is being run right.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Starting with small steps&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As you celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day, a few simple steps for improve your advocacy skills:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ask for help:&lt;/strong&gt; Sawyer suggests that you not “be afraid to reach out if you need help. You have resources if you just reach out.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Start developing one new skill:&lt;/strong&gt; For Aguilar, that skill was “definitely fillable PDF forms. I did not know (how to make them accessible) prior to 2 years ago. I had a form that was 20 pages full of radio buttons. I had to learn how to do JavaScript and all those radio buttons. It was a tedious process, but I know it, now, after doing.” &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Just start – pick one thing:&lt;/strong&gt; Priem found it helpful to think “What are some of the things that I could do that don&apos;t require a significant level of understanding, like screen readers. But I can do keyboard testing, right? That&apos;s not too hard to pick up. Color contrast testing, easy. Umm well not easy…The tools are out there. You just have to get them downloaded. I just decided, you know what? I&apos;m just gonna try this and document the results.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dedicate time:&lt;/strong&gt; Shafizadeh shared “One thing that I&apos;ve changed in project planning in particular, has been to dedicate enough time for accessibility. I have it included very, very early on - during my initiation phase of the project. This includes: 
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Informing our business partners and our stakeholders about accessibility. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Making sure we have enough time to bring in the Office of Accessibility or accessibility coordinators to do accessibility reviews and decision making before we move forward to next steps.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Accessibility as a part of everything:&lt;/strong&gt; Reinhart reminds people to include accessibility whenever discussing work. “It was probably sometime in mid-2020 or so when we started doing more communications on a monthly basis of teleconference updates, for instance. And, making accessibility part of that. It&apos;s not something that we add on. It&apos;s just part of what we what we want to communicate. I think normalizing it and making it just part of day-to-day stuff, everything you do.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Until Next Month…&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Happy Global Accessibility Awareness Day to everyone. We hope that on your accessibility journey you take a moment to start using these tips, taking new advocacy steps. Next month we will share more from these accessibility advocates, including:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;More of their tips.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How they shifted their small steps to support bigger changes.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What they feel helps nurture an increase in a digital accessibility culture.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tips for managers and supervisors.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>528303</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2022-05-18T19:57:12Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>&quot;Shift left.&quot; &quot;Start accessibility earlier in the project life cycle.&quot; These phrases are often shared, but it can be difficult to understand how to take action. Learn how a team made accessibility a priority throughout the project life cycle.</Description><Audience/><Title>Spotlight: What Happens When A Project Team Shifts Accessibility Left?</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>project management</Subject><Subject>shift left</Subject><Subject>project life cycle</Subject><Subject>wcag</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Accessibility of financial capability material = massive, reliable returns!</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Computer monitor with bar chart. Magnifying glass over one bar reveals text $1,800. Circle around monitor: keyboard, microphone, CC.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/finance-accessibility-blog_tcm38-525630.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Bar chart. Magnifying glass reveals text: $1,800.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/finance-accessibility-blog-thumb_tcm38-525629.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2022-04 - Financial Capability Accessibility</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-525517&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2022-04-20T19:30:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>When planning a campaign to promote financial awareness, make sure the digital content is accessible to everyone. In this month&apos;s article we share tips for creating accessible social media posts, websites, documents, and online courses.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Proven tips to help more people learn financial skills</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By: Jennie Delisi, Accessibility Analyst, Office of Accessibility&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;April is Financial Capability Month in Minnesota. The &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/commerce/consumers/your-money/future/&quot; title=&quot;Minnesota Department of Commerce defines financial capability&quot;&gt;Minnesota Department of Commerce defines financial capability&lt;/a&gt; as &quot;…people’s knowledge, skills, and access to products and services that enable them to manage their finances, make informed choices for their financial security and future, and to avoid scams and fraud.&quot; Other groups recognize this month as Financial Literacy Month. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you are planning a campaign to promote financial awareness, make sure the digital content for your target audience is accessible to everyone.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Digital information about financial skills and services comes in many forms:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;PDFs.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Social media posts.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Websites.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Apps.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Online courses.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When making financial education material accessible, considerations include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Communication of math concepts.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Creating visuals that communicate data.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Creation of worksheets.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Online calculators, games, and other interactions to promote learning.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This month we cover accessibility resources specific to this topic. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;General Accessibility Considerations&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Everyone needs to be financially capable. Make your content as accessible as possible.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use plain language&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;div xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Need a resource? Our article &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/?id=38-482174&quot; title=&quot;Don&apos;t bury the headline - Plain language tips and tricks for technical writing&quot;&gt;Don’t bury the headline – Plain language tips and tricks for technical writing&lt;/a&gt; will get you started. &lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Using plain language helps people who:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Have a cognitive disability.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;May have less experience with terms used or concepts.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Present math concepts using formats other than images&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;div xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;While you may be tempted to use a graphic to display an equation or formula, the alternative text may not provide equal access. People using assistive technology need some math symbols written out (use the word “plus” instead of +) in alternative text for images. Some of the math symbols used may not be read appropriately by assistive technologies. Also, because assistive technology cannot read phrase by phrase within alternative text, it can be difficult to listen then act on a math problem communicated in this way. Expressing complex math concepts will also require longer alternative text than the ideal number of characters. Using text instead of images is one solution for simpler math equations that can include more common symbols like +, -, =. &lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/formula-bad_tcm38-525631.png&quot; title=&quot;Math problem with numbers and symbols (7x5/10)+3=. Bubble with text alt text to avoid:, then math problem written with numbers and symbols.&quot; alt=&quot;Math problem with numbers and symbols (7x5/10)+3=. Bubble with text alt text to avoid:, then math problem written with numbers and symbols.&quot; style=&quot;width: 80%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;formula-bad&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/formula-good_tcm38-525632.png&quot; title=&quot;Math problem with numbers and symbols (7x5/10)+3=. Bubble with text alt text best practice:, then math problem written in text bracket seven times five tenths close bracket plus 3 equals&quot; alt=&quot;Math problem with numbers and symbols (7x5/10)+3=. Bubble with text alt text best practice:, then math problem written in text bracket seven times five tenths close bracket plus 3 equals&quot; style=&quot;width: 80%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;formula-good&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note:&lt;/strong&gt; this article does not cover more advanced mathematical concepts. These often include other symbols and more complicated math equations. Here are some resources for information on advanced accessibility techniques for math: &lt;/div&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Materials created by University of Washington’s Do-It Center – &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.washington.edu/doit/what-mathml&quot; title=&quot;What is MathML&quot;&gt;What is MathML&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/Math/Documents/Charter2021.html&quot; title=&quot;W3C&apos;s Math Working Group&quot;&gt;W3C’s Math Working Group.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use images that reinforce your concepts&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;div xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Explain the concept in text; reinforce it with the image.  &lt;/div&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Write quality alternative text for images&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;div xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Becky Bernauer wrote great information in &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-330880&quot; title=&quot;Best Practices for Alternative Text&quot;&gt;Best Practices for Alternative Text.&lt;/a&gt; She includes advice about using complex charts. Good text descriptions help people who:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Are blind or have low vision.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Have a learning disability that may make it difficult to understand the visual concept without the text description.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use good color contrast, and do not use color alone to communicate&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;div xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Charts, graphs, and any information that you want to be sure readers understand must have good color contrast. And make sure that readers who do not perceive color well can still access it. If printed in black and white, could they still use this? Example: add texture to bar graphs in addition to changes in color.&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use accessible templates&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;div xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Digital accessibility planning is key to creating inclusive content. 
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/?id=38-472949&quot; title=&quot;An Accessible Newsletter&quot;&gt;An Accessible Newsletter&lt;/a&gt; has information about templates and testing for newsletters. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Having accessible templates for documents also makes work more efficient and accessible. &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/presentation-csun_develop-test-deploy-2018_tcm38-374413.pdf?sourcePage=%2fmnit%2fabout-mnit%2faccessibility%2fpresentation-docs.jsp%3fid%3d38-374431&quot; title=&quot;Develop, test, deploy: accessible templates for an entire state (PDF)&quot;&gt;Develop, test, deploy: accessible templates for an entire state (PDF)&lt;/a&gt; shares information on creating accessible templates with your brand and colors, and makes them easily available for your employees.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;PDFs&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;PDFs are a common way to share information. You may be creating:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;General education documents.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Worksheets.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tables containing financial information.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some people use assistive technology to access your digital documents. They may read your PDF, open links you included, or complete worksheets using tools like: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Screen readers and text to speech tools (read digital information out loud).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Switches (alternatives to using a mouse to interact with digital content).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Speech to text tools (using your voice to type).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;PDFs are accessible when they have tags - a method for communicating content to assistive technologies. There are tags for images, text, headings, links, and tables.  And there are testing tools like a built-in accessibility checker for Adobe Acrobat Pro DC.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some PDF accessibility tips to get you started:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Start with an accessible original document before converting to PDF. &lt;/strong&gt; Not sure where to start? Check out the Office of Accessibility&apos;s free online course: &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/&quot; title=&quot;Accessible Word Document Training&quot; style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Open Sans&amp;quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Accessible Word Document Training.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ensure people can complete the worksheets with a keyboard.&lt;/strong&gt; Don’t forget: Using underlines in a Word document to indicate a space for writing an answer does not allow people to complete the form in a PDF unless they print it out. Create an accessible, fillable PDF form for a worksheet that enables people to complete the form using their assistive technology and a computer. Also, some fillable forms are on web pages instead of PDF. &lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/techniques/forms/controls&quot; title=&quot;WebAIM&apos;s article Creating Accessible Forms&quot; style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Open Sans&amp;quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;WebAIM’s article Creating Accessible Forms&lt;/a&gt; &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Open Sans&amp;quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;is a good resource for getting started. Consider the best format to meet the needs of all your learners.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;When using InDesign, designers must make their files as accessible as possible. &lt;/strong&gt; Those files can then create more accessible PDFs. Tips are available on our website: &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/electronic-documents/indesign.jsp&quot; title=&quot;Accessible InDesign Documents&quot; style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Open Sans&amp;quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Accessible InDesign Documents.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Use a PDF accessibility testing tool to check if your PDF is accessible.&lt;/strong&gt; This will cover basic accessibility tests. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Review the tags in the tags pane - we call it &quot;walking the tag tree.&quot;&lt;/strong&gt;  Start by learning which tags are for headings, images, links, and tables. Check that the tag for each part of your content is the correct type of tag. Be sure the tags are in the correct reading order.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Social Media Posts&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Social media is a great way to connect with people who want to gain these important skills! A few steps when preparing your message and posting it will help more people access your message:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Verdana;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;When adding images to your post, be sure to include alternative text.&lt;/strong&gt; This is sometimes called an image description in social media tools. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Use capital letters in hashtags&lt;/strong&gt; to show where each word starts. Example: #FinCapMN. This helps screen readers pronounce it correctly, and makes it easier to read for those with vision.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Use hashtags with thought.&lt;/strong&gt; For people that do not use a mouse, they may need to use their tab key to go through each link in your message. Hashtags are links. 12 hashtags = 12 presses of the tab key to move past them. Use just a few per message, and when possible keep them at the end of the message.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Use videos with quality captions.&lt;/strong&gt; Check that your captions:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Read exactly what is said.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Have capital letters at the beginning of proper names and sentences.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Have proper punctuation.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Include important audio information like sounds that are important to your story.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Consider how people who are blind or with low vision will use your video.&lt;/strong&gt; Your message is important, right? Include audio that describes what is happening on screen so that if you listen to the video without accessing the visuals, you don&apos;t miss out!&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here are some resources on accessibility and social media you may find helpful:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Blog article: &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/?id=38-477167&quot; title=&quot;Engaging and Accessible Social Media - Inclusive community connections&quot;&gt;Engaging and Accessible Social Media – Inclusive community connections.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Recorded webinar: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.governmentsocialmedia.com/connect-to-all-of-your-community-engaging-accessible-social-media-webinar-replay&quot; title=&quot;Connect to ALL of your Community: Engaging and Accessible Social Media&quot;&gt;Connect to ALL of your Community: Engaging and Accessibility Social Media.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Websites, Apps, and eLearning&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Like PDFs, websites and apps use code to communicate to assistive technologies. This is often where you want your audience to spend most of their time. We tend to stay longer when we feel welcome, and when experiences meet our needs. People in your audience who use assistive technology or have disabilities need those same things.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ensure online calculators, games, and other fun and interactive online engagement tools meet Minnesota’s digital accessibility standard&lt;/strong&gt; (found on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot; title=&quot;Accessibility Policies and Standards page&quot;&gt;Accessibility Policies and Standards page&lt;/a&gt;). Ensure they pass the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/&quot; title=&quot;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0&quot;&gt;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0&lt;/a&gt; levels A and AA, at a minimum. Even better if they meet WCAG 2.1.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Reach out to your digital accessibility coordinator when planning new projects.&lt;/strong&gt; Others to include in the conversation are your webmaster or software project manager. Do this early in your project plan to make your project more accessible, and make the work process more efficient. Last month’s blog article provides more information: &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/522146&quot; title=&quot;Spotlight - What Happens When a Project Team Shifts Accessibility Left?&quot;&gt;Spotlight – What Happens When a Project Team Shifts Accessibility Left?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Start collecting examples of accessible, engaging interactions!&lt;/strong&gt; While not about financial education, this example of an accessible, online game can you get you to think more about accessibility: &lt;a href=&quot;https://de.ryerson.ca/wa/maze.html&quot; title=&quot;Accessibility Maze&quot;&gt;Accessibility Maze.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
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&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>525517</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2022-04-20T19:53:48Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>&quot;Shift left.&quot; &quot;Start accessibility earlier in the project life cycle.&quot; These phrases are often shared, but it can be difficult to understand how to take action. Learn how a team made accessibility a priority throughout the project life cycle.</Description><Audience/><Title>Spotlight: What Happens When A Project Team Shifts Accessibility Left?</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>project management</Subject><Subject>shift left</Subject><Subject>project life cycle</Subject><Subject>wcag</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Spotlight: What Happens When A Project Team Shifts Accessibility Left?</Title><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Arrow pointing right, with green dot on arrow near left end and red, cancelled dot on right side of arrow near the head.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/moving-accessibility-left-web-thumb_tcm38-522148.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2022-03 - Shift projects left</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-522146&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2022-03-23T19:30:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>&quot;Shift left.&quot; &quot;Start accessibility earlier in the project life cycle.&quot; These phrases are often shared, but it can be difficult to understand how to take action. Learn how a team made accessibility a priority throughout the project life cycle.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>A project’s accessibility success story</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/moving-accessibility-left-blog_tcm38-522147.jpg&quot; title=&quot;moving-accessibility-left-blog&quot; alt=&quot;Arrow pointing right, with green dot on arrow near left end and red, cancelled dot on right side of arrow near the head. Blocks below arrow read, from left to right: Plan, Develop, Review.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;moving-accessibility-left-blog&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figcaption style=&quot;text-align: center&quot;&gt;Accessibility begins here, moved left from the review phase of the project life cycle. Arrow indicates it is included in the plan, develop, and review phases.&lt;/figcaption&gt;

&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&quot;Shift left.&quot; &quot;Start accessibility earlier in the project life cycle.&quot; These phrases help us think about embedding accessibility early in a project. It is easy to agree that this is important. It can be more difficult to integrate this into everyday practice. To be successful you need to know: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How accessibility plays a role at each phase.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Who can champion and contribute to this inclusion.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;One recent project successfully moved accessibility to the left.  Staff from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) worked together to make the shift. Three project team members spoke with me about how this improved the project’s outcomes. They also shared how this changed their approach to future projects. This month we learn from:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Courtney Petrosky, Project Management Supervisor, MNIT partnering with MDE.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Kim Wee, Webmaster and Digital Accessibility Coordinator for MNIT partnering with MDE.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tamera Williams, Contractor - Project Manager / BA for this project, MDE.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;Project History&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Petrosky shared, “This project started because we have an existing homegrown application. This application is over 10 years old.” There were quite a few challenges with it, including the required upgrades and maintenance, as well as needed changes. MDE decided to replace the application. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&quot;We started with a feasibility study, interviews, and research. Tamera began working as a contractor to complete this work. This resulted in the decision to do a Request for Proposal (RFP) and bid out for a vendor to provide a solution. We were looking for a cloud-hosted solution, with the product end supported by the vendor.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;Agency vs IT Department Roles&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;IT projects completed in government typically have 2 groups working together: the agency and the IT department. Williams shared more about how this works: MNIT owns the contract - the acquisition of the technology. And they facilitate the technical work. They identified the need for a cloud-hosted solution. They help the agency understand which vendors have products that can provide solutions that may meet the business needs. &quot;We had a very deep team on the MNIT side. In addition to Kim Wee, we had people from security, network engineers - there was a lot of input to understand what we need to do and what&apos;s going to fit in our current environment. The business or agency side - they know the practice. We had long periods of time where the business was working on designs, applying their processes...it&apos;s a lot of work for the business.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;Motivation to Change Accessibility Approach&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Together, Petrosky and Wee had previously worked on projects that included accessibility testing of products. Petrosky shared that they found &quot;there were some gaps in how we were applying those practices across the board on all of our projects. We really wanted to dive deeper into a new project, and this became our opportunity.&quot; They also had strong accessibility advocates on the business team. &quot;MDE is the real project owner here,&quot; shared Wee. &quot;They have an enormous amount of influence.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;Perspective Change&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Williams was new to having accessibility included in a project. &quot;I focused on the functional requirements, what the business is requiring. It&apos;s been a learning experience for me as a project manager, someone helping to move the implementation forward.&quot; She shared that she needed to learn &quot;how to make sure that we have the right resources in place to actually address or to ensure accessibility.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As a project manager &quot;there&apos;s a lot of time and resources required to ensure that accessibility is being considered, and is not just a side thing. It is a part of the functionality or the functional requirements. That was a big aha for me. It&apos;s not something we wait for the end to just kind of confirm or verify. It really takes time to ensure that it is in place when you get to the end.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Wee also found that accessibility as a functional requirement was &quot;a huge lesson learned. I think it impacted this project in ways that I never would have anticipated. And I think it really led to the buy-in. This impacted the project from all sides, including the buy-in from the business and vendor’s team members.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Petrosky found that this project impacted her thinking from a project management standpoint. It helped her consider &quot;other phases of the project where I never thought about accessibility, or including Kim in those kinds of conversations before. As a project manager or even as a supervisor we don&apos;t want to waste people&apos;s time in meetings if they are not needed. But what I&apos;ve learned through this project was that if (in previous projects) I had brought Kim into conversations much, much earlier it probably would have reduced some of the later conversations. The important part was sitting in on the design discussions.&quot; She used to meet with the business team members, then connect with Kim, then go back to the business team members...&quot;I should really have brought them together in the same room so Kim could do that feedback instead of me.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Because she was considering this expansion of accessibility discussions throughout the project life cycle, Petrosky also sees a need for more accessibility professionals available to teams. &quot;We only have Kim - this is what I hear from many of my project managers. We need her on all of our projects. That&apos;s our next big challenge - strategizing, getting more support, so we can get accessibility in all phases of a project lifecycle.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;Operationalizing Accessibility&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Operationalizing accessibility means each role on a team needs to have accessibility knowledge specific to their role. In addition, you need people with deep accessibility knowledge. Petrosky shared that &quot;Kim has been working on more training for the developers and the quality assurance team.&quot; This will help expand the accessibility knowledge of more project team members. “I know there&apos;s still going to be a lot of need for Kim (on projects) just because she has years of knowledge that would be difficult to translate to all of our staff. We have discussed questions like what are some easy ways of starting to get developers familiar with the tools that Kim uses for testing? We need a curriculum, and we might need to even think about something annually, to continue to refresh staff and as we get new members. It&apos;s going to be a project in itself to come up with a training strategy and documentation.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Williams added that &quot;Kim really provided consultation guidance as well as direct training with our vendor. They came up with a guiding document that they&apos;re using with their developers as a result of that.&quot; As the project progressed, MNIT and vendor staff identified gaps, and Kim helped train in those areas of need. Accessibility is a journey, and this partnership helped ensure everyone could play their part in creating an accessible product that met the requirements.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;Importance of Development Team Check-ins&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Wee had regular check-ins with the developer and development team. This began early in the process, after vendor selection. Together she and the lead developer reviewed code for potential accessibility issues. &quot;We started with talking about ARIA labels (attributes that supplement HTML) because after an initial assessment that was an identified area of risk.&quot; They talked about: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ways to use ARIA labels in the identified framework.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Checking if it was on the correct tags. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Testing. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&quot;Those kinds of conversations were so imperative. Detailed. Scoped to what we needed to do. It was imperative to this project to get us moving in the right direction for the developers. It also led to future enhancements. The developers now have repetitive code libraries and a documentation guide&quot; that reflects the work they did together. They can use this on future projects.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;Tracking Accessibility Issues and Requirements&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Petrosky shared that one of her favorite resources from this project enables her to better track the accessibility work. &quot;I&apos;m a list person. Tamera created some really good templates in an Excel table [that helped us] track all of the tickets that needed to be worked on, where accessibility was included...&quot; This was &quot;very helpful for that communication and collaboration between the vendor, MNIT, and the business when communicating what things had been found.&quot; They could review the status and resolution of tickets. “Because this was a vendor product project and not an internal project, we didn&apos;t have a tool that we could all use.&quot; Williams used these when facilitating meetings to help review issues and streamline the conversation. This added structure to the test plan. Williams said that the vendor developers used this list to &quot;test and validate, and then Kim can follow up and confirm.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;Advice for Moving Accessibility Earlier in a Project&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Williams shares advice for those newer to integrating accessibility throughout the project life cycle. &quot;I think the big thing is being flexible. Really try to lean on those that have the gifts and talents. I leaned on Kim, Courtney, and others to really try to make sure that I was understanding where we needed to go. Be able to really listen, to be able to assess where there are gaps.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot; title=&quot;State of Minnesota digital accessibility standards&quot;&gt;state of Minnesota’s digital accessibility standard&lt;/a&gt; impacts the work everyone does throughout the project life cycle. Take time to learn your role, and how your work impacts accessibility. Connect with your digital accessibility coordinators to learn more, and keep learning. Like this team, each time you shift left, you are improving the accessibility of your work, and contributing to making all of our work more efficient and accessible.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>522146</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2022-03-23T19:36:44Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>Do you ever ask yourself: how can I get more people to learn about digital accessibility? Accessibility champion groups can be both formal and informal. Modeling after successful accessibility champions programs may be the answer for you.  This article is the second in a 2 article series.</Description><Audience/><Title>Accessibility Challenge 2022: Nurture More Champions Part 2</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>champions</Subject><Subject>network</Subject><Subject>awareness</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Accessibility Challenge 2022: Nurture More Champions Part 2</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Hands extending from monitor applauding and giving thumbs up to a hand from another monitor hoisting champion&apos;s cup with label &quot;A11y&quot;</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-champion-blog_tcm38-516020.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Hand extending from monitor hoisting champion&apos;s cup with label &quot;A11y&quot;</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-champion-blog-thumb_tcm38-516018.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2022-02 - Accessibility Challenge 2022: Nurture More Champions Part 2</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-518320&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2022-02-23T21:00:54Z</Date><ShortDescription>Do you ever ask yourself: how can I get more people to learn about digital accessibility? Accessibility champion groups can be both formal and informal. Modeling after successful accessibility champions programs may be the answer for you. This article is the second in a 2 article series.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Proven tips to expand your accessibility community</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By: Jennie Delisi, Office of Accessibility&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;This is the second of a two-part article.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Intro&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/516010&quot; title=&quot;Accessibility Challenge 2022: Nurture More Champions Part 1&quot;&gt;Part 1&lt;/a&gt;, we discussed the reasons for starting an accessibility champions group and how to identify specific qualities that can help you gather the right people for your champions group. We spoke to leaders of accessibility champion programs and accessibility task forces at State of Minnesota agencies. Their groups have been meeting between 6 months and seven years! They shared key tips for expanding your accessibility community. Want to get a few interested colleagues together or start a more formal group? Their tips will help.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Thank you to the accessibility coordinators and accessibility champion group leaders who contributed to these articles.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tamara Sawyer, Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota Management and Budget&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;JoAnn Rautio, CSM, DHS Certified Trusted Tester v5, Quality Assurance / Digital Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota IT Services Partnering with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;David Andrews, Chief Technology Officer, State Services for the Blind&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Samantha Fischer, ADS, CPACC, Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Kim Wee, CPWA, DHS Certified Trusted Tester v5, Webmaster and Digital Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota IT Services Partnering with the Minnesota Department of Education&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Allison Loomis, CPACC, State Program Administrative Tech Specialist, Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Jackie Stiehl, CPACC (Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies), Minnesota Department of Education&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Rebecca Oestreich, Electronic Information Accessibility Coordinator, Department of Natural Resources&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In Part 2, they share tips to plan, organize and support your efforts. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Write Clear Objectives&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Well-crafted objectives tell group members how participation will improve their skills. They share how group efforts will benefit the organization. And, they will help managers and supervisors approve participation. Know what the group will achieve. Pick meaningful and measurable objectives based on your group’s “why.” Your group’s time commitment and resources will impact what you will get done. Rautio advises to create achievable goals “that the group can meet within a year.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Add objectives that address participation. This is important for both new and existing groups. Fischer shares that “before launching the program, I wish we would have developed ways to maintain champion participation in the program. We were able to recruit many people to become a champion, but not everyone has the ability in their schedule to maintain monthly meetings.” Active participation will be key to achieving the objectives for groups of all:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Sizes.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Level of experiences.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Goals.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Organize Your Effort&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Take those objectives and think about how best to organize/scope your efforts. Work with your champions to develop a plan. There is no “one size fits all” for this work. Rautio shares that DEED divides roles over multiple people and groups because “one person can’t do it all.” The core team’s work is to “increase awareness and eliminate digital barriers for employees.” The document champions group focuses on increasing “document accessibility across the agency. The Senior Leadership sponsor helps validate that accessibility is everyone’s responsibility and gives accessibility a seat at the table. The champions are the first point of reference.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Other groups may change their structure over time. Wee says, “We initially had an accessibility advisory group that consisted of both MDE and Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) staff. Eventually, this group morphed into a larger idea, the Accessibility Community of Interest group with Accessibility Champions that informed the advisory group. The advisory group is no longer meeting.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Power Your Program&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our contributors highlighted the value of engagement with senior leadership. This can be essential for objectives that address larger needs such as: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Improving the digital accessibility culture of an organization. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Training larger groups.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Impacting more systemic changes. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Andrews shared, “The core group initially lobbied DEED’s Senior Leadership Team to make some accessibility training mandatory for all employees. They agreed, and ultimately everyone was required to take Modules 1 and 2 of the Word Accessibility Training developed by the Office of Accessibility. Accessibility Champions are required to take all seven modules.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For those new to this type of engagement, here are a few first steps. Rautio advises to “first network with those already a leader in accessibility in different areas of the agency to gain interest.” Then speak with members of your senior leadership. Oestreich said, “We started with upper management support. When we wrote our agency&apos;s digital accessibility operational order, we included the requirement that each division has at least one champion.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Support Learning and Questions&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Having a safe place to learn and ask questions can be key for accessibility champions. For formal groups, a charter can help establish expectations of behavior. Wee shares that their charter includes the statement, “As we share experiences and knowledge, we will learn from each other, giving us the opportunity to develop both personally and professionally…This will be a safe space for open dialogue, where research, practice and innovation are encouraged and welcomed.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This can mean meeting in smaller groups as well as larger. For trainings, the topic may help determine the best size of group to support the learners. You can base group meeting size on the tasks and needs of the group. And the needs may change as your group evolves. Sawyer shares that “the accessibility task force started out meeting weekly to determine our agency’s level of accessibility in multiple areas (we adapted an existing program that fit our needs). Once we found our ‘low hanging fruit’ we created a plan for improvement. At this point, we are meeting monthly. The entire Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion group also meets monthly, where we give updates.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Meeting topics shared by contributors included:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Open issues/problem solving.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Supporting each other.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Best practices.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;New ideas (tips and tricks).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Focused topics for presentation/training.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Planning.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;These groups did not stop interacting because of people working from home. All contributors reported using Microsoft Teams for meetings. Many discussed the benefits of the online meetings. Some members of their groups work in different buildings, or different parts of the state. When recorded, champions unable to attend meetings can review content when they are available. Others experiencing extra work duties during COVID find the ability to meet online helpful even when they are working in the office.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some contributors’ groups also have:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Office hours where Champions and others can ask questions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Microsoft Teams channels for their Champions. This is where they have discussions between meetings, share documents.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A place on their agency intranet for sharing information.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Open meetings open to everyone, not limited to identified “Champions.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Chat With Other Accessibility Champions&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As we stated in Part 1, a great way to work on challenges is to talk about them with other people. While many of us cannot get together at conferences right now, there are still many ways to connect. People use #a11y on social media for conversations and postings about digital accessibility. This is one way to find others that have accessibility champion groups. Tell them your goals and ask about theirs. Together we can greatly increase the amount of digital accessibility know-how. Your goal is a great step!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>518320</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2022-02-23T21:03:53Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>Do you ever ask yourself: how can I get more people to learn about digital accessibility? Accessibility champion groups can be both formal and informal. Modeling after successful accessibility champions programs may be the answer for you. </Description><Audience/><Title>Accessibility Challenge 2022: Nurture More Champions Part 1</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>champions</Subject><Subject>network</Subject><Subject>awareness</Subject><Subject>wcag</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Accessibility Challenge 2022: Nurture More Champions Part 1</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Hands extending from monitor applauding and giving thumbs up to a hand from another monitor hoisting champion&apos;s cup with label &quot;A11y&quot;</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-champion-blog_tcm38-516020.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Hand extending from monitor hoisting champion&apos;s cup with label &quot;A11y&quot;</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-champion-blog-thumb_tcm38-516018.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2022-01 - Accessibility Challenge 2022: Nurture More Champions Part 1</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-516010&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2022-02-16T16:25:28Z</Date><ShortDescription>Do you ever ask yourself: how can I get more people to learn about digital accessibility? Accessibility champion groups can be both formal and informal. Modeling after successful accessibility champions programs may be the answer for you. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>Proven tips to expand your accessibility community</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By: Jennie Delisi, Office of Accessibility&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;This is the first of a two-part article.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Do you ever ask yourself: how can I get more people to learn about digital accessibility? How can I get more people to create accessible: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Digital documents.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Websites.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Apps.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Software.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility champion groups can be both formal and informal. Modeling after successful accessibility champions programs may be the answer for you. Recently, we spoke to leaders of accessibility champion programs and accessibility task forces at state of Minnesota agencies. Their groups have been meeting between six months and seven years! They shared key tips for expanding your accessibility community. With so many great ideas, we’ve divided the article into two parts for January and February. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Want to get a few interested colleagues together or start a more formal group? Their tips will help.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Thank you to the contributors of both parts of this article:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tamara Sawyer, Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota Management and Budget&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;JoAnn Rautio, CSM, DHS Certified Trusted Tester v5, Quality Assurance / Digital Accessibility Coordinator &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;David Andrews, Chief Technology Officer, State Services for the Blind&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Samantha Fischer ADS, CPACC, Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Kim Wee, CPWA, DHS Certified Trusted Tester v5, Webmaster and Digital Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota IT Services Partnering with the Minnesota Department of Education&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Allison Loomis, CPACC, State Program Administrative Tech Specialist, Minnesota Department of Education&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Jackie Stiehl, CPACC (Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies), Minnesota Department of Education&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Rebecca Oestreich, Electronic Information Accessibility Coordinator, Department of Natural Resources&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use Your “Why” to Inform Your Goal&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Each person and organization has different reasons for wanting accessibility champions. For some it is their mission. Fischer shares that “The Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) provides a number of services to persons with disabilities. Because of our programs, it’s vital we have accessible digital content for both staff and customers.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Rules and regulations can also play a role. This may be important to include even when it is not the only reason. Wee shared how they included this “why” in their charter. “As state employees, we have an obligation to improve the accessibility and usability of all information technology products and services for all state of Minnesota government end-users. Some of us have an interest in accessibility because it’s a part of our job, others have an interest in discussing enhanced policies and procedures, and others have an interest in it all.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are many other potential “whys” for the group itself.  Be sure to also consider the “why” potential champions will want to join. Wee explains that, as an accessibility champion, you can: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Learn new things and develop professionally and personally.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Improve communication by sharing new knowledge, skills and abilities with others. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Increase productivity/efficiency and quality of work. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Network with peers and meet new people.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Write a clear answer to “why” for yourself, potential champions, and your workplace. This will help you write better objectives and find potential champions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Consider Your Experience&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You may be just starting out or starting a new position. You may or may not be a digital accessibility coordinator. Or you may be newer to some areas of digital accessibility. Enthusiastic and ready to start? Oestreich says, “the sooner the better” is when to start. “Yes, it will add to your workload, but the rewards are enormous.” Loomis adds, “If you are new to accessibility, I encourage you to seek out other accessibility professionals, join groups and start networking. Accessibility professionals enjoy sharing their knowledge and excitement with others.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The answer to “when” may also depend on you, and how well you feel able to answer the “why.” Sawyer advises, “I would give yourself some time to get settled in and understand the specific needs of your agency.” Fischer adds, “Accessibility is ever changing and updating. There are the core parts that remain the same. If someone knows those core parts and how to achieve them, I don’t see why they couldn’t start a champion program.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some groups may need a strong leader who is a subject matter expert. For these, Rautio advises, “I recommend a couple of years of learning and getting to know the other accessibility leaders.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Start with a Confident Step&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When is a good time to start? Advice from our contributors varied. Considerations include: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The size of the group you want to start.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The size of group you would like to build.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The type of culture where you work – what will work best.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Refer back to the goals you have for the group.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For more formal groups, Rautio shares that sometimes it may be best to wait. You may want to first “have a group that is committed to participating with knowledge and time.” Fischer adds, “it really helps when you have someone in Senior Leadership and/or management to not only support a champion program, but become a champion themselves.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For less formal groups, or some workplaces, Wee advises the best time is, “As soon as possible. I wish we would have started this group sooner in our journey. The earlier on in the process that you have an opportunity to develop a positive mindset around accessibility, the better.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;No matter which type of group you have, some advice is the same. Oestreich shares, “You&apos;ll want have some planning done, but the champions can help with implementation.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Identify Potential Champions&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Qualities of potential champions are pretty broad. Several responses from our contributors included “everyone!” You may need more specifics for the group you are trying to start. Sawyer suggests finding coworkers “at your agency (with an) interest in providing better accessibility for our customers. I don’t feel prior knowledge or experience is necessary – they just need the desire to learn and help others.” Depending on the “why” you identified, you may have other qualities to add. For the group at DEED, Rautio adds people who are “committed to learning and mentoring.” For DEED’s group this is important. Their charter includes “accessibility champions will serve as the first point of reference for accessibility questions within their unit.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Next you want to find these potential champions. Sawyer shares, she has recruited “others with interest in accessibility for specific events (Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Empathy labs, etc.). We don’t have an ‘accessibility champions group’ but I joined the Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI) group hoping to get others involved. Once I joined, they added the accessibility task force. I’m so excited to have others working with me to ensure an accessible and more equitable environment for both our employees and outside customers.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Having the specific qualities identified will help you gather the right people. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources accessibility champions program has been running for seven years. Oestreich shares that when they started “our champions were voluntold. This worked out for some, but not for all. Don&apos;t force this work on someone who isn&apos;t interested.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Part 2 Coming in February&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Watch for Part of Accessibility Challenge 2022: Nurture More Champions in February. This section will cover creating objectives, organizing your effort, powering your program, and supporting learning. In the meantime, you may want to connect with other champions. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Don’t Wait for Part 2! Chat With Other Accessibility Champions&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Another great way to work on challenges is to talk about them with other people. While many of us cannot get together at conferences right now, there are still many ways to connect. People use #a11y on social media for conversations and postings about digital accessibility. This is one way to find others that have accessibility champion groups. Tell them your goals and ask about theirs. Together we can greatly increase the amount of digital accessibility know-how. Your goal is a great step!&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>516010</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2022-02-23T21:03:43Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>Virtual conferences are a great opportunity to ensure full inclusion. We asked some of our digital accessibility coordinators for their advice to conference vendors and organizers on how to ensure accessible, fully inclusive events.</Description><Audience/><Title>Accessible virtual conferences</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>conferences</Subject><Subject>learning</Subject><Subject>hybrid</Subject><Subject>wcag</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Accessible virtual conferences</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>People talking from various places including in person, on phone, and online, including captions and interpreters</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/virtual-conferences-blog_tcm38-516019.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Person in monitor with interpreter inset signing. Captions read &quot;Thank you.&quot; </AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/virtual-conferences-blog-thumb_tcm38-516017.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2022-01 - Accessible virtual conferences</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-516004&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2022-01-26T20:30:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Virtual conferences are a great opportunity to ensure full inclusion. We asked some of our digital accessibility coordinators for their advice to conference vendors and organizers on how to ensure accessible, fully inclusive events.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Tips on making your conference inclusive</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By: Jay Wyant, Office of Accessibility&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Conferences are a great way to:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Learn new information. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Increase your professional network.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Energize your passion about your work.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Event organizers and vendors have responded to the pandemic by creating virtual conferences that attempt to fulfill those same goals.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Virtual conferences are a great opportunity to ensure full inclusion. Some people with disabilities cannot travel to conferences. Others may have difficulty with group conversations or asking questions at live events. Virtual conferences can help overcome those barriers.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;However, if inclusion isn’t designed into the virtual conferencing system, it may unintentionally: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Exclude many potential attendees. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Have a negative impact on an individual’s ability to advance in their career. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Limit the reach and earning potential of conference providers.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We asked some of our digital accessibility coordinators for their advice to conference vendors and organizers on how to ensure accessible, fully inclusive events.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;First, WCAG&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Everyone’s first answer is, “Follow the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/quickref/&quot;&gt;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 Level AA&lt;/a&gt; (and for US vendors, &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.section508.gov/&quot;&gt;Section 508&lt;/a&gt;) guidelines.” Better yet, follow &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1 Level AA&lt;/a&gt; even if it isn’t officially required by some organizations.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Include your audience in the design&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Oftentimes a company or an organization new to accessibility doesn’t know where to start. They may need to have a better understanding of how their work impacts other users. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Consider accessibility from the start when you design and planning your conference, Rita Williams-Larson, Digital Accessibility Coordinator for MNIT Partnering with Minnesota Pollution Control says, “Use experts with practical experience and training in accessibility.” That includes both technical experts and people with disabilities. If you’re buying a conferencing tool, include your experts when evaluating potential vendors.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Keyboard access: to all components&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Virtual conferences can be incredibly complex. In addition to live presentations and slides, many also offer features that include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Breakout rooms.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Vendor booths.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Networking sessions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Live polling.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;An easy way to support accessibility is to ensure that users can access all these features and functions without a mouse. Test using basic keyboard functions such as tab, spacebar, and enter key to sign in, select activities, and navigate through all functions. Systems that support full keyboard use are much more inclusive.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As Lolly Lijewski, Human Services’ Digital Accessibility Coordinator noted, “Make sure the platform is accessible from start to finish. From registration to evaluation.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Magnification support&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;People attend virtual conferences in all sorts of ways, from phones to multiple large monitors. Some of them will need to zoom in or use screen magnification software to read text or operate controls. Conferencing systems need to include key features such as:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Responsive design that enables users to access sites on any size screen from a smartphone to large monitor.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Users need to be able to select a component such as the chat pane and enlarge the text view. All too often, systems only allow you to magnify the main window by shrinking everything else.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Common fails&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;After that, according to our digital accessibility coordinators, we can separate the most common accessibility fails at conferences into systems and operations:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Systems&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Automated captions with no option for CART (live human-generated captions).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Human-generated captions still remain the gold standard.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Chat audio interfering with speaker audio when using certain types of assistive technology. Or there’s no way to access the chat via assistive technology.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt; Test your conferencing platform to see if an assistive technology user can control access to the chat.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Test to make sure that an assistive technology user can control where sound comes from – the chat or event.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If this is not possible, ask attendees to avoid using chat during the event. Instead, consider alternatives such as a Q&amp;amp;A pane or direct messages to a host.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Requiring a CAPTCHA or other security tool for registration or login.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Some security tools are not accessible to assistive technology users.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Consider using other tools such as email verification for registration.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Not allowing users to select or switch breakout sessions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Transitions to unexpected or unwanted breakout sessions can cause difficulties for some users.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Operation&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Inaccessible handouts can be a challenge if you have volunteer presenters.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;In advance, you can provide them with links to &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/&quot;&gt;free accessible document training&lt;/a&gt;or &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/PowerPointQuickCard2017_tcm38-294083.pdf&quot;&gt;quick tips for accessible PowerPoint slides (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Test PDFs for accessibility before posting them, and have someone available to remediate them if needed.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Presenter doesn’t describe their slides.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Health’s Digital Accessibility Coordinator Becky Bernauer noted, “Tell all presenters to consider that some may be attending by phone. Presenters need to describe all relevant visuals, even those provided for comedic or dramatic effect.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Uploaded videos without captions.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;This should be a requirement. Let the presenter know in advance that you do not allow videos that are not captioned.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ideally, make it a checkbox in the upload program. This will remind presenters to only use captioned videos.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Practice makes perfect&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Suppose you’ve done everything you can to buy or build a world-class conferencing platform. Now you’re running a conference. You have speakers selected and scheduled. How do you make sure everything goes as expected? In a word—practice. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Anne Sittner Anderson, Digital Accessibility Coordinator for the Commission of Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing says, “Host prep meetings with organizers, those who are running the platform, and the CART provider to ensure the equipment is compatible and works successfully. Agree on who is doing what role and task, and make sure everyone has the equipment they need for a successful conference.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessible technology is only part of the solution. Conference organizers need to plan for, practice, and use inclusive best practices.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Going hybrid &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What’s different about running a hybrid conference with both in-person and virtual attendees? Our coordinators noted several key challenges:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Audience participation: when in-person audience members ask questions, they must either speak into a microphone (preferred) or the presenter must repeat the question before answering.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Interpreter placement: Sittner Anderson noted, “Ensure interpreters are positioned to voice or sign both presenters and audience members [in] whatever language they use (spoken and signed). It can become a muddle if not planned well.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Handouts: if there are paper handouts, they also need to be available online and accessible.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Keep improving&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Virtual conferences are at the leading edge of digital technology. Many conferences are already using augmented reality (AR) tools, such as virtual rooms with avatars for attendees. As demand for online conferences grows, vendors are exploring more ways to simulate the live experience. For example, combining aspects of virtual reality (VR) and AR to create three-dimensional rooms, the ability to use VR headsets, and more. There are no specific accessibility guidelines for these environments, but they must still be accessible for all participants.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Wrapping it up&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Virtual conferences are a complex challenge to design and plan even without accessibility. A short newsletter article cannot cover everything you need to know. If you don’t have accessibility experts and people with disabilities in house, consider contracting for those resources. Then make sure you involve those resources in every aspect of the project – from “Welcome” to “Thank you for attending.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some extra reading&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/485786&quot;&gt;Accessible meetings for all&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/477167&quot;&gt;Engaging and accessible social media&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/443947&quot;&gt;Accessible best practices for using chat in online meetings&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/444089&quot;&gt;An accessible future - XR&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/429835&quot;&gt;Remote meeting guide&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/423822&quot;&gt;Accessible remote meetings&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>516004</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2022-01-26T20:51:58Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>The answer to &quot;why do we need to create accessible content&quot; can be: make it personal. Learn key points and data for discussions with management and document authors - the benefits of digital accessibility for everyone.</Description><Audience/><Title>Shifting the Mindset About Accessible Content</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>benefits</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Shifting the Mindset About Accessible Content</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Two people wearing masks. One person is pointing to an item with an X on a monitor. The other person is watching.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/digital-acc-staff-blog_tcm38-512939.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Two people wearing masks. One person is pointing to an item with an X on a monitor. The other person is watching.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/digital-acc-staff-blog-thumb_tcm38-512938.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2021-12 - Shifting the Mindset About Accessible Content</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-512643&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2021-12-15T20:45:22Z</Date><ShortDescription>The answer to &quot;why do we need to create accessible content&quot; can be: make it personal. Learn key points and data for discussions with management and document authors - the benefits of digital accessibility for everyone.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Focus on Personalizing the Data</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By: Samantha Fischer, Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As the majority of information moves to digital formats across multiple platforms, it’s more important than ever to create and maintain accessible content.  As the Accessibility Coordinator for the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) I often have to explain why we need to create accessible content. While most people agree with the concept of digital accessibility, there are times where the demands of their daily tasks can compete for time to follow best practices. I can cite &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.section508.gov/manage/laws-and-policies/&quot; title=&quot;Section 508 website&quot;&gt;laws,&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/intro.html&quot; title=&quot;Introduction to Understanding WCAG 2.0&quot;&gt;introductions to understanding the guidelines&lt;/a&gt; and the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot; title=&quot;State of Minnesota&apos;s accessibility policies and standards&quot;&gt;state of Minnesota&apos;s accessibility policy.&lt;/a&gt; But personally, I’ve found this is more of a compliance mindset, instead of a mindset that fully embraces what they’ve learned about accessibility, and why it’s essential. This led me to the question: “How do we shift their mindset?” And the answer to that? “Make it personal.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In this blog post, I compiled data that supports making it personal, to:  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Show management the effect accessibility has on their bottom line.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Show staff that creating accessible content will help reduce frustration for both the people we serve and document authors, and save time doing everyday tasks.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Share the Research&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Paraphrasing ThinkCompany’s article “&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.thinkcompany.com/blog/five-reasons-why-prioritizing-web-accessibility-is-good-for-your-business/&quot; title=&quot;5 Reasons Why Prioritizing Web Accessibility is Good for Your Business&quot;&gt;5 Reasons Why Prioritizing Web Accessibility is Good for Your Business&lt;/a&gt;”; incorporating accessibility at the start of a development or redesign process is significantly easier and less expensive than making improvements to existing content later, as a separate project. Don’t believe me? As noted in the W3C’s “&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/business-case/&quot; title=&quot;The Business Case for Digital Accessibility&quot;&gt;Business Case for Accessibility&lt;/a&gt;,” Microsoft commissioned a Forrester Research Economic Impact Study,“ which found that implementing accessible web design minimizes the rate at which users abandon websites. This “results in an estimated additional &lt;strong&gt;$2.4 million&lt;/strong&gt; in annual revenue for Microsoft.” Simply put, the more people that stay on your website, the more money you make.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Personally, I found the study fascinating, but admittedly, accessibility is my passion. One of the things I hope people pull from my rambling, also supported by the Forrester Study, is that creating accessible information from the start can and does cut down on frustration and time for the author of any given content. For those of us who administer programs, this means we will have less: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;work to redo. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;back and forth between customers because they filled out a form wrong. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;time on the phone trying to explain how to get somewhere on a website. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We will have a whole lot more time for other tasks if we made sure our designs and structures are clear and easy to understand for the end user.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Define Accessible Content&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What is “accessible content” you ask? I often tell co-workers accessible content means it’s POUR content. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;P = Perceivable &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;O = Operable &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;U = Understandable &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;R = Robust.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Simply put this means the majority of your audience is able to: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;perceive all information presented, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;operate all functions, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;understand not only the information presented but how to navigate it&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;and they can count on it working with assistive technology. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Now, I get that this whole idea can be extremely overwhelming, especially for those who are just learning to use various applications. Accessible templates, &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/electronic-documents/&quot; title=&quot;Accessible Electronic Documents page with quick cards&quot;&gt;quick cards&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/&quot; title=&quot;Accessible Word Document Training&quot;&gt;learning modules&lt;/a&gt; can all help. (Psssst…there are department-branded, accessible templates for Minnesota state employees. Not sure where they are? Ask your digital accessibility coordinator or IT staff)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Improve Communication with Your Audience&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;OK, now we know what accessible content is. Who are we creating it for?  Well, for starters, there are those with visible disabilities (i.e. people who use wheelchairs, those who are blind, people on crutches). But, consider these life situations where accessible content can be beneficial for: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A person who wears glasses, or is experiencing vision changes that sometimes come with age, trying to read the very small, very light colored text on a website.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Parents who are multitasking, holding a child while trying to get information about an appointment from their smartphone. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Someone who was injured in a car accident, has a broken leg and a concussion, and needs to apply online for temporary assistance.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A recent immigrant to the United States who understands only basic English, and is trying to find the nearest grocery store. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The answer to all these situations is that accessibility benefits ALL of these people. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Who does it benefit &lt;strong&gt;the most?&lt;/strong&gt; Let’s break it down! I’m going to use data for the United States, since that’s where I’m located.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;According to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/POP010220&quot; title=&quot;2020 Census QuickFacts&quot;&gt;2020 Census,&lt;/a&gt; the population of the United States is 331,449,281 people. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/admin/demography/data-by-topic/health-disability/&quot; title=&quot;Data by Topic: Health and Disability&quot;&gt;Over 595,000 Minnesotans&lt;/a&gt; report a disability (over 10%)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/admin/demography/data-by-topic/immigration-language/&quot; title=&quot;Data by Topic: Immigration and Language&quot;&gt;11.7% of Minnesotans (age 5+)&lt;/a&gt; spoke a language other than English at home.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I haven’t even begun to list populations that have multiple disabilities, or have disabilities and have recently immigrated, or the various types of disabilities, or…well, I think you get the idea. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The fact is that accessibility benefits us all and it doesn’t just affect “that one person” in the department.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Besides, if it wasn’t for “that one person” in a wheelchair who needed an elevator to get to the upper floors, we’d all still be taking the stairs. If it wasn’t for “that other person” who needed text to voice capabilities none of us would be able to order anything from Alexa or ask Siri about the latest knock-knock joke. We all benefit from digital accessibility. It is personal, but for some, it is essential.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243); padding: 20px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>512643</id><pubdate>2022-06-01T18:31:05Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>Some of our coordinators created this list of accessibility webinars to share with you. Just getting started in your accessibility journey? Maybe you don’t have a budget? Looking for topics? You will find there are plenty of opportunities to select from or enjoy them all.</Description><Audience/><Title>Webinars our coordinators recommend</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>webinar</Subject><Subject>learning</Subject><Subject>design</Subject><Subject>wcag</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Webinars our coordinators recommend</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText/></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/webinars-blog_tcm38-509035.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText> Laptop on fall leaves with coffee mug.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/webinars-blog-thumb_tcm38-509034.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2021-11 - Webinars our coordinators recommend</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-509012&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2021-11-16T21:35:21Z</Date><ShortDescription>Some of our coordinators created this list of accessibility webinars to share with you. Just getting started in your accessibility journey? Maybe you don’t have a budget? Looking for topics? You will find there are plenty of opportunities to select from or enjoy them all.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Plenty of accessibility webinars to go around</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Lea Dooley, MNIT Partnering with Human Services and MNsure
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some of our coordinators created this list of accessibility webinars to share with you. Just getting started in your accessibility journey? Maybe you don’t have a budget? Looking for topics? You will find there are plenty of opportunities to select from or enjoy them all.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Inclusive design &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;No matter what your role is, designer, developer, project manager, accessibility, there is something for everyone in this year’s Inclusive Design 24 (ID24). This event is a free 24-hour virtual event celebrating inclusive design, accessibility, user experience (UX) design and more. You can find more details in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://inclusivedesign24.org/2021/schedule/&quot;&gt;full schedule&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The recordings are available with closed captioning. Here are a few of my favorites:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y35jmpS8lQM&amp;amp;list=PLn7dsvRdQEfFoUIFxtSsp8PjHm-glki1Z&quot;&gt;Annotating designs for Accessibility (Video)&lt;/a&gt; by Claire Webber and Sarah Pulis&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlOAwm-YR0A&amp;amp;list=PLn7dsvRdQEfFoUIFxtSsp8PjHm-glki1Z&quot;&gt;How Project Management Empowers Accessibility (Video)&lt;/a&gt; by Donna Bungard&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSnT1PIh6AM&amp;amp;list=PLn7dsvRdQEfFoUIFxtSsp8PjHm-glki1Z&quot;&gt;Using the WebAIM Million and User Surveys to Inform Your Inclusion Efforts (Video)&lt;/a&gt; by Jared Smith &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8SOGSgqoxM&amp;amp;list=PLn7dsvRdQEfFoUIFxtSsp8PjHm-glki1Z&quot;&gt;Your brain is welcome here (Video)&lt;/a&gt; by Glenda Sims and Jennie Delisi &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQQGIMp0gwo&amp;amp;list=PLn7dsvRdQEfFoUIFxtSsp8PjHm-glki1Z&quot;&gt;Accessible SVG Masterclass (Video)&lt;/a&gt; by Carie Fisher &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;From Lea Dooley, digital accessibility coordinator with Shared Services and Enterprise Architecture, Minnesota IT Services Partnering with Human Services and MNsure
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The next generation of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I would highly recommend &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.accessibilityonline.org/cioc-508/session/?id=110939&quot;&gt;New approaches to web accessibility requirements under WCAG3&lt;/a&gt; that the Great Lakes ADA Center hosted on July 27, 2021. I found this webinar to be very clear about what to expect under WCAG3, as well as the thinking and process behind developing WCAG3. The webinar also includes information and history for other versions of WCAG, as well information on how to participate in the process.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;From Anna Moorjani, Minnesota Senate Information Technology Office&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Web design &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I find the user experience angle helps me to explain why accessibility is so important when developing digital content. In the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnngroup.us4.list-manage.com%2Ftrack%2Fclick%3Fu%3D538d934a891681a5d850bb4e5%26id%3D870f5bdb23%26e%3D1b2c08526b&amp;amp;data=04%7C01%7Cjennie.delisi%40state.mn.us%7Cdbb460c69a2c4b42651b08d99e031f83%7Ceb14b04624c445198f26b89c2159828c%7C0%7C0%7C637714558508186725%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;amp;sdata=Pty6oq9LnxT24bxNDjp099DnlJ3GIG5ZlHRgcBT%2FEw4%3D&amp;amp;reserved=0&quot;&gt;Top 10 Web-Design Mistakes of 2021&lt;/a&gt; video, Jakob Nielsen condemns 10 awful design flaws that plague today&apos;s websites, as voted by the audience at his Virtual UX Conference keynote. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;From a digital accessibility coordinator&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Non-profit organizations&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here are two organizations with webinars that might not yet be listed. I have attended several events from both organizations.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hearingloss.org%2Fprograms-events%2Fwebinars%2Fschedule-recordings%2F&amp;amp;data=04%7C01%7Cjennie.delisi%40state.mn.us%7Cba126790131048ccdc8f08d99d4049f6%7Ceb14b04624c445198f26b89c2159828c%7C0%7C0%7C637713721701461336%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;amp;sdata=j23CLUdCiIeNe7HZM3ylOgEpfMV9qwuoiezx7SGbuqE%3D&amp;amp;reserved=0&quot;&gt;Hearing Loss Association of America&lt;/a&gt; - includes webinar schedules and recordings&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.minnesotanonprofits.org%2Fevents%2Fvirtual-learning&amp;amp;data=04%7C01%7Cjennie.delisi%40state.mn.us%7Cba126790131048ccdc8f08d99d4049f6%7Ceb14b04624c445198f26b89c2159828c%7C0%7C0%7C637713721701471284%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;amp;sdata=QDotswN1e7J%2BB%2FdBoXXC4p8m84wMmjG7DbyYPW6cnzw%3D&amp;amp;reserved=0&quot;&gt;Minnesota Council of Nonprofits&lt;/a&gt; - virtual learning. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;From Anne Sittner Anderson, Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind &amp;amp; Hard of Hearing &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessible presentations with Powerpoint &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This webinar is from about 2 years ago, but it’s one I recently watched. MSFTEnable – &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&amp;amp;v=BpknXXJV1ZU&quot;&gt;Accessibility Learning Webinar Series: Present More Inclusively with PowerPoint (Video)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The last time I made a PowerPoint, the “design ideas panel” popped up. I didn’t want to pick any of those designs because I didn’t want to have to remediate them. I found it interesting that the webinar stated that the design suggestions in the “design ideas panel” should already be accessible.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I also appreciated that they walked us through many different examples in the accessibility checker. The ability to add a hidden title to a slide straight from the accessibility checker was very useful. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I would have liked to hear more about the difference between content placeholders and text boxes for accessibility. A lot of previous documentation about PowerPoint insists on the use of content placeholders. This is because some assistive technologies may overlook text boxes. They didn’t address this in the webinar so now I wonder if that’s still the case.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I’m hoping to try out the Accessibility Insights software, Presenter Coach, or live captions &amp;amp; subtitles features someday soon!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;From Elaine Settergren, Reference Librarian and Digital Accessibility Coordinator at the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Gratitude and thanks &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In this season of Thanksgiving, I’d like to express gratitude and thanks to: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;state of Minnesota digital accessibility coordinators
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;presenters and organizations who make these webinars available for everyone working to make digital information more inclusive.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season.
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>509012</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2021-11-18T16:13:56Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>SharePoint sites provide a lot of value, from helping people quickly complete tasks to providing access to frequently used resources. This article details steps you can take to create a useful site and be digitally inclusive.</Description><Audience/><Title>Collaborate with your Entire Community</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessible</Subject><Subject>SharePoint</Subject><Subject>Modern Pages</Subject><Subject>design</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Collaborate with your Entire Community</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText/></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/sharepoint-article-blog_tcm38-508991.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>View of computer screen displaying Office of Accessibility SharePoint site</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/sharepoint-article-blog-thumb_tcm38-508990.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2021-11 - Collaborate with your Entire Community</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-508955&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2021-11-16T17:35:21Z</Date><ShortDescription>SharePoint sites provide a lot of value, from helping people quickly complete tasks to providing access to frequently used resources. This article details steps you can take to create a useful site and be digitally inclusive.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Creating More Accessible SharePoint Sites</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Jennie Delisi, Office of Accessibility
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You may be using a SharePoint site to help your team:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Track project status.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Organize shared content.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provide a roadmap for your team about where to find project assets and websites.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A great goal for your SharePoint site is to help your site visitors:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Complete tasks more quickly. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Connect them to frequently used resources. (&lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/plan-your-sharepoint-communication-site-35d9adfe-d5cc-462f-a63a-bae7f2529182&quot;&gt;Plan your SharePoint communication site&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Can you do this and be digitally inclusive?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Answer questions, then plan&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It may surprise you to find out that achieving your site goals can also create a more digitally inclusive space. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You begin by answering some questions about the site:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Who will use it?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What will they want to do there?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Do you want this to be accessible to all your visitors?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How will you know it is achieving the goals?
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/plan-your-sharepoint-communication-site-35d9adfe-d5cc-462f-a63a-bae7f2529182&quot;&gt;Plan your SharePoint communication site&lt;/a&gt; has great tips for those starting a new site, or those who want to revisit and improve a site they already have. When you plan the layout and content, here are some tips to help you create with accessibility in mind.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Add colors with good contrast&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Color can be really helpful on a SharePoint site. Color:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Helps people find content.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Adds sensory input - keeps some people engaged.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some of your site visitors may not be able to perceive color. Others may need to view your page in different ways.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use good color contrast for headings, text, and other features when compared to their backgrounds.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Don&apos;t use color alone - make sure that if people view the page in black and white they can still understand the content. While not how most people will view the content, it is an easy test to help ensure color is not the only way you are communicating information.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Make it easy to know what to do here&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Too many things on the page will make it difficult for some people to find what they need. Others may find a cluttered page overwhelming. Both groups may find other ways to get to the information instead of using this page. That may prevent them from accessing the latest information you are sharing.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A few steps can help people more quickly find what they need:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Plan the main tasks for the page.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Write headings that help people know what is in each section.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use the heading structures built into the tool.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use quality graphics that don’t blur when magnified&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Many people use magnification these days for a variety of reasons:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Using a smaller device.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Multiple open windows.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Because of their vision.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;While digital fonts generally magnify well when zooming in, images depend on the quality of the picture or icon used. Select images considering the needs of those that will zoom in:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Load good quality graphics.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Test when loading your image (CTRL + Plus, CTRL + mouse scroll) to 200%. Is everything clear? &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Be modern: Say goodbye to older interfaces&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Microsoft has been working to build more accessibility into SharePoint. Older interfaces may not support navigation as well for people using assistive technologies. They do not include some important accessibility improvements built into the more modern interface features.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And it may be hard to tell which version you have. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Whenever possible choose to use modern interfaces.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If you are not sure which interface you are using on your site, connect with your SharePoint administrator.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Boost the clickability of your links&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Everybody uses links. Your goals should include using text that describes what they will do:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Make it easier for people to find them on the page.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Help people pick the correct one to use.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Make it easier for people using assistive technologies.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A plain URL link when sharing information in a digital space is a throwback to 1999!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some tips:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use phrases that include the title of the destination.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Include (PDF) or (Video) at the end of the link if going somewhere other than a webpage.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Think about how they would read if you had a list of just the links on that page. Would you know where each one goes? For examples and more information about link best practices read our article &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/?id=38-326600&quot;&gt;Descriptive Hyperlinks for All&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Describe Your Graphics&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Ensure everyone gets the message. You are using those graphics to communicate. For those who cannot see the page, or need the information in text, add concise and descriptive alternative text. When using complex graphics (like busy charts), in addition to the alternative text:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provide more details elsewhere on the page. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ensure all users can find these details.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Names Matter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The name of your site, your pages, your documents - each helps people find what they need. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Remember: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Your page title is displayed in the browser tab. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;People using screen readers hear the page title when a page loads, and again when they are navigating between open windows. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Descriptive document titles and document names help people find things quicker in a document library.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;When linking to a document or other page, having descriptive and concise page and document titles helps. The link text will help people confirm they went to the right place. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/ooa-site_tcm38-509004.png&quot; title=&quot;Screenshot of Office of Accessibility Document Library. This is a modern document library. Word document name: Step by Step How to Create An Accessible Document in InDesign.docx.&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of Office of Accessibility Document Library. This is a modern document library. Word document name: Step by Step How to Create An Accessible Document in InDesign.docx.&quot; style=&quot;width: 87%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;ooa-site&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Test While You Design &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When updating a SharePoint site you may encounter older pages and components. Also, you may want to experiment. Just take care to not break the built-in accessibility. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As you design and select your layout: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use your tab key to move between interactive elements, then use the standard keystrokes to operate them. Is each link, button, menu, form control easy to get to and operate? WebAIM’s article &lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/techniques/keyboard/#testing&quot;&gt;Keyboard Accessibility&lt;/a&gt; has a section called Keyboard Testing. This is a great reference when doing these quick checks. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use a tool like the &lt;a href=&quot;https://wave.webaim.org/extension/&quot;&gt;WebAIM WAVE browser extensions&lt;/a&gt; to test the accessibility of: 
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Lists.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tables. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Content. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some SharePoint interfaces have systems in place that automatically assign heading levels of some text on the page. An example: the name of the page is sometimes coded as a first level heading (H1). Some of the interfaces take all headings in the content area and demote them one level. This makes the H1 you styled become an H2, the H2 become an H3. You may not realize this unless you test. Using a tool like WAVE will help you run a quick test to ensure the structure you want to communicate is shared as you intend. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Improve the digital accessibility of your site &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Planning, then designing and testing is a great way to begin improving digital inclusion. If digital accessibility is a new skill for you, welcome! &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some places to start: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Meet the digital accessibility professional(s) at your organization. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ask your training coordinator what is available to help you learn more. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Subscribe to our newsletter if you have not already. Each month we list webinars and other training opportunities to help you learn more.
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>508955</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2021-11-18T16:14:00Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><DublinCore><Description>Learn more about “Powered by Inclusion”, a phrase in the 2021 National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) campaign. </Description><Audience/><Title>Minnesota Embraces the 2021 National Disability Employment Awareness Month Theme</Title><Publisher/><Subject>state technology</Subject><Subject>digital government</Subject><Subject>NDEAM</Subject><Subject>Pandemic</Subject><Subject>covid19</Subject><Subject>employment</Subject><Subject>disabilities</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><DateOther>2021-10-27T21:06:59Z</DateOther><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Digital Government</Title><Id>232500</Id><Key/></Category><Category><Description/><Title>Technology</Title><Id>343556</Id><Key/></Category><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Category><Description/><Title>For Government</Title><Id>432439</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Minnesota Embraces the 2021 National Disability Employment Awareness Month Theme</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>People standing over map of the United States - America&apos;s Recovery Powered By Inclusion</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/ndeam-blog_tcm38-502933.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>People standing over map of the United States - America&apos;s Recovery Powered By Inclusion</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/ndeam-blog-thumb_tcm38-502932.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2021-10 - Minnesota Embraces the 2021 National Disability Employment Awareness Month Themes</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-502918&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2021-10-27T21:07:23Z</Date><ShortDescription>Learn more about “Powered by Inclusion”, a phrase in the 2021 National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) campaign. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>Steps Organizations Can Take to Improve Inclusion</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;By: Jennie Delisi, Office of Accessibility&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Each of us values different types of diversity in our personal lives. You may:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Eat a diet rich in different vitamins and nutrients.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Get quotes from several contractors before beginning large house projects.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Invest in different savings and retirement options.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Why? You want the benefit of the unique properties each option can bring. You find it helpful to get a variety of perspectives and experiences.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Powered by Inclusion” is a phrase in the 2021 National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) campaign. Can the country power the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic with inclusion? State of Minnesota agencies are living this mission and experiencing the benefits. This month we asked digital accessibility coordinators to reflect on the NDEAM theme.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“How is your agency ensuring that people with disabilities have full access to employment and community involvement during the national recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic?”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Rosie Widell, Digital Accessibility Coordinator, Department of Corrections&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Department of Corrections (DOC) has chosen to be more person-centered. To that end, we have created an Accessibility site for all staff. It has many resources, including information on how to make documents accessible for people with disabilities, whether it’s for:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;People living in our facilities.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Their family or friends.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Staff members.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In addition, the Department of Corrections has realized the importance of having a person actively dedicated to digital accessibility across the agency. This is a positive change that speaks well of the agency’s future growth.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Rebecca Oestreich, Electronic Information Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources revamped its &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/careers/index.html&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;careers webpage&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt; in December 2020 to showcase our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. It specifically calls out our commitment to recruiting, hiring, and retaining people with disabilities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Becky Bernauer, Digital Accessibility and Web Coordinator, Minnesota IT Services Partnering with Minnesota Department of Health&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;At Minnesota IT Services partnering with the Department of Health, I am reviewing new COVID-19 applications for accessibility. I work with the developers to find and fix accessibility issues prior to releasing the application. In emergency situations, we fix as much as possible in the allocated timeframe. We then continue to make accessibility improvements as soon as possible after deployment.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I work with the Office of Accessibility on some of the products/applications purchased at the state level. We complete accessibility testing and share results with the vendor. For these projects, I:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Connect with the vendor for consultation as needed.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Help prioritize identified accessibility issues.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Assist by providing resources and ideas for correcting the remaining accessibility issues.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Guthrie J. Byard, ADA &amp;amp; Title VI Administrator, Metropolitan Council&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;span&gt;The Metropolitan Council is ensuring that people with disabilities have full access to employment and community involvement during the national recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic by: &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Conducting user and accessibility audits of its websites. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Requiring document accessibility training for staff.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Improving virtual access to Council meetings. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Initiating an internship focused on improving employment among persons with disabilities. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Lolly Lijewski, Digital Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota Department of Human Services&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As the digital accessibility coordinator for DHS, I work closely with: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Project teams.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The MNIT at DHS accessibility coordinator.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The MNIT Office of Accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This ensures the people we serve and our employees have access to our content and systems. Digital content is how DHS communicates about programs and services it offers. If the people we serve and DHS employees cannot access its content and systems, we fail at our mission. During the pandemic we kept digital accessibility front and center, including:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;DHS and MNIT DHS employees worked together to test the accessibility of Microsoft Teams and roll it out to the agency as a collaboration tool.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The DHS and MNIT DHS accessibility coordinators tested the accessibility and usability of the Everbridge Emergency Notification system with DHS’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing employees.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The DHS central web team ensured the DHS web site content was accessible as policies, programs and services changed rapidly.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility Resources&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Want to power your organization with inclusion? The Office of Accessibility has resources that can help.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul type=&quot;disc&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Our free &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/&quot;&gt;Accessible Word Document Training&lt;/a&gt; helps people learn digital accessibility basics.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Improve the accessibility of your online meetings. Review the information and videos provided in &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-485786&quot;&gt;Accessible Meetings for All.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Share HTML accessibility blog articles with your developers.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/376674&quot;&gt;Buttons vs. Links&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/469250&quot;&gt;High Contrast Mode and Dark Theme Accessibility Testing&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/454016&quot;&gt;HTML Accessibility Learning Ideas from State Employees&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And, subscribe to our newsletter! We share ways for your organization to improve access to employment and community involvement.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px; background-color:rgb(236, 239, 243)&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>502918</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2021-10-27T21:08:24Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><DublinCore><Description>Minnesota Management and Budget recently completed a successful upgrade of two enterprise systems. Learn how accessibility was included in the project throughout the project life cycle.</Description><Audience/><Title>Minnesota Management and Budget Upgrades Applications</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessible</Subject><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>application upgrade</Subject><Subject>enterprise system</Subject><Subject>project life cycle</Subject><Subject>project planning</Subject><Subject>testing</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Category><Description/><Title>For Government</Title><Id>432439</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Minnesota Management and Budget Upgrades Applications</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Two web pages displayed vertically: My Learning, Self Service.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/self-service-elm-upgrade-blog_tcm38-502936.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Two web pages displayed vertically: My Learning, Self Service.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/self-service-elm-upgrade-blog-thumb_tcm38-502937.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2021-10 - Minnesota Management and Budget Upgrades Applications</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-506417&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2021-10-27T20:05:38Z</Date><ShortDescription>Minnesota Management and Budget recently completed a successful upgrade of two enterprise systems. Learn how accessibility was included in the project throughout the project life cycle.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Accessibility Key Component of Project Plan</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;By &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;Dai Green, Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) Partnering with Minnesota Management and Budget&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What was upgraded and why?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) recently completed a successful upgrade of two enterprise systems: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Statewide Employee Management Application (SEMA4) – covering payroll, human resources, and benefits.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Enterprise Learning Management (ELM) systems from Oracle People Tools 8.54 to 8.57. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This upgrade project also included the application of newer Oracle PeopleSoft Upgrade Manager (PUM) images for each application. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;These applications came into use in 2011 and were beginning to show their age. Also, an upgrade was essential to support desired system enhancements. The refreshed look gives an enhanced user experience for all users. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;MMB and Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) consciously used lessons learned from recent past projects to bring accessibility into the planning and design process from the beginning. The project significantly upgrades complex systems, and relied on: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A detailed roadmap. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;End-user input. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A vendor specializing in accessibility.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Level of effort to bring the project to completion&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Upgrading the SEMA4 and ELM applications took 20 months. Project kick off began in January 2020 and we completed a successful upgrade in September 2021. More than 50 people across nine teams from MMB and MNIT participated. There were 10 testing cycles and more than 4000 functional test scripts. In addition, we logged 385 accessibility issues. Each was categorized by severity.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Working with an accessibility testing service vendor&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We partnered with an accessibility vendor to augment our own accessibility Quality Assurance (QA) test staff. The SEMA4/ELM Project followed the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot; title=&quot;state of Minnesota accessibility standard webpage&quot;&gt;state of Minnesota accessibility standard&lt;/a&gt; which incorporates WCAG 2.0 AA and Section 508. We completed comprehensive testing on a large scale in a short amount of time. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The vendor provided a broad perspective from a diverse array of testers. Test methodologies included code examination, and testers who utilize assistive technology and devices. This allowed the MNIT MMB staff to: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Review any issues found. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Organize the issues into a system that contained a set of predefined criteria for determining the severity of an issue.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Begin immediate remediation of critical issues. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Business team leads and the test vendor used an accessibility issue prioritization and criticality metric. This helped MNIT QA to prioritize, document, and manage defects. The business stakeholders and developers reviewed all defects with the QA team, ensured accessibility standards were met, and determined the critical issues. Additional accessibility subject matter experts conducted thorough testing, so MNIT QA staff could focus on identified issues as efficiently and quickly as possible. In addition to vendor testing, the state also evaluated end user experiences by having end users collaborate in the testing process. This key driver ensured accessibility standards were met, and determined the criticality of identified issues that needed to be fixed before the go-live. Usability and accessibility of applications are a prime directive of the state of Minnesota. Working with an accessibility vendor allowed us to rapidly test a large application to meet our project goals and project timeline.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The goal: all users can complete an essential business process 100% of the time. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Looking forward – inroads to future management&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;All too often, document and application accessibility is an afterthought in the software development lifecycle. This is also true for the testing of these items. The state of Minnesota takes an active approach to include accessibility in the design process, following usability-by-design concepts.  Staff are committed to the iterative process of producing and maintaining accessible applications and content. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Maintaining accessible applications needs to be a living process that involves vigilant review of accessibility features, and compatibility of our applications with assistive technology. Projects have definitive start and end dates. This can cause issues to fall through the cracks. Accessible application development requires a commitment to ongoing testing from release management and upgrades, to technology evolution. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Comments from our leadership &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Reviewing systems for accessibility is a process that continues even after a project is complete. Accessibility should be examined when updates to technology and business enhancements change the end user experience.… Accessible systems improve the end user experience for all.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;- Laurie Hansen, MMB Finance Services Director&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Accessibility is very important to us at MMB and at MNIT. This is why we’ve made a concerted effort to enhance and grow our capabilities to test and validate our statewide systems’ ability to be used effectively by everyone.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;- G. Bruce Yurich, MNIT Chief Business Technology Officer&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
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&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>506417</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2021-10-27T21:08:24Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>Anyone who creates documents or uses graphic design software has probably encountered a typographic feature called ligatures. This article examines how ligatures can impact accessibility and what to do about it.</Description><Audience/><Title>Ligatures: Benefits and Pitfalls</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessible</Subject><Subject>InDesign</Subject><Subject>Illustrator</Subject><Subject>design</Subject><Subject>ligatures</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Ligatures: Benefits and Pitfalls</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Lowercase letters F i (not touching), arrow pointing to lowercase letters f i with horizontal bar of f touching top of the i.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/ligatures-blog_tcm38-500817.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Lowercase letters f and i with horizontal stroke of f touching top of the i.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/ligatures-blog-thumb_tcm38-500813.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2021-09 - Ligatures: Benefits and Pitfalls</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-497550&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2021-09-29T20:35:21Z</Date><ShortDescription>Anyone who creates documents or uses graphic design software has probably encountered a typographic feature called ligatures. This article examines how ligatures can impact accessibility and what to do about it.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Accessibility Considerations for Designing with Ligatures in InDesign and Illustrator</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Jeremy DePew, Senior Designer at Minnesota IT Services&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Anyone who creates documents or uses graphic design software has probably encountered a typographic feature called ligatures. A common feature in OpenType fonts, ligatures are replacement characters for certain letter pairs, such as fi, fl, ff, ffi, ffl, etc. They can improve the appearance of characters that have features that visually collide when used next to each other. In the example above, the letters “f” and “i” display as distinctly separate characters (left), as well as in ligature form (right). &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In the example where the characters are distinctly separate, the dot of the letter “i” awkwardly bumps into the ascender (top) of the letter “f.” In the ligature example:
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;the two letters have joined crossbars,&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;the dot of the “i” is missing, and &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt; the ascender of the letter “f” travels over the letter “i.” &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You may not consciously think about ligatures as you type, since you can select characters individually and spell checkers don’t flag them as misspellings. However, there are some accessibility considerations that you should think about when you use them as you design documents, graphics, or websites. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This article will give a high-level overview of problems ligatures can cause, as well as provide some workarounds for solving those issues. These observations and suggestions are for Adobe InDesign and Adobe Illustrator, two common applications used by graphic designers.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Less character separation = less readability for some audiences&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When you increase the spacing between characters, many of us can more easily read content. We may be: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;in a hurry &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;reading on a small device &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;or trying to copy the letters into another application. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;But for some people, the spacing is essential. This includes people that have a disability that impacts reading, such as people with dyslexia and some individuals that have had strokes or brain injuries. Accuracy and speed of reading increases for these people when document authors and designers follow readability best practices. In his article &quot;&lt;a href=&quot;https://medium.com/the-readability-group/a-guide-to-understanding-what-makes-a-typeface-accessible-and-how-to-make-informed-decisions-9e5c0b9040a0&quot;&gt;A Guide to Understanding What Makes a Typeface Accessible&lt;/a&gt;,&quot;  Gareth Ford Williams includes:
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Letters should be easily distinguishable from one another.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ensure the typeface has adequate letter spacing.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;There should be a visible difference between capital height and ascenders.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Character encoding errors &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When you generate a PDF from InDesign or Illustrator for a document that uses ligatures, and then run an accessibility check on that PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro, you may run into a “character encoding – failed” error. The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/International/questions/qa-what-is-encoding&quot; title=&quot;Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C)&quot;&gt;Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C)&lt;/a&gt; describes character encoding as “a set of mappings between the bytes in the computer and the characters in the character set.” There are &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/International/articles/definitions-characters/&quot; title=&quot;many different encoding types&quot;&gt;many different encoding types.&lt;/a&gt; The failure of a glyph (graphical depiction of a character) to map correctly could cause individual font glyphs to be displayed incorrectly or not at all in documents (discussed in &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.pdfa.org/wp-content/until2016_uploads/2011/08/PDFA-in-a-Nutshell_1b.pdf&quot; title=&quot;PDF/A in a Nutshell (PDF)&quot;&gt;PDF/A in a Nutshell - PDF&lt;/a&gt;). It could also potentially impact the ability of assistive technology to read or pronounce words correctly, even if they are visually present. For example, I saved a test PDF document from Illustrator containing three different words with ligatures. A JAWS screen reader (version 2021.2107.12) read: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Coee (should have been “coffee,” but ff was a ligature) &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;t (should have been “fit,” but fi was a ligature) &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;avor (should have been “flavor,” but fl was a ligature) &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In the testing I performed, PDFs containing ligatures generated from Adobe Illustrator consistently had character encoding errors.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/encoding-error-illustrator_tcm38-500816.png&quot; title=&quot;Acrobat accessibility checker flagging a character encoding - failed error in a PDF. Content highlighted is 2 letter fs that visually appear joined together.&quot; alt=&quot;Acrobat accessibility checker flagging a character encoding - failed error in a PDF. Content highlighted is 2 letter fs that visually appear joined together.&quot; style=&quot;width: 69%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;encoding-error-illustrator&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Figure 1 - Acrobat accessibility checker flagging a “character encoding – failed” error in a PDF exported from Illustrator.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Older versions of InDesign also caused this error in PDFs, though it wasn’t present in the most recent version of InDesign I tested with, version 16.3 x64.
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/character-encoding-passed-InDesign_tcm38-500815.png&quot; title=&quot;Acrobat accessibility checker passing character encoding. Content contains letter combinations of 2 ffs, fi, and fl that visually appear joined together.&quot; alt=&quot;Acrobat accessibility checker passing character encoding. Content contains letter combinations of 2 ffs, fi, and fl that visually appear joined together.&quot; style=&quot;width: 66%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;character-encoding-passed-InDesign&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Figure 2 - Acrobat accessibility checker showing that character encoding passed in a PDF exported from InDesign version 16.3 x64.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you’re having trouble with ligatures&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you’re having trouble with character encoding issues in PDFs, or want to better support readers who need greater character separation, you can choose to turn the ligatures off. Your characters will then appear as individual letterforms and use the default kerning information (space between individual letters) that is built into the font.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You can easily remove the ligatures from selected text or entire text boxes. You can also define ligature activation through your styles. However, there is no apparent way to globally disable ligatures in Adobe Creative Cloud applications (such as through a setting in &lt;strong&gt;Preferences &amp;gt; Type&lt;/strong&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How to turn off ligatures in Adobe InDesign&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Open the &lt;strong&gt;Character&lt;/strong&gt; panel by going to &lt;strong&gt;Window &amp;gt; Type &amp;gt; Character.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Open the panel menu and select &lt;strong&gt;Ligatures&lt;/strong&gt; to activate or deactivate them.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If you turn ligatures off with no text or frame selected, you are turning off ligatures for any subsequent text items you create within this document. Note: ligatures will be enabled by default the next time you create a new document.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/turn-off-InDesign_tcm38-500831.png&quot; title=&quot;Character panel flyout menu showing ligatures menu item with check mark.&quot; alt=&quot;Character panel flyout menu showing ligatures menu item with check mark.&quot; style=&quot;width: 61%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;turn-off-InDesign&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Disabling ligatures using InDesign styles&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;You can turn off ligatures in your paragraph and character styles.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Find this setting under the &quot;Basic character formats&quot; tab.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/paragraph-styles_tcm38-500829.png&quot; title=&quot;New Paragraph Style menu in Adobe InDesign showing Ligatures option checked in Basic Character Formats tab Turn ligatures off in Illustrator.&quot; alt=&quot;New Paragraph Style menu in Adobe InDesign showing Ligatures option checked in Basic Character Formats tab Turn ligatures off in Illustrator.&quot; style=&quot;width: 91%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;paragraph-styles&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Turn ligatures off in Illustrator&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Access the &lt;strong&gt;OpenType&lt;/strong&gt; panel by going to &lt;strong&gt;Window &amp;gt; Type &amp;gt; OpenType. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;On this panel, the first menu item activates &lt;strong&gt;Standard Ligatures&lt;/strong&gt;, while the third button activates &lt;strong&gt;Discretionary Ligatures&lt;/strong&gt;. This article only deals with the more common standard ligatures.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;div xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/turn-off-illustrator_tcm38-500830.png&quot; title=&quot;OpenType panel flyout menu in Adobe Illustrator showing check mark next to Standard Ligatures.&quot; alt=&quot;OpenType panel flyout menu in Adobe Illustrator showing check mark next to Standard Ligatures.&quot; style=&quot;width: 51%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;turn-off-illustrator&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;div xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div&gt;Though ligatures are pretty, there are accessibility considerations that a designer or document creator should be aware of with their use. Fortunately, those issues are easily solved through the workarounds described above.&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;Resources&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/formatting-characters.html&quot; title=&quot;Formatting characters - Adobe Help&quot;&gt;Formatting characters – Adobe Help&lt;/a&gt; (includes guidance on using ligatures)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-use-font-ligatures-in-indesign-photoshop-illustrator--cms-35554&quot; title=&quot;How to Use Font Ligatures in InDesign, Photoshop &amp;amp; Illustrator&quot;&gt;How to Use Font Ligatures in InDesign, Photoshop &amp;amp; Illustrator&lt;/a&gt; by Envatotuts+&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://medium.com/the-readability-group/a-guide-to-understanding-what-makes-a-typeface-accessible-and-how-to-make-informed-decisions-9e5c0b9040a0&quot; title=&quot;A Guide to Understanding What Makes a Typeface Accessible&quot;&gt;A Guide to Understanding What Makes a Typeface Accessible&lt;/a&gt; by Gareth Ford Williams&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_eIDgfHr9s&quot;&gt;Improve Access to Digital Spaces for those with Cognitive Disabilities session (video)&lt;/a&gt; – Glenda Sims and Jennie Delisi.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/presentation-Improve-Access-to-Digital-Spaces-for-Those-with-Cognitive-Disabilities-%28PDF%29_tcm38-500834.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Improve Access to Digital Spaces for Those with Cognitive Disabilities (PDF)&quot; xlink:title=&quot;presentation-Improve-Access-to-Digital-Spaces-for-Those-with-Cognitive-Disabilities-(PDF)&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;Improve Access to Digital Spaces for those with Cognitive Disabilities (handouts - PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>497550</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2021-09-29T20:32:05Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>On September 1, 2010, the State of Minnesota enacted a requirement that all executive branch agencies must follow a digital accessibility and usability standard. To celebrate this standard&apos;s anniversary, get caught up with the recordings and trainings from the 10th anniversary celebration event. </Description><Audience/><Title>A look back: How Minnesota celebrated the 10th anniversary of the digital accessibility standard</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>a11y</Subject><Subject>standard</Subject><Subject>anniversary</Subject><Subject>celebration</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>A Look Back</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>10 Years - Minnesota Digital Accessibility Standard, image of laptop keyboard.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/10-years-accessibility-standard-blog_tcm38-444146.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>10 years logo</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/10-years-accessibility-standard-blog-thumb_tcm38-444144.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2021-09 - How Minnesota celebrated the 10th anniversary of the digital accessibility standard</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-494922&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2021-09-01T17:21:41Z</Date><ShortDescription>On September 1, 2010, the State of Minnesota enacted a requirement that all executive branch agencies must follow a digital accessibility and usability standard. To celebrate this standard&apos;s anniversary, get caught up with the recordings and trainings from the 10th anniversary celebration event. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>How Minnesota celebrated the 10th anniversary of the digital accessibility standard</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;On September 1, 2010, the State of Minnesota required all executive branch agencies must follow a digital accessibility and usability standard. Learn more about &lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/index.jsp?id=38-450250&quot;&gt;how the standard impacts state employees&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In September 2020, Minnesota’s state agencies and Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) held a series of virtual events to celebrate progress ten years of the standard. The celebration events included trainings and panel discussions. Today, we celebrate the 11th anniversary of the standard by sharing &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-DiEzEfoN6yNbPO2QAYjyxkHWZObDNZV&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;recordings and trainings from the last year&apos;s event&lt;/a&gt;.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Panel discussion information and videos&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Looking Back: Challenges and successes of launching the new standard&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The panel discussion was moderated by the state of Minnesota’s Chief Inclusion Officer, Chris Taylor. Taylor interviewed Minnesota’s Chief Procurement Officer, Betsy Hayes, and Cook County’s Management Information Systems Director, Rena Rogers. Hayes and Rogers shared successes and valuable insights into the processes that made change possible.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/vj2ScfUP9YE?autoplay=0&amp;amp;rel=0&quot;&gt;Looking Back – panel discussion on YouTube&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/Looking-Back-Challenges-and-successes-of%20launching-the-new-standard-Transcript_tcm38-496295.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Looking-Back-Challenges-and-successes-of launching-the-new-standard-Transcript&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Looking-Back-Challenges-and-successes-of launching-the-new-standard-Transcript&quot;&gt;Looking Back transcript (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Looking Forward: How the standard is a key tool to help agencies drive inclusion&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Commissioner of the Minnesota IT Services, Tarek Tomes, moderated a second panel discussion. Commissioner Sarah Strommen of Minnesota&apos;s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Chief of Staff of the Minnesota Department of Human Services, Stacy Twite, joined Commissioner Tomes. They discussed how digital accessibility enables inclusive and effective government services.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/vChtSo5bK4w?autoplay=0&amp;amp;rel=0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Looking Forward – panel discussion on YouTube&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/Looking-Forward-How-the-standard-is-a-key-tool-to-help-agencies-drive-inclusion-Transcript_tcm38-496292.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Looking-Forward-How-the-standard-is-a-key-tool-to-help-agencies-drive-inclusion-Transcript&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Looking-Forward-How-the-standard-is-a-key-tool-to-help-agencies-drive-inclusion-Transcript&quot;&gt;Looking Forward transcript (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Training information and resources&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;PowerPoint Accessibility&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Learn how to make accessible PowerPoint slides and presentations. Jed Becher, Web Projects Coordinator for MNIT DNR, moderated the training. Presenters include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Elaine Settergren, Legislative Research Librarian and Digital Accessibility Coordinator&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Rebecca Oestreich, DNR Digital Accessibility Coordinator&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tamara Sawyer, Minnesota Management and Budget Digital Accessibility Coordinator&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/_hvbamBIopo?autoplay=0&amp;amp;rel=0&quot;&gt;PowerPoint Accessibility – training on YouTube&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/PowerPoint-Accessibility-Training-Transcript_tcm38-496293.pdf&quot; title=&quot;PowerPoint-Accessibility-Training-Transcript&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;PowerPoint-Accessibility-Training-Transcript&quot;&gt;PowerPoint Accessibility transcript (PDF&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Web Accessibility&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Jake Stark and John Watne led a training on web accessibility for developers. They explained how to use best practices to make web sites and applications more accessible. Stark is a Web Developer for MNIT Department of Education. Watne is a Java Developer for MNIT Department of Revenue.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/XsuMg82t3SA?autoplay=0&amp;amp;rel=0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Website Accessibility – training on YouTube&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/Web-Accessibility-Training-Transcript_tcm38-496294.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Web-Accessibility-Training-Transcript&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Web-Accessibility-Training-Transcript&quot;&gt;Web Accessibility transcript (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>494922</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><Tag><Description/><Title>Events</Title><Id>337918</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2021-09-01T19:35:40Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>To celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), Minnesota IT Services’ (MNIT) Office of Accessibility hosted a training event for accessible virtual meetings. The “Accessible Meetings for All” event shared best practices for organizing and running meetings that are inclusive for all.</Description><Audience/><Title>Recordings Available: Accessible Meetings for All</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Request for Proposal</Subject><Subject>RFP</Subject><Subject>tablet</Subject><Subject>corrections</Subject><Subject>product</Subject><Subject>accessible</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Category><Description/><Title>For Government</Title><Id>432439</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Plan, Design, Code with Color Themes in Mind</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>a button with the words Dark Theme</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/dark-theme-blog_tcm38-495085.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>image of a crescent moon against a dark background</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/dark-theme-blog-thumb_tcm38-495086.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2021-08 - Plan, Design, Code</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-495041&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2021-07-26T23:42:48Z</Date><ShortDescription>Business analysts, designers, developers, quality assurance professionals, and digital accessibility professionals can use the tips in this article to improve their project’s compatibility with high contrast modes and dark themes.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Supporting the use of High Contrast Mode and Dark Themes</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;By: David E. Miller, MNIT Department of Corrections, and Jennie Delisi, Office of Accessibility&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In February 2021 we published &lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/index.jsp?id=38-469250&quot;&gt;High Contrast Mode and Dark Theme Accessibility Testing&lt;/a&gt;, which discusses the relationship between dark mode and digital accessibility measurements of effective contrast. That article focused on testing. Testing, however, is the end of the story. 
&lt;br /&gt;
The story of creating accessible digital experiences begins with:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;project planning&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;business requirements&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;design&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;coding&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Business analysts, designers, developers, quality assurance professionals, and digital accessibility professionals can use the tips in this article to improve their project’s compatibility with high contrast modes and dark themes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We will focus on how to ensure that a content creator’s color scheme plays nicely with a user’s selected operating system (OS) and browser theme(s). It is specifically to guide planning, design, and testing to avoid contrast issues that occur only when the user has chosen a specific theme (as opposed to the default theme) like dark mode. It does not validate against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 success criteria related to color contrast, or using color alone.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Sometimes the line between true accessibility and usability by people with disabilities may feel blurred when a specific accessibility guideline does not resolve an issue. At this time, ensuring good color contrast when using high contrast themes in browsers is not a requirement of the &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/index.jsp&quot; title=&quot;Intro - Accessibility Policies &amp;amp; Standards&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessibility Policies &amp;amp; Standards&quot;&gt;State of Minnesota’s digital accessibility standard&lt;/a&gt;. However, it is a key component of usability. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;People with low vision, those with difficulty perceiving specific colors or color combinations, and those with migraines are just some of the individuals that may use different color themes when accessing your content. They all benefit when development teams follow these testing and design considerations.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This article assumes readers are comfortable with technical details regarding Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and CSS specificity rules. The resources section at the end provides some refresher material. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Before we begin, a few definitions&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As we prepared this article, we realized that it may help if we define a few terms we will use. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Scheme&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A scheme is a set of rules for how to display content. A scheme can be defined by the user, or by the creators of: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;an OS, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;a browser, or &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;content.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A “color scheme” means a designer’s choices of colors for displaying the web content. This is a type of scheme.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Operating System (OS) theme&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;At the time of publication, Windows 10 has multiple uses of the word “theme” in their settings. In this article operating system (OS) theme will be the same as the old term high contrast mode.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Theme&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Theme is an environmental scheme selected or defined by the user at the OS or browser level.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Specificity&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; According to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3schools.com/css/css_specificity.asp&quot;&gt;W3Schools page on CSS Specificity&lt;/a&gt;,&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“If there are two or more conflicting CSS rules that point to the same element, the browser follows some rules to determine which one is most specific and therefore wins out. Think of specificity as a score/rank that determines which style declarations are ultimately applied to an element.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use case: A heading which is also a hyperlink. The styling of your heading might clash or get merged with the styling of your hyperlink. If they both have different colors assigned, the specificity will decide which style applies.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Inline styles&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Inline styling” means using HTML’s style attribute to define how an object should look.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Example:  &amp;lt;div style=”font-color: black;”&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;This texts is &amp;lt;span style=”font-color: red;”&amp;gt;important!&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/div&amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Because of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3schools.com/css/css_specificity.asp&quot;&gt;CSS specificity rules&lt;/a&gt;, inline styling will always be applied. This sounds like heaven for designers, until it’s not. If a browser applies a dark background, and text has inline styling that sets the font-color to a dark color as well, all that text will be unreadable at best, or disappear completely.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tip 1: Plan and design a color scheme for a variety of themes&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You don&apos;t use your computer like you did in 2010. You access websites on your smart phone. You take your laptop outside where it is sunny. Your screen may adapt to changing light conditions in your room or time of day. People with disabilities also have more options for how they interact with digital information.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Planning and designing a color scheme for a variety of themes ensures more people can use the information.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Choose one of the following options:
&lt;ol&gt;
&lt;li&gt;design content with a single color scheme using styles that allow the OS or browser to override those colors, or&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;design both light and dark color schemes and use media queries (more on media queries in the resources section) to use the one that matches the user’s preference. Ensure your styles don&apos;t override those used by the browser or operating system.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Avoid using &quot;inline styles&quot; and the !important CSS rule:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;inline styles: They&apos;re the worst offender because they completely override stylesheets and themes.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;!important rule: Avoid using for foreground or background colors unless it&apos;s absolutely essential, and in that case define both, and make both !important.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Include business requirements that specify using good color contrast, that meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (or 2.1).
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If having multiple color schemes have requirements for each scheme. Example: link text color for dark scheme, link text color for light scheme.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If you choose to design both light and dark schemes:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Simplify the overall color scheme so you have less to manage in each scheme.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Define foreground and background colors for both schemes. Whenever you create a style that has a specific foreground color, also include a contrasting background color in that definition.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Identify key project roles to participate and budget time for wireframe reviews of each scheme by at least the:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;business analyst&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;graphic designer&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;digital accessibility specialist&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;web developer&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tip 2: Plan how you will use images&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For many projects, you may have to think more closely about how images will be used. For example, your project may discuss using a logo, but not exactly how you will use it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Plan for how you will use images in templates as well as images that might be a part of future content.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And, consider the different types of images:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Logos&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Icons&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Content images&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Generally, images have a subject and a background. The background color can be specified within the image itself, or it can be transparent. Transparent backgrounds allow whatever is behind that image to show through.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Images and background recommendations&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Option 1 – Use a single image&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/dark-light-theme-icons-same_tcm38-495084.png&quot; title=&quot;The &amp;quot;i&amp;quot; in a circle icon on dark and light backgrounds. The icon is dark blue in both images&quot; alt=&quot;The &amp;quot;i&amp;quot; in a circle icon on dark and light backgrounds. The icon is dark blue in both images&quot; style=&quot;width: 80%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;dark-light-theme-icons-same&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When using one image with more than one scheme, test it on both light and dark background colors.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Option 2 – Using different images for each color scheme&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/dark-light-theme-icons-different_tcm38-495083.png&quot; title=&quot;email icons in a circle against dark and light backgrounds. Icon on the dark background is white, icon on the light background is blue.&quot; alt=&quot;email icons in a circle against dark and light backgrounds. Icon on the dark background is white, icon on the light background is blue.&quot; style=&quot;width: 80%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;dark-light-theme-icons-different&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When designing separate images for each color scheme, use CSS to pull the correct image for the specific light or dark background color. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Test each image with its specific background color.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Transparent images &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Avoid transparent images to reduce the amount of troubleshooting you will need to complete. If you use transparent images, the appearance should be thoroughly checked against both light and dark backgrounds. Alternatively, design light and dark versions of an image and use CSS to load the appropriate one based on the user’s theme.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Example: if you are using transparent images, your image or some portions of your image may disappear into the background when users use a specific theme.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tip 3: Include info about themes in your “run book”&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As part of your project, you may prepare documentation about your project for other people who will update the content. Or your application may enable users to load their own content. Let the designers of content understand if there they need to adjust how to load images.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For example, a project team may make a website for users that has two different background colors. The website needs to display the appropriate image to go with each specific background. It may display the image that works with a light background when that is in use or display an image that works with the dark background. In order to do this, the project team member that is updating the content will need to know that they have to load two images – one for light mode and one for dark mode.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tip 4: Test&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Test the website design and how it displays with various OS and browser themes. Once you validate your design with the unit tests, you can perform system/site-wide tests using alternate themes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Don’t assume that users will use the OS default color scheme. You need to test with at least one high contrast theme. Many OS themes also enable the user to specify specific colors for interactive elements. If your code respects the selected OS theme, the user will be able to set this to match their need.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Primary tests&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&quot;Default” color theme (typically light)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;High contrast, white-on-black theme (dark)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Additional tests&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;OS high contrast, black-on-white theme (light)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Other OS-level, high contrast themes&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A “default” OS theme (light) with a dark browser theme&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Conclusion&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Users benefit when their experience is consistent, and they can tailor settings to their needs. The fewer settings they need to apply, the better. If you follow the suggestions from this article, hopefully you will build content that looks the way you want it to, and it can adjust based on each user’s needs. When you design for inclusion, everyone benefits.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;References/Resources&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/@media/prefers-color-scheme&quot;&gt;MDN Web Docs: prefers-color-scheme&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3schools.com/css/css_specificity.asp&quot;&gt;W3 Schools: CSS Specificity&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/blog/contrast-how-hard-can-it-be/&quot;&gt;WebAIM: Evaluating Color and Contrast - How hard can it be?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://css-tricks.com/a-complete-guide-to-dark-mode-on-the-web/&quot;&gt;CSS-Tricks: A Complete Guide to Dark Mode on the Web&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>495041</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2026-04-13T18:22:47Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>To celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), Minnesota IT Services’ (MNIT) Office of Accessibility hosted a training event for accessible virtual meetings. The “Accessible Meetings for All” event shared best practices for organizing and running meetings that are inclusive for all.</Description><Audience/><Title>Recordings Available: Accessible Meetings for All</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Request for Proposal</Subject><Subject>RFP</Subject><Subject>tablet</Subject><Subject>corrections</Subject><Subject>product</Subject><Subject>accessible</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Category><Description/><Title>For Government</Title><Id>432439</Id><Key/></Category><Title>New Certification: Accessible Document Specialists</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>computer with documents and PDF tags</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/ads-web_tcm38-495088.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>computer with documents and PDF tags</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/ads-web-thumb_tcm38-495089.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2021-08 - New Certification: Accessible Document Specialists</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-495087&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2021-07-26T23:42:48Z</Date><ShortDescription>The International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) started a new certification program called Accessible Document Specialists (ADS). It is specifically geared towards people who create accessible documents on a routine basis. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>The International Association of Accessibility Professionals Started New Certification Program</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;By Tamara Sawyer, Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota Management and Budget&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) started a new certification program called Accessible Document Specialists (ADS). It is specifically geared towards people who create accessible documents on a routine basis. The ADS tests user’s knowledge in five areas  :&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Creating electronic documents.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Remediating electronic documents.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Auditing and testing document accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Document accessibility planning and training.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Policy promotion, advocacy, and advising. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;IAAP recommends people who are familiar with basic document accessibility spend six or eight weeks preparing for the exam. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I interviewed Samantha “Sam” Fischer from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and Aaron Arvig from the Minnesota Department of Human Services as they took part in the pilot program for IAAP’s ADS certification. They had some excellent advice for anyone interested in taking the exam.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What is the ADS certification and who should take it?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Unlike the other certifications offered by IAAP that test broad knowledge of accessibility, ADS is specifically geared towards people who have experience creating and remediating digital documents. ADS covers the general concepts behind: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;document creation and remediation, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;auditing documents for accessibility, and &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;document accessibility training.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How do I know what to study? How much time will I need?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;IAAP provides a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.accessibilityassociation.org/s/accessible-document-specialist-content&quot;&gt;Content Outline&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.accessibilityassociation.org/resource/Ads_Book&quot;&gt;Book of Knowledge&lt;/a&gt; (BOK) to help users prepare. These two documents will have content and links to all the material you should know prior to taking the exam. Depending on your pre-existing knowledge, prepare to spend five to ten hours weekly for six to eight weeks prior to the exam date. People with more experience may need less time to prepare. Even people with a lot of experience will find there are things they didn’t know. One thing to keep in mind, many people do the same processes in different orders of operations. The study guide may recommend an order of operations different than yours, although the result may be the same in the end. Learn the processes outlined in the BOK – it will help you with both your daily work and the exam.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Is this exam worthwhile? What will I get out of it? Will it help me better understand accessibility?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The ADS exam shows your employer that you have a solid ability to create digital content. Sam and Aaron both encourage anyone who creates and remediates documents as a routine part of their employment to take this exam. It can boost your knowledge no matter what level of experience you have. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Any other advice?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you decide this certification is right for you, leave plenty of time to study and follow the Book of Knowledge. During the exam, take your time and don’t overthink the questions. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For more information, go to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.accessibilityassociation.org/s/accessible-document-specialist&quot;&gt;IAAP’s Accessible Document Specialist web site&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
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&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>495087</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2021-08-25T17:19:48Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>To celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), Minnesota IT Services’ (MNIT) Office of Accessibility hosted a training event for accessible virtual meetings. The “Accessible Meetings for All” event shared best practices for organizing and running meetings that are inclusive for all.</Description><Audience/><Title>Recordings Available: Accessible Meetings for All</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Request for Proposal</Subject><Subject>RFP</Subject><Subject>tablet</Subject><Subject>corrections</Subject><Subject>product</Subject><Subject>accessible</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Category><Description/><Title>For Government</Title><Id>432439</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Bringing accessible tablets to incarcerated people in correctional facilities</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>hands holding a tablet </AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/hands-holding-table-intranet-blog_tcm38-490756.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>hands holding a tablet</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/hands-holding-tablet-blog-thumb_tcm38-490777.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2021-07 - Bringing accessible tablets to incarcerated people in correctional facilities</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-490755&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2021-07-26T21:00:55Z</Date><ShortDescription>Sharing how the Department of Corrections is creating a tablet system that meets the state digital accessibility standard for all incarcerated users.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>The ongoing effort to deliver tablets that are digitally accessible to an incarcerated population </Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;By: Lois Tucke, Sign Language Interpreter Specialist and Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, and Rosie Widell, Digital Accessibility Coordinator and Risk Management, Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Department of Corrections (DOC) provides tablets to the people housed in Minnesota’s state correctional facilities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;These tablets aim to strengthen bonds between incarcerated populations and their friends, family, and the community. For those incarcerated, secure electronic devices provide further access to:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;rehabilitative program content,&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;religious content,&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;important department updates, and&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;ease of access to staff communications and processes.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Additionally, these devices provide positive leisure activities, such as games, movies, and books. The DOC expects high-quality and accessible products for our users.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;From the start, the DOC committed to upholding the state standard to make information accessible to all people living in state facilities. We are seeking to build a tablet system that meets the state digital accessibility standard for all incarcerated users and want to share how we are making this a reality.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Developing the baseline for the RFP&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The team began discussing digital accessibility before writing the Request for Proposal (RFP) and identified some of the accessibility-related business requirements. RFP development included input from both DOC and Minnesota IT Services’ (MNIT) Office of Accessibility:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;2017&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The DOC Technology Accessibility Advisory Committee met to develop the original standards for the RFP. They released the RFP in 2018.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The RFP incorporated the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/index.jsp&quot; title=&quot;Intro - Accessibility Policies &amp;amp; Standards&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessibility Policies &amp;amp; Standards&quot;&gt;State of Minnesota digital accessibility requirements&lt;/a&gt; into the specifications. DOC and Jay Wyant, MNIT’s Chief Information Accessibility Officer vetted those requirements. They updated the document to include additional procedures and exceptions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Wyant updated the document to reflect federal law and cleaned up the language. Afterwards the members of the Technology Accessibility Advisory Committee met to discuss and approve draft changes.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;2018&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The Technology Accessibility Advisory Committee completed the final review and approval of the RFP.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;RFP language and commitment to accessibility&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Emphasizing the importance of digital accessibility was a priority for the RFP’s language. To do this, we included the following statements in the RFP:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;VIII. Scope of Work&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“The State of Minnesota, Department of Administration is issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) for an Offender/ Client Telephone Calling/Recording/Monitoring System, for both the Department of Corrections (DOC) and Department of Human Services (DHS). This RFP also includes Kiosk/Tablet Services for DOC and DHS, and Money Transfer/Lockbox and Debit Release Card Services for the Department of Corrections (DOC) only. Proposed solutions will have to seamlessly interface with DOC/DHS core Offender/Client/Resident demographics, Offender/Client/Resident financial and Agency intelligence systems. These systems and services will be for facilities located at: Oak Park Heights, Stillwater, Rush City, St. Cloud, Faribault, Lino Lakes, Moose Lake, Red Wing, Shakopee, St. Paul, St. Peter, Togo, and Willow River.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The purpose of this RFP is to select a Contract Vendor to provide the best combination of security, reliability, service, and commissions that is an affordable, low cost option for community members….&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology (EIT) accessible to people with disabilities. Inaccessible technology interferes with an ability to obtain and use information quickly and easily. Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, open new opportunities for people with disabilities and encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals. All impacted State information systems, tools and information content shall comply.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;V. IT Accessibility Standards &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“The State of Minnesota (branch state agencies) has developed &lt;span style=&quot;font-family: Verdana;&quot;&gt;IT Accessibility Standards&lt;/span&gt; effective September 1, 2010, which entails, in part, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 (Level AA) and Section 508 Subparts A-D which can be viewed at: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mmd.admin.state.mn.us/pdf/accessibility_standard.pdf&quot;&gt;http://www.mmd.admin.state.mn.us/pdf/accessibility_standard.pdf&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Standards apply to web sites, software applications, electronic reports and output documentation, training delivered in electronic formats (including, but not limited to, documents, videos, and webinars), among others. As upgrades are made to the software/products/subscriptions available through this Contract, the Contract Vendor agrees to develop functionality which supports accessibility. If any issues arise due to nonconformance with the above-mentioned accessibility standards, the Contract Vendor agrees to provide alternative solutions upon request at no additional charge to the State.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Appendix I&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;B. System Interface&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“19. System interface should be ADA (Americans with Disability Act) accessible utilizing or compatible with adaptive technologies according to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 of the State of Minnesota&apos;s &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/index.jsp&quot; title=&quot;Intro - Accessibility Policies &amp;amp; Standards&quot; style=&quot;font-family: Verdana;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessibility Policies &amp;amp; Standards&quot;&gt;IT Accessibility Standards&lt;/a&gt;.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Selecting a vendor&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;On September 24, 2019, the DOC awarded Global Tel*Link Corporation (GTL) a contract to replace the existing telephone, kiosk, and debit/credit card solutions, and to also provide tablet-based communication, entertainment, and education services to incarcerated persons. The Office of Accessibility and DOC’s digital accessibility coordinators provided counsel and feedback when selecting the vendor.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility testing&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;One of the most important steps we took to ensure all users have an accessible product was to ask accessibility experts to review the tablet systems early in the development process.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We included accessibility testing as part of the user acceptance testing (UAT). We coordinated with MNIT’s Office of Accessibility and developed specific test plans. This allowed experts to strategically test specific functionality and parts of the system. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Testing has been in depth and is ongoing. It includes testing for:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Color contrast&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Magnification&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Keyboard operability&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Switch device operability&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Visible focus&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Focus order&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ease of use&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The DOC, in cooperation with MNIT’s Office of Accessibility, collated testing results, wrote an initial report on the findings, and met with the vendor to address barriers and possible solutions. The vendor also hired a third-party expert to test and certify functionality they developed for the tablet. The DOC and MNIT’s Office of Accessibility are currently working to determine accessibility of third-party applications, such as games, the vendor has made available on the tablet.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Finalizing the tablet as an accessible product&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We’ve received initial feedback from testers that suggests we have more work to do to ensure that the Android tablets are accessible for all users. The testers discovered many barriers to accessibility, especially in third party apps. Performing accessibility testing in the middle of the process provided the necessary oversight for the department to work with the contractor to correct issues as able.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Finding inaccessible areas and doing our best to fix them are necessary parts of the process. It’s not always easy to tackle areas of opportunity and equity, such as locating games for blind users, but it is necessary to our inclusion goals.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Although the project is not yet finished, the DOC’s goal is to have tablets in the hands of our state’s incarcerated people soon.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Helpful links&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/Stnd_State_Accessibility_tcm38-61585.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Stnd_State_Accessibility - 2018&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Stnd_State_Accessibility - 2018&quot;&gt;State of Minnesota&apos;s Accessibility Standard (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>490755</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><Tag><Description/><Title>Collaboration</Title><Id>232497</Id><Key/></Tag><Tag><Description/><Title>Digital Government</Title><Id>232516</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2026-04-13T18:22:44Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>To celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), Minnesota IT Services’ (MNIT) Office of Accessibility hosted a training event for accessible virtual meetings. The “Accessible Meetings for All” event shared best practices for organizing and running meetings that are inclusive for all.</Description><Audience/><Title>Recordings Available: Accessible Meetings for All</Title><Publisher/><Subject>recording</Subject><Subject>video</Subject><Subject>Global Accessibility Awareness Day </Subject><Subject>GAAD</Subject><Subject>accessible meetings</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Category><Description/><Title>For Government</Title><Id>432439</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Recordings Available: Accessible Meetings for All</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Global Accessibility Awareness Day logo with &quot;recap&quot; spelled out on wooden blocks.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/GAAD-recap-blog_tcm38-485780.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Global Accessibility Awareness Day logo with &quot;recap&quot; spelled out on wooden blocks.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/GAAD-recap-blog-thumb_tcm38-485779.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2021-06 - Recordings Available: Accessible Meetings for All</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-485786&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2021-06-24T20:27:29Z</Date><ShortDescription>The “Accessible Meetings for All” event shared best practices for organizing and running meetings that are inclusive for all.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>MNIT&apos;s Office of Accessibility celebrated Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) with a training event.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), Minnesota IT Services’ (MNIT) Office of Accessibility hosted a training event for accessible virtual meetings. The “Accessible Meetings for All” event shared best practices for organizing and running meetings that are inclusive for all.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Jay Wyant, Minnesota’s Chief Information Accessibility Officer introduced the event. Rosie Widell, Digital Accessibility Coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Corrections, moderated the session.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here are links to YouTube videos of the quick tips and resources the experts shared:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Planning for Reasonable Accommodations&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/HrH0PjS0-gM?autoplay=0&amp;amp;rel=0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/gaad-recap-001_tcm38-485852.jpg&quot; title=&quot;gaad-recap-01&quot; alt=&quot;Planning for reasonable accommodations [video] first slide of presentation displaying.&quot; style=&quot;width: 60%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;gaad-recap-01&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Sarah Herder Lewis. Herder Lewis is the Director of Equal Opportunity, Diversity, and Inclusion at MNIT. &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/Planning%20for%20Reasonable%20Accommodations%20Transcript_tcm38-486682.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Planning for Reasonable Accommodations Video Transcript&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Planning for Reasonable Accommodations Video Transcript&quot;&gt;Planning for reasonable accommodations transcript (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Pre-Meeting Preparations&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/EGktcOgxVEI?autoplay=0&amp;amp;rel=0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/gaad-recap-002_tcm38-485853.jpg&quot; title=&quot;gaad-recap-002&quot; alt=&quot;Pre-meeting preparations [video] first slide of presentation displaying.&quot; style=&quot;width: 60%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;gaad-recap-002&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Jennie Delisi. Delisi is the Accessibility Analyst in the Office of Accessibility. &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/Pre-Meeting%20Preparations%20Transcript_tcm38-486858.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Pre-Meeting Preparations Video Transcript&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Pre-Meeting Preparations Video Transcript&quot;&gt;Pre-meeting preparations transcript (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Setting a Baseline for All Meetings&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/AXdkucr852g?autoplay=0&amp;amp;rel=0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/gaad-recap-003_tcm38-485854.jpg&quot; title=&quot;gaad-recap-003&quot; alt=&quot;Setting a baseline for all meetings [video] first slide of presentation displaying.&quot; style=&quot;width: 60%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;gaad-recap-003&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Lolly Lijewski. Lijewski is the Digital Accessibility Coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Human Services. &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/Setting%20a%20Baseline%20for%20All%20Meetings%20Transcript_tcm38-486821.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Setting a Baseline for All Meetings Video Transcript&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Setting a Baseline for All Meetings Video Transcript&quot;&gt;Setting a baseline for all meetings transcript (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To Chat or Not&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/NhXx9M7vKTc?autoplay=0&amp;amp;rel=0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/gaad-recap-004_tcm38-485855.jpg&quot; title=&quot;gaad-recap-004&quot; alt=&quot;To chat or not [video] first slide of presentation displaying.&quot; style=&quot;width: 60%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;gaad-recap-004&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Jennie Delisi. &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/To%20Chat%20or%20Not_tcm38-486823.pdf&quot; title=&quot;To Chat or Not Video Transcript&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;To Chat or Not Video Transcript&quot;&gt;To chat or not transcript (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Sharing and Presenting Slides&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/4ykPNW8L6EU?autoplay=0&amp;amp;rel=0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/gaad-recap-005_tcm38-485856.jpg&quot; title=&quot;gaad-recap-005&quot; alt=&quot;Sharing and presenting slides [video] first slide of presentation displaying.&quot; style=&quot;width: 60%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;gaad-recap-005&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Elaine Settergren. Settergren is a Reference Librarian at the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/Sharing%20and%20Presenting%20Slides%20Transcript_tcm38-486857.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Sharing and Presenting Slides Video Transcript&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Sharing and Presenting Slides Video Transcript&quot;&gt;Sharing and presenting slides transcript (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Captioning&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/ABzvykVBjgU?autoplay=0&amp;amp;rel=0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/gaad-recap-006_tcm38-485857.jpg&quot; title=&quot;gaad-recap-006&quot; alt=&quot;Captioning [video] first slide of presentation displaying.&quot; style=&quot;width: 60%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;gaad-recap-006&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Samantha Fischer. Fischer is the Accessibility Coordinator at Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/Captioning%20Transcript_tcm38-486681.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Captioning Video Transcript&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Captioning Video Transcript&quot;&gt;Captioning transcript (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Technology Considerations and Resources&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: left;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/zOPLOfx2YbA?autoplay=0&amp;amp;rel=0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/gaad-recap-007_tcm38-485858.jpg&quot; title=&quot;gaad-recap-007&quot; alt=&quot;Technology considerations and resources [video] first slide of presentation displaying.&quot; style=&quot;width: 60%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;gaad-recap-007&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Kris Schulze. Schulze is the Experience IT Manager at MNIT. &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/Technology%20Considerations%20and%20Resources%20Transcript_tcm38-486822.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Technology Considerations and Resources Video Transcript&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Technology Considerations and Resources Video Transcript&quot;&gt;Technology considerations and resources transcript (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
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&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>485786</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><Tag><Description/><Title>Collaboration</Title><Id>232497</Id><Key/></Tag><Tag><Description/><Title>Digital Government</Title><Id>232516</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2021-06-24T20:53:31Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>As you build your skills, take time to ensure that what you do is accessible. Regardless of whether you’re writing a document or building a web application, make sure you use the basic building blocks of digital accessibility.</Description><Audience/><Title>Fundamentals and Gaps</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>basics</Subject><Subject>images</Subject><Subject>colors</Subject><Subject>links</Subject><Subject>wand</Subject><Subject>magic</Subject><Subject>granger</Subject><Subject>structure</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Fundamentals and Gaps</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>colorful computer code coming from the end of a magic wand</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/magic-wand-computer-code-blog_tcm38-485860.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>colorful computer code coming out of the end of a magic wand</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/magic-wand-computer-code-blog-thumb_tcm38-485861.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2021-06 - Fundamentals and Gaps</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-485847&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2021-06-24T20:27:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>As you build your skills, take time to ensure that what you do is accessible. Regardless of whether you’re writing a document or building a web application, make sure you use the basic building blocks of digital accessibility.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Everyone has the power to be accessible</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By: Jay Wyant, Chief Information Accessibility Officer&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In the Harry Potter series, first-year students get their wand before they even know how to use them. How well a student uses their wand depends on how much time and effort they put into practice and learning new commands. But everyone shares the same basic skills. Hermione Granger was able to do more with her wand than most of her peers not because she had more magical powers, but because she took the time to learn and practice new spells.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Digital accessibility is similar – everyone should know enough to perform the elemental skills. While not everyone will be a Hermione, everyone has the same access to more knowledge and skill development. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You use tools when you create digital content like: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;sending an email &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;writing a document&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;posting on social media&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;designing a website&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;programming a web application &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Consider the tool you need to use as your wand. Maybe you started using your tool without any training. Then you learned tips from co-workers. Maybe you found a tutorial online. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As you build your skills, take time to ensure that what you do is accessible. Regardless of whether you’re writing a document or building a web application, make sure you use the basic building blocks of digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility basics&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Structure&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use &lt;strong&gt;headings&lt;/strong&gt; wherever possible to chunk your content. Think of headings as your outline – don’t skip heading levels.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bullets, tables, and lists&lt;/strong&gt; add meaning to your content. Each tells the reader something about the content even before reading the information.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Bullets say these items or issues are part of a group.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Lists say this is a group of related items. Numbered lists say there is an order to the items.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tables say there’s data about a particular topic.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Images and colors&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Images are powerful communication tools. Use them and ensure that people who may not see the image will still get the information through alt text. Focus on the message you’re conveying. Suppose you post an article about groundwater contamination and include a picture of creek. Which is more meaningful alt text?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Creek&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Creek discolored with weeds and other aquatic plants.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Like images, colors help convey meaning. Using red text can alert users to a needed step, such as completing a required form field. But the red needs to have sufficient contrast. You also need to have a way for people who can’t see the color to get the same information, such as through symbols (asterisk), text (“required”), or other elements. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Good color contrast example&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: rgb(192, 0, 0);&quot;&gt;This shade of red provides good color contrast.&lt;/span&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(Hex red #C00000 on white background  #FFFFFF, 6.5:1)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Open Sans&amp;quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Insuffient color contrast example&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: rgb(255, 0, 0);&quot;&gt;This popular shade of red does not have sufficient color contrast.&lt;/span&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
(Hex red #FF0000 on white background #FFFFFF, 4:1)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600; font-family: Verdana;&quot;&gt;Links&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use meaningful text for links. Use words that define the reason for the link and make that selectable, rather than the listing the URL.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The links below navigate to the same website. Which is easier to understand?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/techniques/hypertext/link_text&quot;&gt;A great WebAIM article on links and hypertext&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/techniques/hypertext/link_text&quot;&gt;Read more&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/techniques/hypertext/link_text&quot;&gt;https://webaim.org/techniques/hypertext/link_text&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Readability&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility isn’t just for assistive technology users. It impacts everyone. Readability is a great example of this. How many times have your eyes glazed over a legal disclaimer? You know you should read it, but you just can’t muster the energy. This issue becomes even more critical for some people with disabilities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For more on what you can do, &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/482174&quot;&gt;check out Kendall Johnson’s and Jennie Delisi’s excellent blog on readability&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Identify gaps&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;So you’ve got your “wand” – the tool you use to do your job, whether it’s writing a document or coding an application. Do you know how to ensure your work is accessible?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For example, you may post content on your organization’s web page. Do you know what level heading to use? If your website’s content management editor takes care of that for you, take a moment to thank the staff for doing that. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Also, are you sure that your tool is doing the right thing? For example, if you’re using “no code software,” is it producing fundamentally sound HTML5 code, or is it adding a whole bunch of extra code such as ARIA that may not be necessary?   As you assemble your page or application, test as you go. For example:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Check tab order and focus. Is it predictable and easy to follow?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ensure your form’s labels align with form names.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Look at the code. Are headings, links, and labels in HTML?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What about new stuff?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Now, suppose you learn about this cool new tool that makes your job easier. Ask yourself – does it improve my ability to support digital accessibility?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“But I’m not an expert!” you cry. “How can I tell if it supports accessibility?”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Again, you can start with what you know, then ask questions and request help for the rest. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;All tools should have an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR), sometimes called a completed Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat&quot;&gt;VPAT&lt;sup&gt;®&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/a&gt;). Check out the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/it-procurement.jsp&quot;&gt;Procurement page&lt;/a&gt; on the Office of Accessibility website for more information on VPATs and ACRs. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Vendors should provide guidance or training on how to ensure your output is accessible. If they don’t, ask them why not. If you can’t get a good answer, ask yourself if it’s worth it to use this tool if you can’t ensure digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;After all, would you use a wand that didn’t let you learn new spells?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
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&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>485847</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2021-06-24T20:52:27Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Press Release</Title><Id>60500</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><DublinCore><Description>Governor Tim Walz proclaims May 20 to be Digital Accessibility Awareness Day in Minnesota. Over the past year, businesses, governments, and Minnesotans have relied on technology and digital services as a connector and a path forward. Minnesota joins the world to celebrate digital accessibility in conjunction with Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD).</Description><Audience/><Title>Digital Accessibility Awareness Day in the State of Minnesota</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Digital Accessibility Awareness Day</Subject><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Global Accessibility Awareness Day</Subject><Subject>GAAD</Subject><Subject>a11y</Subject><Subject>state technology</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Category><Description/><Title>Proclamations</Title><Id>232618</Id><Key/></Category><Category><Description/><Title>General</Title><Id>641</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Digital Accessibility Awareness Day in the State of Minnesota</Title><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Virtual meeting on a laptop with some people signing ASL and others smiling, empty speech bubbles in the background.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/acessible-meeting-blog-thumb_tcm38-482599.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>PR - 2021-05 - Global Accessibility Awareness Day</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-482425&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2021-05-20T15:50:18Z</Date><ShortDescription>Governor Tim Walz proclaims May 20 to be Digital Accessibility Awareness Day in Minnesota. Over the past year, businesses, governments, and Minnesotans have relied on technology and digital services as a connector and a path forward. Minnesota joins the world to celebrate digital accessibility in conjunction with Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD).

</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Governor Tim Walz proclaims May 20 to be Digital Accessibility Awareness Day in Minnesota</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;May 20, 2021 (St. Paul, MN) - Governor Tim Walz proclaims May 20 to be &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/governor/assets/05.20.21%20Digital%20Accessibility%20Awareness%20Day_tcm1055-482407.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Digital Accessibility Awareness Day in Minnesota&lt;/a&gt;. Over the past year, businesses, governments, and Minnesotans have relied on technology and digital services as a connector and a path forward. Minnesota joins the world to celebrate digital accessibility in conjunction with Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Minnesota IT Services’ (MNIT) &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility&lt;/a&gt; is charged with overseeing the implementation of accessibility standards for all executive branch employees and employers. This work was critically important during the state’s COVID-19 response. By implementing the digital accessibility standard, individuals connected with government through an improved online experience, including applying for benefits, reading COVID-19 updates and information, and understanding changes to programs and services.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Office of Accessibility, MNIT, and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) created accessible applications, websites, and documents for the public. The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/index.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MDH COVID-19&lt;/a&gt; site was recently recognized by &lt;a href=&quot;https://disabilityhealth.jhu.edu/vaccinedashboard/webaccess/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Johns Hopkins University’s Disability Health Research Center&lt;/a&gt; as the top state COVID-19 information website with the least accessibility errors as tested by WAVE, a website accessibility evaluation tool. &lt;a href=&quot;https://vaccineconnector.mn.gov/en-US/covid-19%20vaccine/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;The Vaccine Connector&lt;/a&gt; was also top in the nation, ranked number seven. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“We are proud of the cross-agency partnerships that make readable content, usable interfaces, and effective mobile access. It is a shared responsibility between all of state government to make sure that Minnesotans uphold their right to access government services and critical information.”
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;cite&gt;Tarek Tomes, CIO for the State of Minnesota, MNIT Commissioner&lt;/cite&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&quot;Digital platforms have been incredibly important tools for public health throughout the pandemic. We’ve worked hard to use these tools to provide clear, accurate and timely information to Minnesotans in formats they could easily access. We appreciate the partnership with MNIT every step of the way.”
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;cite&gt;Jan Malcolm, Minnesota Commissioner of Health&lt;/cite&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To celebrate Digital Accessibility Awareness Day, the Office of Accessibility hosted a free training event for state employees. Experts across state government shared best practices for organizing and running meetings that are inclusive for all.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;###&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;About Minnesota IT Services&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Minnesota IT Services, led by the state’s Chief Information Officer, is the Information Technology agency for Minnesota’s executive branch, providing enterprise and local IT services to over 70 agencies, boards and commissions. MNIT employs more than 2,000 people across 90 physical locations. Together, we build, maintain, and secure the State’s IT infrastructure, applications, projects and services. MNIT sets IT strategy, direction, policies and standards for enterprise IT leadership and planning. We also serve Minnesotans by connecting all 87 counties, 300 cities, and 200 public higher education campuses across the state on the MNET network. Through public-private partnerships, our team proactively protects the state’s information systems and the private data of 5.5 million Minnesotans.&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>482425</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessible Government</Title><Id>232634</Id><Key/></Tag><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2021-05-20T19:30:29Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>You can create engaging and accessible social media. The basic principles will sound familiar. </Description><Audience/><Title>Engaging and Accessible Social Media</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>tips</Subject><Subject>plain</Subject><Subject>language</Subject><Subject>writing</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Don’t bury the headline</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>illustration of two people talking with squiggly lines where their brains are, and in the communication bubble between them</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/plain-language-conversation-blog_tcm38-482178.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>illustration of two people talking with squiggly lines where their brains are, and in the communication bubble between them</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/plain-language-conversation-blog-thumb_tcm38-482179.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2021-05 - Technical Documents and Plain Language</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-482174&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2021-05-14T20:20:22Z</Date><ShortDescription>Plain language helps readers understand communication the first time they read it and know what they need to do next. Quick tips to help you in writing plain language:</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Plain language tips and tricks for technical writing</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;By Kendall Johnson, Minnesota IT Communications, and Jennie Delisi, Office of Accessibility&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Plain language helps readers understand communication the first time they read it and know what they need to do next. Quick tips to help you in writing plain language:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use language commonly understood by the public.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Write in short and complete sentences.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Present information in a format that is easy-to-find and easy-to-understand.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Clearly state directions and deadlines to the audience.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Why is plain language important?  &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We all experience dense forms, documents, and websites. The information can confuse you and waste your time with complicated jargon and hard-to-find links. With this in mind, Governor Tim Walz &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/governor/assets/2019_04_05_EO_19-29_tcm1055-379049.pdf&quot;&gt;reissued an executive order&lt;/a&gt; (PDF) to make state government better for the people it serves. The order requires plain language in the Executive Branch for the State of Minnesota. The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.lrl.mn.gov/archive/execorders/14-07.pdf&quot;&gt;original executive order 14-07&lt;/a&gt; (PDF) required plain language for communicating with Minnesotans. Some state agencies created additional policies or requirements for plain language. Everyone benefits from this, including Minnesotans with cognitive disabilities. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Plain language also helps your audience understand the information you share. Imagine that a person with English as a second language needs to read your technical instructions. Or, your audience may skim the information you present. Clearly communicating that information using plain language principles improves the chance that everyone can understand it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When should it be used?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use plain language in all communications, whether it is for printed materials or online content. When writing technical or legal documentation, use plain language as much as possible. The executive order does not distinguish between types of communications – it says when communicating with Minnesotans. It is best to check with the subject matter expert when simplifying language to verify the accuracy of the content.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Write to your reader  &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Imagine your reader as an actual person. Another term for this is giving them a &quot;persona.&quot; Now, customize your writing from that persona&apos;s perspective. For example, a persona for a state of Minnesota employee might be something like this: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Meet Jane. She works for the Department of Natural Resources. In her daily work, Jane regularly writes letters and documents in Microsoft Word and uploads them to the division&apos;s shared document storage. She uses Outlook to coordinate emails and meetings.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Meet Jeremy. They work in a technical cybersecurity role at a state agency. They may not be as familiar with enterprise-wide acronyms. They are also very busy in their role and don’t have a lot of extra time to closely analyze documents.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you communicate to either Jane or Jeremy, there are cues in their personas that show how plain language best practices would help strengthen your message. If you are writing a cybersecurity technical document for Jeremy, you may be able to use more technical language. Jeremy may understand your document better if you: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;use active language, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;make the critical information stand out, and &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;avoid long sentences. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Before you share that same cybersecurity information with people who do not work in a technical role, like Jane, you’ll need to make some changes. Use less-technical language that any user could understand. The amount of plain language editing all depends on your audience. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Plain language best practices also ensure that your content is inclusive for individuals with cognitive disabilities. This includes coworkers and citizens who may have had a stroke, have dyslexia, or have had a brain injury. You may not know that your coworker has one of these disabilities unless they choose to share this information with you.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Plain Language Writing Tips&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;People are in a hurry. They skim and scan, looking for fast answers to their questions, so it’s important to quickly get to the point. Help your readers complete their tasks with these writing tips:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Focus on people&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Help readers see themselves in the text. Use words like I, me, we, our, ours, you, your.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use personal pronouns or name the person&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;I am writing in response…&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Suzy Smith will contact you…&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;You may copy this certificate…&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use active voice, not passive:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Passive voice:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;We will be asking that all homeowners complete Form C.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Form C must be completed by all homeowners.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Active voice:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;All homeowners must complete Form C.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;You must complete Form C.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use short, simple sentences&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;People rarely read letters, reports, or web content word by word. Instead, they scan the page. Use the following tips to make sure they get your point:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Start with the conclusion.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Have one idea per paragraph.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use half the number of words you would use in conventional writing.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Avoid unnecessary words:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Weak: The purpose of this letter is to tell you that we have accepted your claim.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Strong: We accepted your claim.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Weak: There are three forms that must be completed.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Strong: You must fill out three forms.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use words readers know&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use short and simple words:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Stop not cease&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Before not prior to&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Get not procure&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Keep not retain&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Make sure not ensure&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Don&apos;t use nouns that hide verbs:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Deny not denial&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Maintain not maintenance&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Assign not assignment&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Define acronyms
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Spell out the first use of an acronym, followed by its abbreviation. You can use the abbreviated acronym in the rest of the document.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Example:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) provides technical expertise. In an early release, the MPCA…&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;More examples of ways to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.plainlanguage.gov/guidelines/words/use-simple-words-phrases/&quot;&gt;Use simple words and phrases can be found on the plainlanguage.gov website&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Make the text visual&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Make information stand out. Use:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Bullets for lists.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Numbers for steps.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tables for parallel statements.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Format pages to help users&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use visually distinct and proper heading structures. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Add white space (using formatting tools) to help users locate information.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Group similar information together and use white space around it to present manageable pieces.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Reading levels &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;One tool to improve plain language is to check the communication’s reading level. For those using Microsoft Word, you can &lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/get-your-document-s-readability-and-level-statistics-85b4969e-e80a-4777-8dd3-f7fc3c8b3fd2&quot;&gt;run a check for readability statistics&lt;/a&gt;. It gives you information about the reading level of your text. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are different types of reading level tests. One test in the Microsoft tool scores the complexity of the words used. It does this by averaging the number of syllables per word and words per sentence. The other scores how it compares to U.S. school grade levels. Use this as a guide but it is not the only consideration.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Commonly used industry terms may impact a reading level by raising it. Use them with intention. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Following the tips in this plain language guide will help make the reading level of your text more appropriate for your readers. Reducing reading levels is a skill and will take time to master. Tools like the readability statistics can help you get a baseline to understand how you typically write. Other tools, like the &lt;a href=&quot;https://hemingwayapp.com/&quot;&gt;Hemingway App&lt;/a&gt;, help while you write. Use the feedback while writing to determine when there are could be simpler ways to present the same information. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Find Your Plain Language Policy&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We recommend you find the policy that applies to you, for your specific workplace. If you don’t have one, start the conversation. This helps everyone work from a common understanding and work towards a common goal: communicating so that all members of your audience can understand. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>482174</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2021-05-19T22:00:14Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is May 20, 2021. Are you planning an event? We know that life is busy these days, so we want to share resources to help you.</Description><Audience/><Title>Free Digital Accessibility Resources</Title><Publisher/><Subject>quick </Subject><Subject>cards</Subject><Subject>quick cards</Subject><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>instructions</Subject><Subject>tips</Subject><Subject>resources</Subject><Subject>free</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Free Digital Accessibility Resources from the state of Minnesota</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>picture of three quick cards: Adobe Acrobat Pro, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Microsoft Word accessibility quick cards.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-resources-thumb_tcm38-477156.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>picture of three quick cards: Adobe Acrobat Pro, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Microsoft Word accessibility quick cards.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-resources-thumb_tcm38-477157.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2021-04 - Free Digital Accessibility Resources</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-476719&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2021-04-26T18:49:04Z</Date><ShortDescription>Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is May 20, 2021. Are you planning an event? We know that life is busy these days, so we want to share resources to help you.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Resources to Use for Your GAAD Celebrations</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;By: Office of Accessibility Staff&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is May 20, 2021. Are you planning an event? We know that life is busy these days, so we want to share resources to help you:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Promote awareness about the importance of digital accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Improve digital accessibility basic skills.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provide resources for those needing more in-depth information.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Awareness&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Remember that not all your employees learn the same way. Because of this, we offer a variety of resources in different formats.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Videos&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our Accessibility Matters video explains how everyone benefits from accessible content and shares simple ideas to make content more accessible. It’s perfect for those new to the topic! &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Bonus: it’s only 84 seconds long! Even the busiest person can find time to watch it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/9dypgQOjV6I&quot;&gt;Accessibility Matters with captions (Video)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/5oMPgoU507c&quot;&gt;Accessibility Matters with audio description and captions (Video)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Activities&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Create a keyboard-only (no mouse) challenge for GAAD – the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/no-mouse-challenge.jsp&quot;&gt;No Mouse Challenge&lt;/a&gt;.  This can help people learn more about what makes digital information more accessible. This hands-on activity encourages individuals to learn how assistive technologies interact with content. We recommend that you give participants key information before they start. You can provide: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Examples of more accessible websites.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Share information on how assistive technologies navigate and interact with content.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Challenge individuals to share their results.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Digital Accessibility Basics&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For groups eager to learn the basics, we have introductory information ready!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Digital Accessibility Quick Cards&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some people need a quick way to learn about a topic before they are ready for a deeper dive. Other times you need a quick reminder about a digital accessibility basic. The &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/accessibility-quick-cards.jsp&quot; title=&quot;Quick Cards intro&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Quick Cards intro&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility’s Quick Cards&lt;/a&gt; provide both!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Share the link to the entire group of resource cards, or share the link for a single topic. Note: the Map Quick Cards are not included in the complete set of accessibility quick cards, but we link to them later in this article.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Complete set of Quick Cards &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/CompleteSetAccessibilityQuickCards2017_tcm38-294078.pdf&quot;&gt;Complete set (PDF)&lt;/a&gt; Does not include Map Quick Cards&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Individual Quick Cards&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/AdobeAcrobatQuickCard_tcm38-294077.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Accessibility - Quick Card - Acrobat&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Accessibility - Quick Card - Acrobat Pro&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;Adobe Acrobat Pro Accessibility Quick Card (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/AdobeInDesignQuickCard_tcm38-294080.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Accessibility - Quick Card - InDesign&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Accessibility - Quick Card - InDesign&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;Adobe InDesign Accessibility Quick Card (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/KeyboardShortcutsQuickCard_tcm38-228375.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Accessibility - Quick Card - Keyboard Shortcuts&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Accessibility - Quick Card - Keyboard Shortcuts&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;Keyboard Shortcuts Quick Card (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/MicrosoftExcelQuickCard_tcm38-294079.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Accessibility - Quick Card - Excel&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Accessibility - Quick Card - Excel&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;Microsoft Excel Accessibility Quick Card (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/MicrosoftPowerPointQuickCard_tcm38-294083.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Accessibility - Quick Card - PowerPoint&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Accessibility - Quick Card - PowerPoint&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;Microsoft PowerPoint Accessibility Quick Card (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/MicrosoftWordQuickCard_tcm38-294085.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Accessibility - Quick Card - Word&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Accessibility - Quick Card - Word&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;Microsoft Word Accessibility Quick Card (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/MicrosoftOutlookQuickCard_tcm38-294082.pdf&quot; title=&quot;OutlookQuickCard2017&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Accessibility - Quick Card - Outlook&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;Outlook Accessibility Quick Card (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/SocialMediaQuickCard_tcm38-294084.pdf&quot; title=&quot;SocialMediaQuick Card2017&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Accessibility - Quick Card - Social Media&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;Social Media Accessibility Quick Card (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Training&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The state of Minnesota’s free e-Learning program, &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/&quot;&gt;Accessible Word Document Training&lt;/a&gt;, is perfect for beginners. It teaches you how to create an accessible document in Microsoft Word. You can apply its principles to any digital document creation tool, such as Google Docs.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It is as interactive as you want it to be. As the learner, you control the pace of your learning. There is a practice document to download at the beginning of most modules. Use it to practice the principles of accessibility as you learn them. At the end of each module, you can compare your practice document with a completed version. Once you understand the principles, you can get a certificate of completion for that module.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Bonus: Need a quick refresher? Go directly to that module to review as much as you need.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Reference Materials&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/electronic-documents/&quot;&gt;Accessible Electronic Documents&lt;/a&gt; helps content creators find detailed reference material on: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Microsoft Word. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Acrobat Pro DC.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Microsoft PowerPoint. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Microsoft Excel.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Adobe InDesign.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Meetings&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020 we shared several articles on best practices for meetings.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/423822&quot;&gt;Accessible Remote Meetings&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/446778&quot;&gt;Microsoft Teams Accessibility Tips&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/429835&quot;&gt;Remote Meeting Guide&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/#/detail/appId/1/id/450251&quot;&gt;Tending to Your Audio&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In-Depth Information&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Graphics&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Flowcharts are powerful tools for communicating steps in a process or demonstrating organizational structure (org. charts). Digital Accessibility Coordinators shared advice in &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/436349&quot;&gt;Key Considerations for Flowchart Accessibility&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;InDesign Documents&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/electronic-documents/indesign.jsp&quot;&gt;Accessible InDesign Documents&lt;/a&gt; covers that information uniquely needed by InDesign document creators. It also contains the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/indesign-accessible-documents_tcm38-413703.pdf&quot;&gt;Creating Accessible Documents with Adobe InDesign Guide (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Maps&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Each type of map has its own accessibility challenges and opportunities. Whether you need quick tips, or something more in-depth, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/maps/&quot;&gt;Map Accessibility page&lt;/a&gt; will get you started. We have links to the Quick Cards here. Visit the site to access more detailed reference material, including &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/maps/map-design-files.jsp&quot;&gt;color palette styles optimized for accessibility&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 17px; font-weight: 600; font-family: Verdana;&quot;&gt;Map Accessibility Quick Cards &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/quick-card-web-map_tcm38-403740.pdf&quot;&gt;Interactive Web Maps Accessibility Quick Card (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/quick-card-map-design_tcm38-375674.pdf&quot;&gt;Map Design Accessibility Quick Card (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/quick-card-static-map_tcm38-375675.pdf&quot;&gt;Static Maps Accessibility Quick Card (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Web and Apps&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You can improve digital accessibility throughout the development life cycle. Those working with requirements, design, development, and testing may find the following resources helpful:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/websites-applications.jsp&quot;&gt;Web and Apps web page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The following blog articles address specific topics in-depth:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/376674&quot;&gt;Button vs. Links&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/469250&quot;&gt;High Contrast Mode and Dark Theme Accessibility Testing&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/454016&quot;&gt;HTML Accessibility Learning Ideas from State Employees&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/463816&quot;&gt;Making a Proposal and Grant Management System Accessible for All&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/463845&quot;&gt;Microsoft Edge + Immersive Reader&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Keep The Learning Going All Year&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The resources shared here are just a few examples of the work going on at the state of Minnesota. Check back on our website in the next few months, or better yet, &lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot;&gt;subscribe to our newsletter&lt;/a&gt;. This will ensure that you are one of the first to access our latest resources. Happy Global Accessibility Awareness Day!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>476719</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2026-02-18T15:57:39Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>You can create engaging and accessible social media. The basic principles will sound familiar. </Description><Audience/><Title>Engaging and Accessible Social Media</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>tips</Subject><Subject>social media</Subject><Subject>social content</Subject><Subject>Facebook</Subject><Subject>LinkedIn</Subject><Subject>Twitter</Subject><Subject>videos</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Engaging and Accessible Social Media</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>picture of the twitter icon and silhouettes of tools </AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/social-media-images-intranet_tcm38-477170.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>picture of the twitter icon and silhouettes of tools </AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/social-media-tools-april-blog-thumb_tcm38-477166.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2021-04 - Engaging and Accessible Social Media</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-477167&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2021-04-26T18:47:36Z</Date><ShortDescription>You can create engaging and accessible social media. The basic principles will sound familiar. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>Inclusive community connections</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;By: Jennie Delisi, Accessibility Analyst&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You can create engaging and accessible social media. The basic principles will sound familiar. Ensure your content is:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Perceivable&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Operable&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Understandable &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Robust&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) apply to social media. In fact, social media and WCAG are part of the state of Minnesota&apos;s &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot;&gt;accessibility policies and standards&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Learn from great examples by State of Minnesota agencies, and get a few tips to help you post with confidence on any channel.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility in Action&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Fantastic Photos&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Images quickly tell your story and engage your readers. Ensure access for all your readers:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provide alternative text&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Add key details into the text post&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Example 1: LinkedIn Post with Alt Text&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/MDE_LI_Alt_tcm38-477164.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Screenshot of LinkedIn post, alt text code “Student Learning from Home.”&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of LinkedIn post, alt text code “Student Learning from Home.”&quot; style=&quot;width: 78%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessibility-nl-april-MDE_LI_Alt.jpg&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
The LinkedIn post from the Minnesota Department of Education post in Example 1 shows an image and job posting. The post text and image are provided below. 
&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Example 1 post text:&lt;/strong&gt; Join the Minnesota Department of Education to provide program and grant management related to the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Emergency Relief (ESSR) and the Governor’s Education Emergency Relief (GEER) funds, to support students at school districts and charter schools and to ensure that schools are optimizing their investment in students through Coronavirus Aid and Relief. We are looking for a new teammate who has experience with grants, training, teaching, or program management. Join us! Applications are due 4/12/21, apply today! &lt;a href=&quot;https://lnkd.in/gF-jdgR&quot;&gt;https://lnkd.in/gF-jdgR&lt;/a&gt; #education #experience
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Example 1 alt text:&lt;/strong&gt; Student Learning from Home.&lt;/blockquote&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
The alt text code shown at the bottom of the screenshot describes what is happening in the foreground of the photo. This includes the key visual elements - the &quot;why&quot; they selected this image: student learning from home.
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Example 2: Facebook Post with Alt Text&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/DNR_FB_Alt_tcm38-477162.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Screenshot of Facebook post with alt text code exposed “Water logged state forest road due to spring rains and snow melt.”&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of Facebook post with alt text code exposed “Water logged state forest road due to spring rains and snow melt.”&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessibility-nl-april-DNR_FB_Alt&quot; /&gt; The alt text for the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/MinnesotaDNR/photos/a.421759708020731/1638901039639919/?type=3&amp;amp;theater&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Minnesota Department of Natural Resource&apos;s Facebook post&lt;/a&gt; describes the key elements in the image the &quot;why&quot; they selected this image. The post’s text provides greater context giving all readers more information. Use the post text to:
&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Identify people in photos.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Describe the topic.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provide opportunities for readers to learn more.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Example 2 post text&lt;/strong&gt;: Warmer weather makes this a great time to get out and enjoy our Minnesota state forests!
&lt;br /&gt;
However, spring thaw creates wet, unstable road and trail conditions—meaning your usual road or trail may be temporarily restricted or closed.
&lt;br /&gt;
Know before you go! Avoid disappointment by checking the DNR website for updates before heading out. Temporary road and trail closure information is updated weekly on Thursdays by 2 p.m.
&lt;br /&gt;
Visit the DNR’s road closure web page: mndnr.gov/closures.
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Example 2 alt text&lt;/strong&gt;: Water logged state forest road due to spring rains and snow melt.&lt;/blockquote&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
The image in Example 2 includes a water-logged state forest road is only part of the message: road conditions may be different in some of the state forests. Check the website before you go.
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Bragworthy Banners&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There is often no way to add alt text to banners on many social media sites. Banner images can provide visitors a picture of your organization, current issues, or what you do. If you have text in the image, place it elsewhere for people using assistive technology to access.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A few simple places to include that information for common social media sites:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Twitter&lt;/strong&gt;: &lt;a href=&quot;https://help.twitter.com/en/managing-your-account/how-to-customize-your-profile&quot;&gt;Update your Twitter bio&lt;/a&gt; to include the information.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Facebook&lt;/strong&gt;: Depending on the category of your organization, you can add the additional text to your &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/help/160672070698623&quot;&gt;Facebook page information&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;LinkedIn&lt;/strong&gt;: &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/71216/edit-your-linkedin-page-or-showcase-page?lang=en&quot;&gt;Edit your LinkedIn page&lt;/a&gt; to create a tagline, or include more information in the description of your page.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Many banners have a call to action, like links to your other channels. Use good color contrast to help users know where else you would like them to visit.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Example 3: YouTube Banner with Good Contrast for Website URL&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/DLI_YT_Color_tcm38-477161.jpg&quot; title=&quot;accessibility-nl-april-DLI_YT_Color.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of YouTube banner, arrow points to right side with website address. Image: hard hats on hooks.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessibility-nl-april-DLI_YT_Color.jpg&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) took care to ensure that the link to their website was easy to read (arrow points to it in the image) on their &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVi3Dt7eqx2AFBw4ziHayoA&quot;&gt;YouTube channel&lt;/a&gt;. Some social media channels like YouTube provide options for linking to your website and other social media channels in the banners. The color contrast of the text may not always be sufficient based on the color of the area of your image in that location, and any layer that is applied between the link and your image. In this case, DLI ensured the text for the web address when placed over the rectangle around it and the area of the photo of their YouTube banner image had good color contrast so it is easy to read.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Vibrant Videos&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Videos capture everyone&apos;s attention, so make them with everyone in mind. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Audio needs quality captions, not just auto-captions. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Visuals on-screen need audio description. If the social media platform allows, include audio descriptions in a separate audio track. You can also include descriptions in the video script. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provide a transcript. They allow your audience to consume information at their own pace, or access the text through assistive technologies. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If audio descriptions and transcripts are not supported in the social media platform, provide a link to a location that does.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Example 4: Webpage with Preview of Video, Links to Transcript and Audio Described Version&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/MDH_YT_From_Webpage_tcm38-477165.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Screenshot of MN Dept of Health website. YouTube “How to Wash your Hands” video preview, 2 links for video transcript and audio described versions.&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of MN Dept of Health website. YouTube “How to Wash your Hands” video preview, 2 links for video transcript and audio described versions.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessibility-nl-april-MDH_YT_From_Webpage&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) created two versions of their video on How to Wash Your Hands. One has captions, the other has audio description and captions. Why? At the time of writing this blog, viewers can’t access separate audio description tracks for YouTube videos. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/handhygiene/&quot;&gt;MDH’s Hand Hygiene webpage&lt;/a&gt; also has a link to an accessible PDF of the video transcript. The website is a one-stop location for everyone to find what may work best for them. When MDH shares the video on social media channels, they include the link to this page, noting that an audio description version and transcript is available.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Scrutinize Shout-outs, Hashtags, and Links&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Many elements of posts become links:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Mentioning other pagers, individuals, or organizations with @ mentions/shout-outs&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Hashtags (#)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Links&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Did you know that assistive technology announces &quot;link&quot; each time it reads a link?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The purpose of these elements is to help people find your post, or help people find your information (links). Limit their use to improve readability. Posts should:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Include only 1 or 2 @ mentions or hashtags in the main text.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use CamelCase. If a word uses 2 words stuck together, use a capital letter at the beginning of each one. For example, #SocialMedia.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tell the person where a link will go if not a website. Use (PDF) and (Video) to alert them another software may open, or a video might start (since you cannot control autoplay on external websites).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use the following order: post text, link, hashtags and mentions not part of the post text.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Engaging Emoticons&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Emoticons and emojis catch people&apos;s attention. Use them like a spice - thoughtfully, knowing your audience. We have an article all about how to &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/436147&quot;&gt;Say It With a Face&lt;/a&gt; that includes checklists and considerations.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Connecting with Your Audience&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Your followers may have questions, or even accessibility issues accessing your content. Provide them an easy-to-find method to contact you. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Include your organization&apos;s Contact Us webpage or other methods of how to reach you in the bio of your social media platform. You may not know that a feature of the social media platform changed and is now less accessible, or the link to your video transcript may be broken. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Giving your audience a way to reach out tells them that you are not just talking to them. It also says you want to listen.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Find a Great Example of an Accessible Post?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When content authors create engaging, accessible content let them know! Give them a like, a retweet, or even better – a comment! They will not be the only ones that get the message. Others visiting their channels can then learn from their example, and notice accessibility in action.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>477167</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2021-04-28T18:02:08Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Whether you work remotely or in the office, you need your systems to be secure. There are steps that we can all take to stay safe online and protect your data. </Description><Audience/><Title>How to Secure Your Work Environment Secure</Title><Publisher/><Subject>cybersecurity</Subject><Subject>secure</Subject><Subject>stay safe</Subject><Subject>data</Subject><Subject>system</Subject><Subject>remote work</Subject><Subject>telework</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>An Accessible Newsletter</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Paper airplane flying next to screenshot of Office of Accessibility newsletter with photo of diverse group of people.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-newsletter-blog_tcm38-473126.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>paper airplane</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/newsletter-blog-thumb_tcm38-473127.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2021-03 - Accessible Newsletter</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-472949&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2021-03-25T21:25:18Z</Date><ShortDescription>A behind-the-scenes look at the Office of Accessibility’s newsletter may help you learn some best practices to improve the usability of your communication. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>Learn some best practices to improve the usability of your communication</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;By: Office of Accessibility Staff&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What makes a newsletter accessible?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Is it just the newsletter itself?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What about the process used to plan, write, edit, and publish?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How do people with a variety of talents and abilities actively contribute?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Office of Accessibility is part of Minnesota IT Services (MNIT), the IT agency for the state of Minnesota. We publish a monthly newsletter about accessibility topics. Individuals with disabilities are active participants in the workflow. The state of Minnesota’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot;&gt;accessibility policies and standard&lt;/a&gt; ensure that digital tools enable all employees, including people with disabilities, to complete work tasks. This applies to:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The process of creating a newsletter, and&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The final product.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The final products (newsletter, blog posts) are also available to the public. Our standard requires that information available to the public is accessible.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A behind-the-scenes look at the Office of Accessibility’s newsletter may help you learn some best practices to improve the usability of your communication. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Plan&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility is part of both the planning and operation of the newsletter. This reduces the amount of work and rework done at each stage. As tools change and new options become available, we revisit the process. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our newsletter team includes:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Authors from various state agencies&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The Office of Accessibility staff&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The Minnesota IT Services Communications team&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A web content manager, or webmaster, if they aren’t part of the communications team&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We have a dedicated Team in Microsoft Teams to plan the schedule and assign tasks for each edition. Key aspects of this planning process improve usability and accessibility. Blog posts are typically drafted by authors outside of this planning team, who don’t have access to the Microsoft Team for the newsletter. We communicate with them through email.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Unique channel per topic&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The team uses one channel per edition. The general channel is for topics that apply to multiple editions. This makes the structure of content clear and easy to find. Channel names are consistent to make it simpler to visually scan for the edition you need. We use this format: month followed by year.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Screenshot%20Team%20Channels_tcm38-472947.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Screenshot of Microsoft Teams, team channels: General, April 2021, February 2021, March 2021 (has focus), 15 hidden channels.&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of Microsoft Teams, team channels: General, April 2021, February 2021, March 2021 (has focus), 15 hidden channels.&quot; style=&quot;width: 66%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessible-nl-team-channels&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Subject lines for posts&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Posts begin with a subject line announcing the topic. This structures the information to make it easier to find. Example: forgot when the publication date is going to be? Check the post thread “Proposed Publishing Schedule for March.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Screenshot%20Proposed%20Schedule%20Subject%20Line_tcm38-472946.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Screenshot of a Teams post from March 2 by Jennie Delisi. Subject line is bold and larger text: Proposed Publishing Schedule for March Newsletter.&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of a Teams post from March 2 by Jennie Delisi. Subject line is bold and larger text: Proposed Publishing Schedule for March Newsletter.&quot; style=&quot;width: 72%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessible-nl-proposed-schedule-subject&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Consistency&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For tasks that repeat, the process is the same. Example: each month we use the same post subject lines for each section of the process. This helps new staff onboard and helps us work more efficiently.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Reduction of emails&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Most of our communications go through Teams. This allows for:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Less searching through emails.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Using thumbs up for agreement. Example: “Here’s the schedule for the March edition. Please use thumbs up to show you agree. Any proposed changes: please reply to this thread.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The entire team has access to the information.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Those with memory issues can find everything in one place.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Using @ mention helps a person find content for them, triggers a notification using their preferred method.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;When someone else needs to take over a task they have the complete history.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Hide older channels&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Channels for older editions can be helpful when researching previously used content. These channels do not need to be visible all the time. Hiding older channels keeps the team organized, improves findability.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Files organized by topic/channel&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The team stores all files related to the edition within the channel. This includes our graphics and articles.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Screenshot%20Channel%20Files_tcm38-472944.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Screenshot of February 2021 channel’s files. Includes Word documents “Accessibility Mailbag” and “High Contrast Article” and image files “EmailAltText” and “mail-blog.”&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of February 2021 channel’s files. Includes Word documents “Accessibility Mailbag” and “High Contrast Article” and image files “EmailAltText” and “mail-blog.”&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessible-nl-channel-files&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use meaningful text (like the title of the file) for links in posts about a file. This helps team members go directly to the file you are discussing.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Authors receive information before submitting&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We now provide authors with instructions before they begin the writing process. The goal is to improve readability and cognitive accessibility. This will also ensure we have a consistent style and reduce the amount of editing the team needs to do. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some examples of information we share:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If you are using screen shots or other images, please send them as good quality files, separate from the body content.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;This ensures that when readers magnify content to 200%, they are as clear as possible.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Present information in ways that improve cognitive accessibility of the content. This includes:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use headings to help readers understand the content sections.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use passive voice as few times as possible (preferably no use of passive voice).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Reduce the use of technical terms and jargon without explanation of terms.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use the full text of a name or organization followed by its acronym for its first use.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Check your reading level. While we do not have an official reading level requirement, we recommend using the lowest reading level appropriate for your content. Tools to check reading level include those in &lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/get-your-document-s-readability-and-level-statistics-85b4969e-e80a-4777-8dd3-f7fc3c8b3fd2?ui=en-us&amp;amp;rs=en-us&amp;amp;ad=us&quot;&gt;Microsoft Word&apos;s readability and level statistics&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://hemingwayapp.com/&quot;&gt;Hemingway App&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Newsletter template&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility was a priority for the development of the newsletter template. This makes adding content using accessibility best practices something which requires less thinking. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Content blocks already have or prompt you to include some key components:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Option to open the bulletin in a web page&lt;/strong&gt;. Some readers prefer the HTML version of the newsletter.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Headings&lt;/strong&gt;. The heading colors, sizes, and font communicate structure, pass color contrast, and increase readability.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contact information&lt;/strong&gt;. Ensures readers can reach out with questions and concerns.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Other reminders about digital accessibility are built into the creation tool. We use GovDelivery to publish our newsletter. When we load images into the newsletter there is a reminder that the file name also serves as the alt text.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Screenshot%20GovDelivery%20Alt%20Text_tcm38-472945.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Screenshot of Select an image dialog. Label for text field “Name (used for alt text)” is circled. &quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of Select an image dialog. Label for text field “Name (used for alt text)” is circled. &quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessible-nl-govdelivery-alt-text&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Webpage template&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Blog posts may be hosted on a website, separate from the newsletter. Don&apos;t forget to consider the template for the webpage of each blog post. Follow the digital accessibility standard to ensure the blog post template meets all requirements.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Edit&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The team completes edits for blog posts using files stored in the channel. This eliminates multiple versions that can occur when sharing documents by email.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Posts indicating “needs review”&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As we edit, we post on the Teams channel as we complete tasks. We tag individuals in the posts to alert that the document is ready for the next step by adding @ and the person’s name.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We track changes in the Microsoft Word document stored in Teams. Reviewers can read the previous version and the current version. They can also choose a variety of markup options (All Markup, Simple Markup, No Markup, Original).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Alt text in blog drafts&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The best alt text authors are those who:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Chose the graphic to reinforce the text information.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Clearly state the information shared in the graphic.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Create alt text that is concise but provides equivalent information.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Identify when readers needing text will require more details and can provide this in another way.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We recently started asking blog post authors to add the alt text into the blog draft. We find this to be more efficient than when editors create the alt text. Authors who need help writing alt text work with the editors.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;During the editing phase we review the proposed alt text. Review may result in edits to the graphic to ensure the intended graphic conveys the idea efficiently.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Screenshot%20Alt%20Text%20in%20Comment_tcm38-472948.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Screenshot of text and image in article. Comment includes file location, alt text to be used for image in article.&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of text and image in article. Comment includes file location, alt text to be used for image in article.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessible-nl-alt-text-in-comment&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Content&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We verify in the editing process that written content considers digital accessibility. We review to ensure the author included the practices we sent them. We also review content to ensure:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Meaningful text for links works well in a list of links&lt;/strong&gt;, and help the reader know where the link will take them. Consider how all your links will appear in an alphabetized list of links. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Link text tells the reader if they are going to documents or multimedia content. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Structures support the content&lt;/strong&gt;. Lists help organize content and communicate structure. They also improve readability. We review headings to ensure they provide an outline of the content.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Test&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Staging site for blog&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When the content is in staging, we do a final digital accessibility and content review before we publish the blog. Accessible templates reduce the amount of checking needed at this stage. They also reduce the time it takes to fix issues. The staging review includes:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Check for the presence of alt text&lt;/strong&gt; and that the file name is not there accidentally.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Confirm heading structure&lt;/strong&gt;. Ensure that headings look correct and appear in the HTML code with the appropriate hierarchy (example: H3s follow H2s, not H1s).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Meaningful text describes links&lt;/strong&gt;. Link text is correct and opens the right website, file, or multi-media content.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Newsletter email test&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our newsletter development tool lets us send tests before publishing. This is so helpful! &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We run the same tests as for the staging site. We also check for:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Errors in the subject line&lt;/strong&gt;. Spelling errors do not always get caught until we run this test.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Preheader text that makes sense when heard out of context&lt;/strong&gt;. Preheaders are available in the GovDelivery bulletin tool that we use. You can customize text that is visually seen by those using tools like Outlook when looking at their list of emails. It is also heard by those using a screen reader when they open the email. If you do not use this section, sometimes this will become a URL for the newsletter or the first image if it is linked. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Screenshot%20Bulletin%20Test_tcm38-472942.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Screenshot of Outlook email in list with TEST at end of subject line. Preheader is beneath the subject line, “Did you make a New Year’s Resolution to learn more about accessibility? Opening this email counts!”&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of Outlook email in list with TEST at end of subject line. Preheader is beneath the subject line, “Did you make a New Year’s Resolution to learn more about accessibility? Opening this email counts!”&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessible-nl-bulletin-test&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The team’s commitment&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our team is committed to full inclusion. As Minnesota works toward achieving the goal of 10% employment of people with disabilities in the executive branch as outlined in &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/governor/assets/2019_04_01_EO_19-15_tcm1055-378183.pdf&quot;&gt;Executive Order 19-15 (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;, we strive to ensure that all employees have access to our newsletter’s content. Accessibility is part of both the planning and operation of the newsletter. This reduces the amount of work and rework done at each stage. As tools change and new options become available, we revisit the process. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our inclusive process ensures that we are always looking for ways to improve our efficiencies, and our digital accessibility. We are not perfect, but trying new processes, communication strategies, and tools over time helps us all improve.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>472949</id><pubdate>2021-03-31T13:39:04Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Whether you work remotely or in the office, you need your systems to be secure. There are steps that we can all take to stay safe online and protect your data. </Description><Audience/><Title>How to Secure Your Work Environment Secure</Title><Publisher/><Subject>cybersecurity</Subject><Subject>secure</Subject><Subject>stay safe</Subject><Subject>data</Subject><Subject>system</Subject><Subject>remote work</Subject><Subject>telework</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>The Role and Scope of Minnesota’s Technology Accessibility Advisory Committee</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>empty conference room with table and equipment</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/tacc-blog_tcm38-473128.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>conference room with table and equipment</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/tacc-blog-thumb_tcm38-473129.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2021-03 - Technology Accessibility Advisory Committee</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-473155&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2021-03-24T16:08:42Z</Date><ShortDescription>The Technology Accessibility Advisory Committee (TAAC) is part of the MNIT governance structure. Members of the TAAC are leaders from one of three groups: state agencies, state disability organizations, and MNIT. This committee is focused on governance of the statewide accessibility program.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>How the statewide accessibility program is governed</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;By: Jay Wyant, Chief Information Accessibility Officer&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A 2009 law created the Office of Accessibility, which now operates as part of Minnesota IT Services (MNIT). The Office of Accessibility sponsors cross-agency work and collaborates with digital accessibility coordinators who represent many agencies, boards, and commissions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;With all that work, did you know that there’s a committee that provides the Office with strategic direction and guidance?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Technology Accessibility Advisory Committee (TAAC) is part of the MNIT governance structure. Members of the TAAC are leaders from one of three groups: state agencies, state disability organizations, and MNIT. It also includes one representative of the state’s Digital Accessibility Coordinators. Coordinators do the day-to-day work of implementing accessibility policies, procedures, and best practices.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The legislature created the first TAAC in 2009. That committee designed the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot;&gt;digital accessibility and usability standard&lt;/a&gt;. It officially disbanded after an initial extension from the legislature in 2013. However, state agencies and state disability organizations thought it was important to maintain a committee focused on governance of the statewide accessibility program.  So MNIT relaunched the new TAAC within its governance operations. While the new TAAC does not include external stakeholders, it includes state agencies that represent the perspectives of people with disabilities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The role of the TAAC:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Set direction&lt;/strong&gt;. TAAC members help set the strategic direction of the Office of Accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Provide feedback&lt;/strong&gt;. They provide feedback on how the Office of Accessibility impacts their respective organizations.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Act as champions&lt;/strong&gt;. Effectively implementing accessibility requires a culture shift in how organizations work. TAAC members have a responsibility to promote that change and champion accessibility at their organizations.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“As the State’s Chief Procurement Officer, it’s important to me to remain involved and help ensure that our organizations continue to do everything possible to provide accessible and usable information and services to our citizens and employees.” - Betsy Hayes, Chair of TAAC 2009-2011, member 2009-present. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A great example of how the TAAC functions in relationship with other accessibility initiatives was the development of the Office of Accessibility’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/accessibility-5-year-strategic-plan_tcm38-386157.pdf&quot;&gt;five-year strategic plan (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;. The plan represents a collaboration between the TAAC, the digital accessibility coordinators, and the Office of Accessibility. The coordinators identified challenges and recommended priorities to resolve them. The members of the TAAC viewed these recommendations from the lens of agency needs and priorities. Together, with the Office of Accessibility, everyone had input into the strategic plan.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As Lolly Lijewski, Digital Accessibility Coordinator for the Department of Human Services and TAAC co-chair noted, “The iterative process ensured that the strategic plan made sense to everyone.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Currently the TAAC, which meets quarterly, is looking at how accessibility intersects with other statewide diversity and inclusion efforts. They are also discussing the one- and two-year priorities for the Office of Accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;TAAC Current Membership&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;As of March 30, 2021&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;MNIT Representatives&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jon Eichten&lt;/strong&gt;, Deputy Commissioner, MNIT&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Paul Weinberger&lt;/strong&gt;, Business Solutions Director, MNIT partnering with Minnesota Department of Transportation&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Brian Allie&lt;/strong&gt;, Chief Business Technology Officer (CBTO), MNIT partnering with Department of Economic and Employment Development&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Matthew Porett&lt;/strong&gt;, CBTO, MNIT partnering with Minnesota Department of Education&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jay Wyant&lt;/strong&gt;, Co-chair, Chief Information Accessibility Officer, MNIT’s Office of Accessibility&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Agency Representatives&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Betsy Hayes&lt;/strong&gt;, Chief Procurement Officer, Minnesota Department of Administration&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Kate Awsumb&lt;/strong&gt;, Deputy Communications Director, Minnesota Department of Health&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dori Leland&lt;/strong&gt;, Deputy Commissioner, Enterprise Human Resources, Minnesota Management and Budget&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Janelle Tummel&lt;/strong&gt;, Assistant Commissioner, Enterprise Communications and Planning, Minnesota Management and Budget&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Vacancy&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Community Representatives&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Amy Perron&lt;/strong&gt;, Program Coordinator, MN STAR Program&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Darlene Zangara&lt;/strong&gt;, Executive Director, Commission of Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing Minnesotans&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Natasha Jerde&lt;/strong&gt;, Director, State Services for the Blind&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;David Fenley&lt;/strong&gt;, ADA Director, Minnesota Council on Disability&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lolly Lijewski&lt;/strong&gt;, Co-chair, Digital Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota Department of Human Services&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>473155</id><pubdate>2021-03-31T13:39:04Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description/><Audience/><Title>Office of Accessibility Responds to Digital Accessibility Questions</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>High Contrast Mode and Dark Theme Accessibility Testing</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Color blocks</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/color-values-blog_tcm38-469359.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Color wheel</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/color-values-blog-thumb_tcm38-469358.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2021-02 - High Contrast</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-469250&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2021-02-25T13:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>How to use contrast colors to comply with accessibility. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>Color schemes and accessibility</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Mobile applications and operating systems increasingly use dark themes and high contrast modes. As more options for changing modes, themes, and specific colors have become available, both users of technology and digital accessibility testers are asking the question:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Does the State of Minnesota Digital Accessibility Standard cover one of these settings or all of them? &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For example, does it address all the high contrast settings that impact operating systems and software as well as all browser renderings of dark mode?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To answer this question, let’s start with a look at these features.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What are dark and high contrast modes?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Many of us are now familiar with dark mode features on our favorite apps. We may find ourselves using Twitter’s dark mode at night because it’s easier on our eyes. Software and web application designers noticed that users like these options. They are becoming more common in software and web applications. This is in addition to an increased ability for users to customize a personal view, or customize the view of published content.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;High contrast mode has been available on operating systems like Windows since Windows 95. It is an accessibility feature that is part of the platform. This enables the setting to be used with the operating system, files, and software. Windows 10 now offers more options than the single high contrast mode of previous operating system versions. In the high contrast settings, the operating system now offers themes:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;high contrast #1&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;high contrast #2&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;high contrast black&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;high contrast white&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/high%20contrast_tcm38-469325.jpg&quot; title=&quot;windows-high-contrast-options&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of Windows 10 High Contrast options: High Contrast #1, High Contrast #2, High Contrast Black, High Contrast White.&quot; style=&quot;width: 60%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;windows-high-contrast-options&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For each of these themes Windows 10 also provides the ability to specify the colors for: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;text &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;hyperlinks&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;disabled text&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;selected text&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;button text&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;background. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/high%20contrast%20colors_tcm38-469324.jpg&quot; title=&quot;windows-text-hyperlinks-color-options&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of color options selected for Text, Hyperlinks, Disabled Text, Selected Text, Button Text, Background.&quot; style=&quot;width: 62%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;windows-text-hyperlinks-color-options&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Windows 10 has 3 themes in the Colors area setting – light, custom, and dark. The options for default Windows mode impact your system user interface (example: Start Menu, taskbar). Default Apps mode will apply to your Default Apps.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/color%20scheme_tcm38-469323.png&quot; title=&quot;windows-colors-light-dark-custom&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of Windows 10 Colors options Light, Dark, Custom and preview (dark selected).&quot; style=&quot;width: 46%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;windows-colors-light-dark-custom&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some people need to change how software, documents, and websites look on their computers. It can be essential for people with certain types of disabilities. This includes some people with migraines, low vision, and difficulty seeing or differentiating between certain colors.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Bruce Bailey, Accessibility Specialist/Information Technology Specialist for the US Access Board adds, “Some users with certain vision disabilities find high contrast (including black text on a white background) very difficult. The popularity of Dark Mode has been of great benefit to these users.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Follow these steps to determine if software and web applications meet the standard.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Step 1: Software, Web Application, or Web Content&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Determine if you are talking about or testing software, a web application, or web content. Digital accessibility subject matter experts working for the State of Minnesota define software and web application as:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Software:&lt;/strong&gt; Software is a desktop application that runs locally on a desktop or laptop computer. Software must be developed and installed for a particular operating system. It can have specific hardware requirements that must be met for it to function properly. Software is often dependent on the storage and processing power of the computer. Updates must be applied directly to the desktop or laptop installation. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Web Application:&lt;/strong&gt; A web application is delivered over the internet from a remote server, using a web browser. It works primarily with resources made available over the internet, such as storage and processing power. The use of modern web browsers increases web application capabilities. This allows developers to create more interactive interfaces that mimic a desktop application. Web applications may be limited by bandwidth.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/accessibility-guidelines-2018_tcm38-336072.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Guidelines for Accessibility and Usability of Information Technology Standard (PDF)&lt;/a&gt; defines platform software as, &quot;software that controls or otherwise interacts with hardware or provides services for other software. Microsoft Windows and the Android operating system are two examples of platform software.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0&lt;/a&gt; defines a web page as, &quot;a non-embedded resource obtained from a single URI using HTTP plus any other resources that are used in the rendering or intended to be rendered together with it by a user agent.&quot; They have additional notes and examples available in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2FTR%2FWCAG20%2F%23webpagedef&amp;amp;data=04%7C01%7Cjennie.delisi%40state.mn.us%7C141d8532cb884ef9fa7208d8b9a08e63%7Ceb14b04624c445198f26b89c2159828c%7C0%7C0%7C637463446542907879%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;amp;sdata=Zx1nNu7GAs5b11AdfOqqe4mcCqKUGR0B62ZdqTi19XA%3D&amp;amp;reserved=0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;glossary listing for web page&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Step 2: Test&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Software&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The goal of testing software is to identify that operating system preferences can be used throughout the software. Section 508 (502.2.2 No Disruption of Accessibility Features) states &quot;Software shall not disrupt platform features that are defined in the platform documentation as accessibility features.&quot; This test is in addition to the requirement for software to pass WCAG success criteria 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For software, test using high contrast mode. Verify that the software accepts the colors from the operating system preference.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It should not matter which operating system high contrast theme you use unless it makes it difficult to determine if it has been accepted. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For example, a high contrast theme and your software may both use a lot of purple. You should select a different high contrast theme - one that uses less purple. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The themes options in Windows 10 (dark, light, and custom) did not provide a quick way to see if your choices would be accepted throughout the software. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To test:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Have the software application in its default theme.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Turn on Windows 10 high contrast, with either high contrast #1, high contrast #2, high contrast black, or high contrast white (whichever one is different from the colors used within the software).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Verify that the preferences are accepted throughout the software.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A note from the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dhs.gov/508-testing&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Trusted Tester&lt;/a&gt; v4 script:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Open Sans&amp;quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;“If the software&apos;s original color palette is similar to high contrast black, select high contrast white by using the Ease of Access Center.” &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Creating Content Within Software&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Users expect default settings, such as link text color, to be accessible. This would be the same for a user that uses one of the software’s themes. Default link text color is validated by those testing the content authoring tool and the template creator, not by each content creator.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For example, Jane has her software settings set to dark theme. Joe has his software settings set to default. If Jane creates linked text in a Microsoft Teams chat, the default color of the link text does not need to be tested and/or verified to meet contrast requirements. However, if Jane chooses a custom color for the linked text, she will need to test in the default theme because the color she sees in dark theme will not necessarily be the color that will appear for Joe in the default theme.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The goal of testing is to ensure that content viewed using the default viewing mode will have sufficient contrast to pass WCAG Success Criteria 1.4.3.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To test:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Create content in user’s preferred software theme.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If using default colors, testing can stop.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If using a custom color:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Set software to use the software’s default theme.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Verify that custom colors pass Success Criteria 1.4.3.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Web Applications and Web Content&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Validate that color contrast conforms to WCAG 2.0 using color codes (examples:  Hex, RGB) for text and background. The color contrast ratio plus the font size is used to determine if it passes or fails. This test is not completed using assistive technologies. A note in the Understanding Document for Success Criteria 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) states &quot;For the purpose of Success Criteria 1.4.3 and 1.4.6, contrast is measured with respect to the specified background over which the text is rendered in normal usage.&quot; In this case, normal usage will be the viewing mode that is automatically available for all users, not a mode/theme that users can select (a user preference).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To be accessible in the default viewing mode, the text color and background color&apos;s color contrast ratio must be sufficient to pass Success Criteria 1.4.3.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Test color contrast using one of the following methods:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Determine the color contrast ratio using a tool to calculate the ratio (like &lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WebAIM&apos;s contrast checker&lt;/a&gt;) by entering the color code for the foreground and background.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use an automated testing tool.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use a testing tool that enables you to sample color using an eye dropper tool and then calculates the ratio.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As noted earlier, web page authors do not need to ensure their pages are compatible with Windows High Contrast mode. It can be difficult to support high contrast mode for web content. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;With all this in mind, Bruce Bailey shares a reminder for web developers: when specifying a foreground color, “a best practice for web authors is always specify background color.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Should Other Color Modes/Themes Have Good Contrast?&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Yes! Other modes and themes should have good contrast for many reasons. One example: a user may have recently acquired a disability that impacts their use of technology, and they may not be aware of other options available to them. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Users can also let vendors know that they are using these other modes and the challenges they have when using them.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;But these other modes, at this time, are not required to pass the State of Minnesota&apos;s Digital Accessibility Standard. While we encourage designers and developers to check functionality and contrast in these modes, it is not required for compliance. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Looking Towards the Future&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As developers continue to create products that are usable by everyone, keeping these modes in mind at the design phase will be important. Bruce Bailey shares an example, “Instead of just hard coding text on a button to be red, I think developers are more likely to encode the text semantically as ‘important’ or ‘warning.’&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>469250</id><pubdate>2021-02-25T15:04:50Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description/><Audience/><Title>Office of Accessibility Responds to Digital Accessibility Questions</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Office of Accessibility Responds to Digital Accessibility Questions</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Envelopes with blue hue background</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/mail-email_tcm38-469360.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Envelopes with blue hue background</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/mail-blog-thumb_tcm38-469357.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2021-02 - Accessibility Mailbag</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-469226&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2021-02-25T13:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>The Office of Accessibility responds to a variety of questions about digital accessibility.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Answering digital accessibility questions from state staff</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Office of Accessibility receives questions about digital accessibility from state of Minnesota employees on a variety of topics, including:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Documents&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Websites&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Web applications&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Software&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Online meetings&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This month we share responses to some questions in our inbox.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Document Accessibility&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Can people using assistive technology access this Word document?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We often get asked if people using a specific type of technology can access a Word document. Our recommendation (and a requirement for state employees): create documents following accessibility best practices. This will ensure that if a person is using assistive technology, they should be able to access it. Want to learn how to create accessible documents? Check out our free, online &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Accessible Word Document Training&lt;/a&gt;. Open to the public, state employees can also access the training through their learning management system. If you have questions about how to find the training, connect with your training coordinator.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If a user requires something beyond the access the best practices provide, they can make a request to have the document in an alternate format.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How can I check if there is alt text in an email, without using a screen reader?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When using Outlook, you can check for alt text in emails you receive by:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/block-or-unblock-automatic-picture-downloads-in-email-messages-15e08854-6808-49b1-9a0a-50b81f2d617a&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Blocking the automatic picture downloads in email messages&lt;/a&gt;, then reading the alt text that appears in its place, or&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Finding alt text for a specific image. To do this, open the email and select forward for the open email you are reading. Select the image, then do one of the following:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Right-click (Shift + F10), then select Edit Alt Text. Review the text in the Alt Text pane, or&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select the Picture Format tab in the ribbon, which becomes available once you have selected the image.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select the Alt Text button in the accessibility group. Note: depending on your version, you may need to select the expand button in the size group, typically on the right-hand side of the ribbon.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Review the alt text in the Alt Text pane.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p&gt;  &lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Outlook%20screenshot_tcm38-469249.png&quot; title=&quot;outlook-screenshot&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of Outlook email with an image in the body. Picture Format tab is circled in the ribbon. Arrow points to the alt text button in the accessibility group. Triangle points to the alt text panel.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;outlook-screenshot&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;How do I create alt text for a complex and detailed graphic?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The short answer is: avoid long alt texts. If you have a complex graphic, then provide the same content in another format. Here are some sample approaches:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Graph or chart: provide a link to a data table. Here’s an &lt;a href=&quot;http://eclds.mn.gov/#/ch3&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;example from the Minnesota Department of Education&lt;/a&gt; that enables users to toggle between a chart view and a table view.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Org chart: create an outline that explains the chart’s hierarchy.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Complex images, such as maps: provide separate text with the same information. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources provides several examples. The website for Brown’s Creek Trail has a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_trails/browns_creek/index.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;description of the trail on the webpage&lt;/a&gt;. Users can read the description or download a PDF of the map. Page 50 of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/natural_resources/invasives/2020-invasive-species-annual-report.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Invasive Species 2020 report (PDF)&lt;/a&gt; shows districts by county in both list and map form. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;How can I learn more about Excel accessibility?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DcW5J0Nd0Pg0&amp;amp;data=04%7C01%7Cjennie.delisi%40state.mn.us%7C893034114a1f43c2575508d8a6c0880a%7Ceb14b04624c445198f26b89c2159828c%7C0%7C0%7C637442693124287918%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;amp;sdata=0WVK9pnzKoKgKaYZMCQekyeVIOD9EIyNl2rv000TVBc%3D&amp;amp;reserved=0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Excel Tips and Tricks (Video)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2&gt;Web Accessibility&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3&gt;How can a beginner learn more about web accessibility?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p&gt;We received an email from a state employee: “I am working with an intern that is studying computer science, and wants to learn more about accessibility. What are your recommendations?”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) has a Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS) certification. The page &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.accessibilityassociation.org/prepareforwas&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Prepare for WAS&lt;/a&gt; has a great list of online and resource materials.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>469226</id><pubdate>2021-02-25T15:04:45Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description/><Audience/><Title>Microsoft Edge + Immersive Reader</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Microsoft Edge + Immersive Reader</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Book icon with blow horn icon next to book text</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/immersive-reader-blog-and-email_tcm38-463812.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Book icon with blowhorn icon.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/immersive-reader-blog-thumb_tcm38-463814.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2021-01 - Microsoft Edge + Immersive Reader</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-463845&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2021-01-26T13:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Learn about accessibility features using Immersive Reader with Microsoft Edge.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Using Immersive Reader with Microsoft Edge</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By: Jennie Delisi&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I get excited when I learn about a new accessibility feature. This is especially true for those that help people with cognitive disabilities. But I found it difficult to understand how to use Immersive Reader with Microsoft Edge. It only worked about half of the times I tried using it. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This month we will share information about using Immersive Reader with Edge for:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;People who want to use the accessibility feature.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;IT support staff who test to ensure it works in their environment.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Web developers and web content creators who want to have it work with their pages.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Immersive Reader – The Tool&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Immersive Reader is a tool that is present in some Microsoft desktop and web apps. When reading text on the web, it can help by:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Reading text out loud for you.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Highlighting text as it reads.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Providing definitions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Showing picture symbols to help you understand the text.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;These features help people by supporting: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Reading comprehension and speed. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Focus. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Word recognition.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The availability of the feature can depend on your Microsoft license and Microsoft product (Word, OneNote, Edge, etc.). This article focuses specifically on using it for reading web content with Microsoft Edge. However, Microsoft has a webpage that helps you know where you should be able to use the functionality – &lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/languages-and-products-supported-by-immersive-reader-47f298d6-d92c-4c35-8586-5eb81e32a76e&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Languages and products supported by Immersive Reader. &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Open Edge and navigate to a web page. If the Immersive Reader functionality is available on that page, an icon with a book and a speaker will appear between the web page URL address and the “Add this page to favorites” button (star with a plus sign connected to it). You can try this out by visiting the webpage &lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/use-immersive-reader-for-onenote-10712138-b4ed-4513-958d-d9a1b3038170&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Use Immersive Reader for OneNote.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/immersive-reader-for-one-note_tcm38-463850.jpg&quot; title=&quot;immersive-reader-for-one-note&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of Immersive Reader icon, highlighted, between the end of the URL and the favorite button.&quot; style=&quot;width: 41%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;immersive-reader-for-one-note&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The keyboard shortcut to toggle Immersive Reader on and off is F9, or you can select the icon with your mouse. This will provide the tool’s options below the address bar:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Read aloud&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Text preferences&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Grammar tools&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Reading preferences&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/immersive-reader-options_tcm38-463849.png&quot; title=&quot;immersive-reader-options&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of Immersive Reader options displaying below the address bar.&quot; style=&quot;width: 96%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;immersive-reader-options&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Expanding each option provides the ability to customize options further. For example, you can add more text space, decide how many lines to highlight while reading, and turn on the picture dictionary.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Sometimes, the Immersive Reader icon will not be available for a web page. Even using the keyboard shortcut to toggle it on may not work. For those using Edge Version 81.0.396.0 (Official build) canary (64-bit) or greater, there is a possible work around:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Highlight/select text on the page you want to read.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Right click (or Shift + F10) and select Open in Immersive Reader.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The IT Side of Immersive Reader&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;IT Support&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;IT support staff can help someone check if Immersive Reader is working within their Edge browser by running a few simple tests:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Keep a website like &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/cognitive/#:~:text=Cognitive%20Accessibility%20in%20W3C%20Standards%20Existing%20and%20developing,Guidelines%20%28WCAG%29%20includes%20requirements%20that%20address%20cognitive%20accessibility&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Cognitive Accessibility at W3C&lt;/a&gt; bookmarked so you can use it for testing. Since not all web pages support the Immersive Reader functionality, it is important to use a page known to work with the tool. Paste the link above into the user’s Edge browser.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Check for the Immersive Reader icon in the address bar (between the URL and the favorites button).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If present:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select it.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Check that the options display.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If not present, then the tool is not working as expected, and further testing should be conducted.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Developers and Web Content Creators&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;According to Microsoft; “Immersive Reader is a standalone web application. When invoked using the Immersive Reader client library (it) is displayed on top of your existing web application in an iframe” (from the &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cognitive-services/immersive-reader/overview&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Microsoft Azure article “What is Immersive Reader?”&lt;/a&gt;) The &lt;a href=&quot;https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cognitive-services/immersive-reader/quickstarts/client-libraries?pivots=programming-language-csharp&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Quickstart: Get started with Immersive Reader&lt;/a&gt; lists requirements for integrating Immersive Reader:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Azure subscription.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Visual Studio 2019.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;An Immersive Reader resource configured for Azure Active Directory authentication.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Immersive Reader Challenges&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Several IT staff worked together to determine why we were not always able to get Immersive Reader to work in Edge. This is a tool we know may be extremely helpful for some state of Minnesota employees. User instructions did not (at time of writing) include easily findable information about why it does not always work. This can lead the user to think it is something to do with their version of Windows or Edge. Not being able to use it the same way on all pages may cause some users to stop using the tool.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The requirement for developers to follow quite specific steps using specific tools – rather than simply encouraging them to follow digital accessibility best practices could cause many developers to skip adding this tool on their site. Most assistive technology tools can access accessible web pages without this extra requirement. In fact, there are free assistive technology tools that work as extensions and add-ons, and work with accessible web pages. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For those who need such tools, making them easy to find and use, and easy for developers to implement will help make the web a more inclusive place. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A friendly reminder from David Miller, Lead Quality Analyst - Application Services: “Immersive Reader functionality should not be relied upon as a ‘fix’ for an inaccessible website. Websites should be made accessible first, and only then add Immersive Reader functionality to them.  (Kind of like the warnings about ARIA, and accessibility overlays.)” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Special thanks to the following Minnesota IT Services staff for their contributions to this article: Kris Schulze, Experience IT Program Manager; David Miller, Lead Quality Analyst; and Nicholas Bawek, Systems Architect.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
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&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>463845</id><pubdate>2021-01-26T01:00:19Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description/><Audience/><Title>Making a Proposal and Grant Management System Accessible for All</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Making a Proposal and Grant Management System Accessible for All</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Laptop displaying LLCMR website on the screen.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/lccmr-blog-and-email_tcm38-463813.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Laptop displaying LCCMR on the screen.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/lccmr-blog-thumb_tcm38-463815.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2021-01 - LCCMR Accessibility System</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-463816&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2021-01-26T13:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Learn how the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) moved from a paper-based process to an inclusive online system.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Building a system that meets the state digital accessibility standard for all users.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By: Michael Lind Varien, Senior Project Analyst with the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) is currently designing, developing, and implementing an online proposal and grant management system. One of the objectives is to build a system that meets the state digital accessibility standard for all users, including:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;State employees.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Commission members.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Funding applicants.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The LCCMR is a legislative commission made up of seventeen members, including ten legislators and seven citizens. The commission recommends projects to the legislature to receive funding from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (ENRTF).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our plan was to design, develop, and implement an online proposal and grants management system. It would: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Manage all components of the LCCMR process, from project proposal through project implementation to project completion. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Serve as a searchable database of our project portfolio.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provide a place for commission members to review and evaluate proposals. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The aim was to move our paper-based process to an online system. A primary goal was to shift from providing accommodations when requested to accessibility for all users. We are committed to upholding the state standard for accessibility to make information accessible to all Minnesotans.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Early on, the staff’s initial questions set the stage for incorporating accessibility throughout the project. These included: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What are our users’ accessibility needs?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What is our capacity to address digital accessibility?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What resources are available? &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Is digital accessibility even required?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;IT is not the area of expertise for the commission’s five staff members. While we make documents accessible and understand the needs of some people that access our body of work, we have limited expertise to address digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As a joint commission of the legislative branch, the LCCMR does not have a designated IT department. Most IT and accessibility needs are managed in-house; in other words, by my four colleagues and me. However, we do have limited access to various resources, such as: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;House, Senate, and non-partisan IT&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Minnesota IT Services and the Office of Accessibility&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When we began this project there was no statute, but since beginning this project, the legislature passed law that requires the legislature to comply with digital accessibility standards adopted for state agencies.  Our experience had also shown us that any system we built would need to meet accessibility standards. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We started with our most common accommodation needs and used that to help guide us through the planning and development of the system. We needed a system that would reduce the costs of our current accommodation process. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There were many details that we simply did not know, such as what specific accessibility criteria to include in a Request for Proposal (RFP) for prospective system developers. This is why we asked the Office of Accessibility for help. In preliminary meetings with the Office of Accessibility and members of the interagency accessibility working group we discussed: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;What it means to be accessible. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The state digital accessibility standard. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Options for testing the system.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How to provide the right information for a vendor to respond appropriately to a RFP.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;RFPs Communicate Commitment to Accessibility&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When we drafted the RFP we wanted to ensure that we communicated the importance of digital accessibility for both the system and any documents generated by the system. To do this we included the following statements in four distinct parts of the RFP: background, scope of work, deliverables, and an appendix.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Example language from the request for proposal &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;V. Background&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Labor-intensive manual remediation is at times required to enable documents to comply with electronic accessibility standards.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;VIII. Scope of Work&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Ability to meet accessibility standards and needs for system user interface and data and document uses.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;XI. Contents of Proposal&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Responders must complete the Voluntary Product/Service Accessibility Templates, VPAT, (508 VPAT and WCAG 2.0 VPAT). See the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/it-procurement.jsp&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&apos;Procurement&apos; tab&lt;/a&gt; and go to the &apos;Products&apos; tab then go to &apos;VPAT 2.0 site (via ITIC)&apos;. This component of the Proposal should demonstrate the Responder’s capabilities in regards to supporting the State of Minnesota’s accessibility statute. The Responder can also provide their Accessibility Maturity Roadmap that spells out how and when accessibility improvements are incorporated into their solution. Submitted VPAT(s) will be incorporated into the contract that results from this solicitation, if awarded.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Appendix I&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;B. System Interface&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“19. System interface should be ADA (Americans with Disability Act) accessible utilizing or compatible with adaptive technologies according to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 of the &lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/mnit/images/Stnd_State_Accessibility.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;State of Minnesota&apos;s Accessibility Standard (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Wireframes and Accessible Design Impact Final Product&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;One of the most important steps we took was early review of the system wireframes by accessibility experts and users. This preliminary review was critical to the success of this project. It avoided the cost of building inaccessible parts of the system that would later need reworking, and it raised everyone’s understanding of digital accessibility. Here is how that worked: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The vendor and their system engineering staff, LCCMR staff, and accessibility experts met to discuss these reviews.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The vendor presented their design. They explained how the system would be built on the backend, how they would troubleshoot issues and find solutions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accessibility experts identified potential problems with the design, such as color contrast, and navigation issues.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The vendor did some troubleshooting and worked with accessibility experts on possible solutions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Nothing was actually built during the discussion, because we talked through the wireframes to anticipate issues before anything was built.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; “As a vendor it was extremely beneficial to discuss how accessibility standards play into the design prior to development. It truly felt like we were all one team working towards a common goal.”
&lt;br /&gt;
– Brian Fisher, Houston Engineering Inc.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The following is an example from these meetings with the experts. We originally designed a table in the wireframes and thought this would allow users to access everything in the system from one place. Users could: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;See all the projects. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use action icons to edit. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Review, add or remove collaborators. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Address overdue reports.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;See all the important information about a project. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As a staff, we thought we had designed the ultimate user interfaces for our system. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Interface1.2_tcm38-463823.png&quot; title=&quot;system-interface-not-accessible&quot; alt=&quot;system-interface-not-accessible&quot; style=&quot;width: 43%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;system-interface-not-accessible&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This table is great for me, but that is only because I can see, I know what the icons are, and I can use a mouse and a keyboard. However, when we met with the accessibility experts, they all chuckled because, from an accessibility perspective, this would be difficult to make both accessible and usable. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As a result of wireframe review by accessibility experts, we moved most actions to more appropriate locations throughout the system. This made the table simpler, and the system more dynamic. This also avoided costly rebuilds, and made the system overall more usable for everyone. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Interface2.2_tcm38-463824.png&quot; title=&quot;system-interface-accessible&quot; alt=&quot;system-interface-accessible&quot; style=&quot;width: 42%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;system-interface-accessible&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility Testing&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We included accessibility testing as part of the user acceptance testing (UAT) for the various users and parts of the system. We coordinated with the Office of Accessibility, and developed specific test plans that allowed experts to strategically test specific functionality and parts of the system. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Additionally, LCCMR staff were trained to test common accessibility aspects including: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Color contrast.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Color alone.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Magnification.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Keyboard operable.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Visible focus.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Focus order.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Meaningful link text.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The experts focused on more difficult testing. LCCMR staff covered simpler tests, and got on-the-job training that would carry over to other areas. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Office of Accessibility collated testing results, wrote a report of findings, and met with the vendor and LCCMR staff to address any barriers and possible solutions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Takeaways for Future Projects&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Successes included the benefits of collaboration, training, and planning for accessibility from the start. We also learned some lessons, including: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;No one test captures all the things that need to be checked for accessibility. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Testing results are not always a yes or no answer.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accessibility has multiple elements for both systems and documents. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Multiple perspectives are required.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;An actual person does the testing and evaluation (it&apos;s not just automated testing). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Meeting the state digital accessibility standard is not simply checking a box. It is, and should be, a significant part of any plan to build an online system.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In the future, we would plan for more time and resources to design, build, and test for accessibility. To do this we recommend user acceptance testing for a typical user and for accessibility to ensure the system works for everyone. Plan a parallel testing and review timeline that aligns standard UAT and accessibility testing such that they each have distinct testing periods and milestones.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Next Steps, and Positive Feedback!&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We are actively using the completed parts of the system while design, build, and testing  the remaining functionality continues. We have issued the 2022 RFP for ENRTF funding, which will be the second year using the system for proposals. Initial feedback from testers and users suggests that we have built a system that is more accessible for all users. Comments from project managers and grantees include how easy it is to use, navigate, and work in this online system. We believe including accessibility from the start is helping us build a system that is more user-friendly and accessible for all.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Learn More&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.lccmr.leg.mn/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/CaseStudyStartingWithAccessibility_tcm38-464054.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Case Study Starting With Accessibility&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Case Study Starting With Accessibility&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;Government IT Symposium presentation - Case Study - Starting with Accessibility (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;State of Minnesota’s Digital Accessibility Standard and Statute: &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Accessibility Policies &amp;amp; Standards&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (Part of Minnesota’s Digital Accessibility Standard)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/2019/1/Session+Law/Chapter/10/#laws.5.1.0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2019 law requiring legislative branch to comply with the state digital accessibility standard by 2024&lt;/a&gt; (Laws of Minnesota 2019, 1st Special Session, chapter 10, article 5, section 1)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>463816</id><pubdate>2021-01-26T01:00:19Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><DublinCore><Description/><Audience/><Title>Government IT Symposium 2020 – Accessibility Highlights</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Government IT Symposium 2020 – Accessibility Highlights</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Government IT Symposium logo in the sky over St. Paul buildings.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/symposium-web_tcm38-458245.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Government IT Symposium logo in the sky over St. Paul buildings.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/symposium-web-thumb_tcm38-458244.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2020-12 - Government IT Symposium 2020 – Accessibility Highlights</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-458209&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-12-17T01:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>The Office of Accessibility asked Rita Larson to share takeaways from the 2020 Government IT Symposium.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>A Government Technology Conference Through the Eyes of a Digital Accessibility Coordinator</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Rita Larson, Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota IT Services partnering with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Editor’s note:
&lt;br /&gt;
Minnesota’s digital accessibility coordinators share accessibility news, techniques, and resources with their state of Minnesota colleagues. They attend conferences to learn the latest and maintain their certifications. The Office of Accessibility asked Rita Larson to share takeaways from the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mngts.org/itsym/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2020 Government IT Symposium&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Starting with Accessibility&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;One seminar, “Case Study: Starting with Accessibility = Project and Team Wins,” focused on the importance and benefits of including accessibility at all stages of developing a web application. The Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) is updating their Proposal and Grant Management System from a paper-based to online system. At the start of the project, the LCCMR knew that it was important to include accessibility in all stages of planning, but knew they would need help.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;They reached out to the state of Minnesota’s Office of Accessibility for guidance. The Office of Accessibility worked with LCCMR through the entire project. The first step was ensuring the Request for Proposal (RFP) language included the accessibility standards, accessibility testing, and final reviews.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The benefits of including accessibility at all stages of the project include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;reduced costs by finding and fixing issues early in the process, rather than having to do rewrites at the end.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;increased staff skills and knowledge. Included in the plan was staff training on how and what to test.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The resulting online system will be easier to use. Already, the system is more accessible for staff, members, and all applicants (both those with and without disabilities). &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The speakers packed a lot of valuable information into a short time frame. The most important resource shared was the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/maps/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility website&lt;/a&gt; which provides a tremendous amount of information. Other resources shared include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.lccmr.leg.mn/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) home page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://lccmrprojectmgmt.leg.mn/#/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;LCCMR Proposal and Grant Management System&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility in Collaboration Tools &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The next accessibility seminar, “Being an Accessibility #A11y with Microsoft 365 &amp;amp; Teams,” focused on how to collaborate in ways that maximize accessibility, diversity, and inclusion, using Microsoft 365 and Teams. The session provided a lot of good information and helpful tips. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Both speakers presented a lot of information in a clear and easy to understand way. They discussed how our work lives have changed so much, in particular: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The large role of technology in that change.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The changing way we communicate with each other.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How the Office of Accessibility and many state employees worked together to make the change easier. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It was interesting to hear what Microsoft is doing to increase accessibility for all people, regardless of any disability. There was information about how it’s even easier to access and use tools that can help us make sure that documents are accessible to all. A YouTube channel was highlighted for the numerous videos to help people learn how to use Microsoft’s tools most efficiently.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The speakers presented a lot of useful, practical information, including actions everyone can take to increase accessibility for everyone. It’s a shame that this presentation wasn’t longer. The speakers provided a lot of helpful links, including the Microsoft YouTube channel. Some of the resources shared:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/list/appId/1/filterType/Category/filterValue/Accessibility/page/1/sort//order/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Minnesota IT Services blog - accessibility category&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Option to subscribe to the Office of Accessibility by Text:  
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Text to # 468311: MNIT A11y&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/user/MSFTEnable&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Microsoft’s YouTube accessibility channel (Video)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Local Digital Accessibility Journey&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;One panel featured representatives from local governments. “The Digital Accessibility Journey Through Counties, Cities and Towns” included Mel Reeder, League of Minnesota Cities CIO, and Leah Patton, Minnesota County IT Leadership Association Executive Director. This seminar was a great mix of information and questions.  The main topic: assessing where counties, cities, and towns are in their accessibility journey, and the drivers that are pushing them to be more accessible. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Among the important points discussed were: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Key forces driving these governments to be more accessible are generally negative: recent laws and regulations and the fear of litigation.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Nearly half of all poll respondents are doing some accessibility testing and staff are more aware of the need for accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;More than half noted significant barriers to being more accessible, including understanding the standards, awareness, and money.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The differences and overlaps between accessibility, accommodations and assistive technology were also discussed. It was interesting to find out that while many people may not consider themselves disabled, accommodations for them are often used and helpful. The discussion also included how the COVID-19 pandemic made accessibility more important. From the increase in virtual meetings to applying for permits online instead of in person, our way of life has changed. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A very important part of this discussion focused on the importance of developing accessible websites, especially when using vendors. The speakers made a key point: just including accessibility in an RFP is not enough. It is important to verify that accessibility works. Using a third party to verify accessibility is a good idea.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This seminar was really good and provided a lot of information.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Golden GOVIT Award&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What are the Golden GOVIT Awards?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Government IT Symposium also awards government agencies and individuals for contributions to advance government technology through collaboration, innovation, service and individual leadership. The Government IT Symposium Steering Committee reviews nominations for the Golden GOVIT Awards, which can come from a government body or individual. Sessions featuring the finalists occur at the symposium. The symposium announces the winners on the final day.  It’s a great way to feature and celebrate hard work and innovation.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The five categories this year were:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Collaboration (product/program)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Innovation&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Service (product/program)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Individual Leader&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Rapid Response&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Pathway to Accessible Digital Maps was a finalist for the Collaboration category. The project implemented well-designed and accessible maps. The State of Minnesota’s Maps Accessibility Community of Practice (MCOP) was a key driver in this effort. The team is comprised of over 40 members from 15 Minnesota state agencies, the Legislature, Office of the Secretary of State, Met Council, and University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Although this team was not the winner, the results of the projects are impressive:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Website resources have been accessed by 5,700 unique visitors in 46 states, 3 provinces in Canada, and 37 countries, with over 4,000 downloads.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Minnesota state agencies have adopted accessibility into mapping products. For example, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) implemented accessibility in 150 mapping products that receive over 1.1 million visitors.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Resources that state employees and the public can access. Check out:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/maps/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Map Accessibility&lt;/a&gt;: learn more about map design, static digital maps, and interactive web maps&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Quick Cards:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/quick-card-map-design_tcm38-375674.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Map Design (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/quick-card-static-map_tcm38-375675.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Static Maps (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/quick-card-web-map_tcm38-403740.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Interactive Web Maps (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Congratulations to the team. Their efforts have made a difference for many people throughout the world.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>458209</id><pubdate>2020-12-16T23:00:15Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description/><Audience/><Title>Digital Accessibility in Minnesota – 2020 in Review</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Digital Accessibility in Minnesota – 2020 in Review</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>2020 with two laptops</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/2020-review-web_tcm38-457862.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>2020 with two laptop images</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/2020-review-web-thumb_tcm38-457861.png</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2020-12 - Digital Accessibility in Minnesota – 2020 in Review</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-457810&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-12-17T01:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Read about the milestones and events that took place in 2020.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>2020 Year in Review</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;2020 was a big year for anniversaries. It was the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;100th anniversary of the Smith-Fess Act, which gave rise to vocational rehabilitation services&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;50th anniversary of the Developmental Disabilities Act&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;45th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In addition to national anniversaries, September 1 was the 10-year anniversary of the state of Minnesota’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;digital accessibility standard&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Like many other 2020 plans, celebrations of all these important milestones changed or now have future dates due to the coronavirus pandemic. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The shift of some long-planned celebrations to virtual events underscores the increased role digital accessibility played this year. As the state’s workforce moved from offices to their homes, the increased reliance on digital communications due to remote work heightened the need for accessible content and technology.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here are just a few examples of key milestones and related events at various agencies throughout the state. Just because an agency isn’t mentioned doesn’t mean that they aren’t also doing similar activities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Supporting shift to telework&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As they moved home, many of the state’s hard-working digital accessibility professionals saw increasing requests for support and resources for accessibility. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) converted their live training materials to accessible documents to enable state employees to continue with training from home.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) team, the Office of Accessibility, and digital accessibility coordinators supported and continue to support state employees to use online meeting and digital collaboration technology:&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot;&gt;Learning opportunities, instructions, tech support for joining online meetings when using assistive technology.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot;&gt;Training and learning materials for those who plan, host, and participate in online meetings so all attendees could engage.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot;&gt;Consultations on workflows that converted in-person and paper-based processes to digital work. This enabled more efficient and productive digital collaboration by employees during online meetings, including those using assistive technology.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Increasing commitment to accessibility&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;MDH and DNR: More Digital Accessibility Coordinator visibility&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Two agencies increased their commitment to supporting full-time digital accessibility coordinators. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) created a new full-time coordinator position, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) changed a current role from temporary to permanent.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;DEED: All-staff training&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Several agencies added accessibility training requirements for staff. The Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) required all staff to take the first two modules of an online training course in creating accessible Word documents (&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;here’s the public version&lt;/a&gt;). Other agencies created plans to roll out the training to their staff.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Improving access&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;More accessible websites&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Multiple agencies reported continued progress on making their websites more accessible. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For example, one agency has methodically corrected code for pages with:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;empty heading tags, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;no headings, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;no top-level heading, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;missing form control labels, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;iTags, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;multiple link destinations, and &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;no landmarks. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Multiple agencies reported improving menus and navigation flow to make it easier for everyone, including assistive technology users, to use their sites.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Several agencies also improved the accessibility of graphical images, including maps and graphical dashboards.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Updating to newer, more accessible technology&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;State Services for the Blind (SSB) developed a Radio Talking Book app for national distribution (&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-432871&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;profiled in an interview last May&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Adding accessibility to workflows&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;MNsure reported that they have implemented a content development workgroup. Their goal is to standardize content creation, publishing, and maintenance of accessibility standards and usability best practices in the workflows and service level guidelines.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Staff at MNsure are also writing accessibility into the core requirements for forms design and development. Instead of asking for an accessibility review at the end of the forms process, the goal is to embed accessibility into the process and minimize rework.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Metropolitan Council   hired a vendor to do an audit and provide an organizational assessment of digital accessibility practices, gaps, and opportunities at the Council.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Even the legislative branch is getting into the action! In addition to involving the Office of Accessibility on a major project (profiled in an upcoming &lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility newsletter&lt;/a&gt;), legislative staff attended an all-day training and many formed a Legislative Accessibility Group (LAG) to share tips, ideas, and resources.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Increasing accessibility of purchases&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;One of the Minnesota Department of Education’s (MDE) accomplishments this year was the significant involvement of its MNIT accessibility coordinator on several Requests for Proposals (RFPs), notably an application for the continuous improvement process. All web postings go through an accessibility review, and the team developed a process to get videos captioned with quick turnaround.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Minnesota Council on Disabilities also has a dedicated point of contact to ensure that they write accessibility into every RFP and to provide technical assistance on those projects.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Increasing awareness&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The leadership at Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) recently recognized their Digital Accessibility Coordinator and other staff for the work that went into making the biennial budget accessible. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Improving onboarding&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Minnesota Council on Disabilities includes digital accessibility in the new employee onboarding process. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Improving communications&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Department of Public Safety (DPS)’s efforts have been highly visible as they have managed many of the Governor’s news conferences. Their staff worked to ensure both captioning and American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters are available at all the conferences. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Planning for 2021&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Many other agencies report increased awareness of the need to improve digital accessibility content and services. They tracked this through a variety of metrics including but not limited to:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Number of online PDFs remediated&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Increased requests for information and training&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Improved website accessibility&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Inclusion at RFP planning meetings&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Distribution of report style templates&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Digital accessibility is a journey – as technology evolves and changes, some problems get solved while new challenges take their place. The passion, dedication, and knowledge the state’s digital accessibility coordinators bring to their jobs are key to making state information and services available and usable to all its citizens.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>457810</id><pubdate>2020-12-16T23:00:15Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description/><Audience/><Title>HTML Accessibility Learning Ideas from State Employees</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>HTML Accessibility Learning Ideas from State Employees</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Man using a refreshable braille display.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/assistive-tech-005_tcm38-356061.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Man using a refreshable braille display</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/assistive-tech-005_tcm38-356059.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2020-11 - HTML Accessibility Learning Ideas from State Employees</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-454016&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-11-19T13:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Guide to free website accessibility training and recommendations.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Accessibility Training Resources and Recommendations</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Taking the time for training is much more productive when you have a plan in mind. Minnesota IT Services’ Office of Accessibility reached out to state of Minnesota employees to give you a guide to free website accessibility training: which trainings they found helpful and why they liked them. While there are hundreds of great training programs out there, this short list gives you a great start toward learning more about web accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For those with an International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) certification remember to track the classes you take. If you’re not sure how to do that, find out:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;which learning opportunities count and&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;how to submit them&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.accessibilityassociation.org/content.asp?contentid=478&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Continuing Accessibility Education FAQ page&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Design and UX&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“I would recommend Billy Gregory’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx9LSbuqSj4&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;‘You, Ex. Breaking up with bad design’ (video)&lt;/a&gt; because it makes you think of accessibility and design by flipping everything you know upside down. For example, some habits you may rely, or have relied on may not be the best approach for the solution. In a way it led me to a more human-centered design approach, starting with me, as the designer.”&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;cite&gt;Kitty Hurley, Senior GIS Developer, Minnesota IT Services partnering with Department of Natural Resources&lt;/cite&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“I especially recommend &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEnmA4NPjP4&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;‘Why Everyone Should Design for Chiari Malformation with Veronica Lewis’ (video)&lt;/a&gt; for those wanting to learn more about how acquired disabilities impact end users. Lewis covers information such as how she started learning about accessibility and assistive technology, and what she was doing/trying before she learned more about tools available to her.”&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;cite&gt;Jennie Delisi, Office of Accessibility&lt;/cite&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;General HTML and Accessibility&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Oh my – I really feel there are several great articles, videos, etc. out there. However, one of my favorites is a complete series of videos on YouTube – &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtTyRajRuyY&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;A11ycasts with Rob Dodson&lt;/a&gt;! Some of the videos are four years old, but still relevant, easy to follow, and provide just enough information for developers to get started digging in further to the endless world of digital accessibility and the web!&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Before digging in to all the A11ycasts have to offer, I suggest developers start out by watching ‘&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8xUCzToff8&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Accessibility Fundamentals with Rob Dodson&lt;/a&gt;.’ The video does a great job at describing HTML, DOM, GUI and the accessibility tree and how they relate, in addition to so much more.”&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Another one that covers a lot of good details is ’&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlGU9GNB8iQ&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;What are accessible names and why should you care? By Russ Weakley (video)&lt;/a&gt;.’ This is a wonderful description of accessibility APIs, Document Object Model (DOM) and the accessibility tree.”&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;cite&gt;Kim Wee, Webmaster and Digital Accessibility Coordinator, for Minnesota IT Services partnering with the Department of Education&lt;/cite&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;HTML and Assistive Technology&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/techniques/screenreader/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Designing for Screen Reader Compatibility&lt;/a&gt; does a good job of covering &quot;inclusion, and the importance of coding the language attribute for all screen reader users, including those that have English as a second language.”&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;cite&gt;JoAnn Rautio, Digital Accessibility Coordinator/Business Analyst with Minnesota IT Services partnering with Department of Employment &amp;amp; Economic Development&lt;/cite&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PPdUS9zMhA&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Respecting User Preferences on the Web (video)&lt;/a&gt; with Eric Eggert “did a great job discussing some issues with ARIA. He showed practical examples, such as links made with ARIA that did not respect the high contrast mode in some cases.”&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;cite&gt;Jennie Delisi, Office of Accessibility&lt;/cite&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;HTML “Label” and “Name”&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Both Kim Wee and JoAnn Rautio recommend the article “&lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/articles/label-name/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Decoding Label and Name for Accessibility&lt;/a&gt;” by WebAIM.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“The article not only helps clarify the purpose of both Label and Name, but also gives some wonderful advice on the Accessible Name Computation!”&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Kim Wee, Webmaster and Digital Accessibility Coordinator, for Minnesota IT Services partnering with the Department of Education&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>454016</id><pubdate>2020-11-19T02:00:31Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description/><Audience/><Title>Accessibility and Digital Holiday Cards/Experiences</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Holidays</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Accessibility and Digital Holiday Cards/Experiences</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Woman typing typing text onto a digital holiday card on a tablet, presents in the background.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/holiday-e-card-web_tcm38-454117.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Woman typing typing text onto a digital holiday card on a tablet, presents in the background.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/holiday-e-card-web-thumb_tcm38-454118.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2020-11 - Accessibility and Digital Holiday Cards/Experiences</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-454019&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-11-19T13:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Consider digital accessibility as you plan your holiday experiences.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Connect with all of your loved ones this holiday season</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Connecting during the holidays is more important now than ever. Although we may be doing it in different ways, we have an opportunity in 2020 to connect with accessibility in mind. Consider digital accessibility as you plan your holiday experiences to ensure that all those you are close to can access them! Think about the needs of your family and friends who:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Typically need support to open and read letters&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Live in the community with support&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Live in group homes or nursing homes and have access to a computer with internet or smart phone&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This month we have what you need to plan more accessible: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;holiday cards, &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;online get-togethers, and &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;recorded messages&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;with ideas from citizens, state employees, and Office of Accessibility staff. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tom Reed, Advocate&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/tom_tcm38-454107.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Tom Reed&quot; alt=&quot;Tom Reed&quot; style=&quot;width: 32%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Tom Reed&quot; /&gt; 
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“I love e-cards at the holidays or e-letters. When they come to your email, no one else can snoop at it unless you share it. An e-card is awesome if it is animated,” says Tom Reed. Reed has personal care attendants and sometimes family members assist him with some tasks, but reading his mail is something he prefers to do on his own.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Digital mail, through e-cards or email, is more accessible for him but adds that there are other specific accessibility considerations to remember, “Nothing as far as my disability, but people with epilepsy may not appreciate the animations.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Reed raises a good point. If you have a family member or friend who has seizures, choose your holiday cards carefully. Let people know what the content contains, such as animations, before they open it. Mozilla has an article with more information: &lt;a href=&quot;https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/Seizure_disorders#:~:text=Seizures%20caused%20by%20light%20are%20known%20as%20photosensitive%20epilepsy.&amp;amp;text=Web%20technologies%20that%20use%20video,or%20other%20incapacitating%20physical%20reactions&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Web accessibility for seizures and physical reactions&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Justin Smith, Blogger and Advocate&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/justin_tcm38-454106.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Justin Smith&quot; alt=&quot;Justin Smith&quot; style=&quot;width: 32%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Justin Smith&quot; /&gt; 
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When asked about this topic, Justin Smith spoke about the importance of online family gatherings that are accessible. “I&apos;ll be getting together with grandparents and other relatives online this year for the holidays. For me, it works best to use meeting technology that has auto-captions because I have auditory neuropathy and hearing loss. It helps to see people&apos;s faces when they&apos;re speaking because reading lips helps me better follow the conversation. It&apos;s also great just to be able to see the smiles, hear the laughter, and not feel so far away.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Office of Accessibility has a lot of information that can help people host accessible online get-togethers. We list them in the checklist at the end of this article.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Smith solved the family letter issue in a creative way, “I am a blogger and instead of writing holiday cards, I write an end of the year blog post with highlights from my year. That helps me stay connected with friends, family, and people who follow my blog.” His blog can be found at &lt;a href=&quot;https://justinsmithwrites.com/about-me/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Justin Smith Writes&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Select a hosting site that enables you to create an accessible blog. The American Federation for the Blind provides tips in &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.afb.org/about-afb/what-we-do/afb-consulting/afb-accessibility-resources/how-make-your-blog-accessible&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;How to Make Your Blog Accessible for Blind Readers&lt;/a&gt;. This includes great information that can  improve the accessibility of your posts for everyone. Remember – blogs are public, so anyone can read the information you share.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Another option is to create an accessible Word document or PDF and attach it to an email. The Office of Accessibility has lots of great information to get you started on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/electronic-documents/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Accessible Electronic Documents page&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Samantha and Max&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/samantha-max_tcm38-454122.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Samantha-Max&quot; alt=&quot;Samantha Fischer and her son, Max&quot; style=&quot;width: 32%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Samantha-Max&quot; /&gt; 
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“One thing that not a lot of people know about me is that accessibility plays a large role in my life. I have a stepsister who is a quadriplegic (Cerebral Palsy) and my son, Max, is neuro divergent (ADHD with sensory processing disorder),” says Samantha Fischer, the Digital Accessibility Coordinator at the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Family means a lot to us and it’s important to receive greetings during the holidays to help us feel connected. Like many others in the world, with COVID we haven’t been able to get together like we’ve wanted to. However, recently, my nephew, who was stationed in Afghanistan, sent out an electronic message letting us all know he returned safely. It was great to see him and hear his voice, but there were some issues when my son tried to watch/listen that made it very difficult for him.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Fischer offers some suggestions that her son would like everyone to consider when sending messages this year:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Color contrast, color contrast, color contrast! &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Adding GIFs, fancy text, music and flashing lights can be difficult for those with cognitive disabilities to read, listen, and focus on.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;When recording any video or audio messages, background noise, such as dogs barking, babies crying, the sound of someone typing or using the mouse on a laptop, can be distracting.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Having your microphone too close to your mouth can cause “mouth noises” (i.e., the sounds of someone breathing, sharp sounds when someone makes a consonant and the worst offender of all, according to my son, sniffling).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Lolly Lijewski&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/lolly_tcm38-454105.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Lolly Lijewski&quot; alt=&quot;Lolly Lijewski&quot; style=&quot;width: 32%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Lolly Lijewski&quot; /&gt; 
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“I love getting electronic holiday cards that have an audio greeting or alt text descriptions. Something that tells me what’s going on in the card, who is in it, and a description of any images or photos. Make sure the audio is clear if you use it so people who are hard of hearing can enjoy it too.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I also enjoy written (digital) letters with good description and colorful descriptive language that paint a picture for me. Please keep in mind that not everyone can see photos or images. A good description goes a long way.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;-Lolly Lijewski, Digital Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota Department of Human Services&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Checklist&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Like all types of successful projects, starting early and planning is key. Here are some key considerations to include in your plan.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;e-Cards and Digital Letters&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Switch, alternative access, and keyboard accessibility:&lt;/strong&gt; Test using your tab and enter keys to ensure the person can open and progress through the card. This includes being able to use the play button for any media content.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Accessibility information:&lt;/strong&gt; Check if the holiday card website has information about accessibility. This is a great clue about how accessible the cards may be.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Animation:&lt;/strong&gt; Consider alerting your recipients prior to them opening a holiday card.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ask:&lt;/strong&gt; If you have questions about an e-card’s accessibility contact the site that makes them. Ask if this card is accessible. You can use phrases like, “I’m sending this to someone that is blind and uses a screen reader. Have you tested this with a screen reader?”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Audio and music:&lt;/strong&gt; Make sure that captions can be turned on and ensure the audio is clear.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Contrast:&lt;/strong&gt; Make sure that the text has at least 4.5:1 contrast with the background. If the text is large, 3:1 is okay. Find color and contrast tools on &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/websites-applications.jsp&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MNIT’s accessible website and applications page&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pictures/video visuals that are important for understanding the information:&lt;/strong&gt; Check if there is a way to add alternative text, or if the audio announces what is happening onscreen. You may need to add this information in other ways, such as in the text content of the card.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Text:&lt;/strong&gt; Check if there is a way to add this onscreen text to the information that is read aloud. This will help ensure that people with difficulty seeing the card or those with reading challenges get access to the text on the card.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Blogs&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accessibility information: Check if the blog hosting site has information about accessibility. This is a great clue about how accessible you can make your blog.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Test: Use a tool like &lt;a href=&quot;https://wave.webaim.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WAVE&lt;/a&gt; to be sure key components like headings and alt text for images are included on  your blog. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Online Get-togethers &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Audio:&lt;/strong&gt; Check your microphone and audio settings. Great suggestions in &lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/index.jsp?id=38-450251&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Tending to Your Audio&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Captions:&lt;/strong&gt; Use a platform that can at least provide automated captions. Test them out ahead of time to see how accurate they may be, and practice turning them on.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chat:&lt;/strong&gt; Some online meeting tools may announce all chat messages to those using a screen reader, making it difficult for them to follow the conversation. More information in &lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/index.jsp?id=38-443947&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Accessibility Best Practices for Using Chat in Online Meetings&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Hosting ideas:&lt;/strong&gt; Even if you keep the group relatively small, ensuring everyone gets a chance to share and catch up can be difficult. &lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/index.jsp?id=38-429835&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Remote Meeting Guide – A guide to Effective and Inclusive Remote Meetings&lt;/a&gt; has ideas that can help.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Telephone option:&lt;/strong&gt; There are several reasons why some of your party members may prefer a telephone dial-in option. This can include having a telephone that works with their hearing aids, or the ability to use a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/telecommunications-relay-service-trs&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Telecommunications Relay Service.&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Just a little planning can go a long way towards creating more accessible holiday experiences and ensure all your loved ones can access your greetings.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: rgb(236, 239, 243);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
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&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>454019</id><pubdate>2020-11-19T02:00:31Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>A few pointers on the importance of audio as we continue to work remotely during this pandemic.</Description><Audience/><Title>Tending to Your Audio</Title><Publisher/><Subject>audio</Subject><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Tending to Your Audio</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Person with laptop showing conference call with different participants and audio wave graphic in the background.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/meeting-audio-web_tcm38-450253.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Person with laptop showing conference call with different participants and audio wave graphic in the background.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/meeting-audio-web-thumb_tcm38-450254.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2020-10 - Tending to Your Audio</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-450251&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-10-22T14:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>A few pointers on the importance of audio as we continue to work remotely during this pandemic.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>An inclusive way to communicate</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By David Andrews, Chief Technology Officer for State Services for the Blind&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are working from home and using video conferencing and collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams, Skype for Business, Zoom, Webex and more, on a regular basis. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When we started down this road, there was much ink devoted to the topic of being aware of your visual background, changing your background, how to look like you are in front of the Golden Gate Bridge, and related topics. There were also numerous articles on how to prepare your background and video for job interviews and other important meetings.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;While I think this is important, I also think people should devote the same care and attention to their audio. I keep my video on even though, as a blind person, I don’t benefit from it. I understand that it can be helpful for some meeting attendees and that nonverbal communication is very powerful. However, if you analyze most of the meetings you are in, you will realize that a lot of important information is shared through speaking. I hope to raise your awareness of the importance of audio and offer a few pointers along the way.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Reduce Your Background Noise&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our ears are very good at filtering out background noise, microphones are not as good at it. Also, there may be volume control and compression software in the computer or conferencing software that brings up background noise during pauses. There may be a radio or TV on in the next room, or animals meowing and barking, and the like. While these things aren’t annoying in person, that can be very distracting when using conferencing software. Consider closing doors and windows and tell your housemates when you’re on a call.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Location, Location, Location&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Like your video background you should also think about the audio quality in your room. If it is uncarpeted, mostly empty, or large, you may sound like you are in a barrel when you talk. In general, closer to the mic is better. It is also helpful to deaden echoes from around you.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Whenever possible you should use a dedicated headset or earbuds to listen to your meeting and to talk. Wired USB devices are best as they are more reliable, and less prone to interference. Having to make a Bluetooth connection is one more thing to worry about. The best units have their microphone on an arm that you can adjust in relation to your mouth. If possible, any microphone should be positioned to the side of your mouth so you don’t “pop your P’s.” Remember, if it is on the wire of your headphones or earbuds, it is also easy to twist so it is not facing your mouth.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are many brands and models of headsets and ear buds on the market. Prices range from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars. Better-quality devices will probably cost $25 to $75. Do you research before making a purchase as there may be shortages of a certain product due to high demand. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Confirm You Are Muted &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Finally, people need to be aware of their mute status at all times. All video conferencing and collaboration platforms have some sort of mute control. Some headsets also have controls on the wire or on the earpiece. When you enter a meeting, check your mute status immediately and keep track of it, so you don’t embarrass yourself!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Give your audio as much attention as you give your video – it is that important. Quick tips include: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use a headset &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Watch your mute status&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Reduce background sounds &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Make your room quiet &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Deaden echoes&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This will make the meeting better for everyone. It will also help captioners, automatic captioning software and/or sign language interpreters.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #ECEFF3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
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&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more abo&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;ut the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>450251</id><pubdate>2020-10-22T00:00:20Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Interview of several agency leaders on the standard’s impact on their agencies.</Description><Audience/><Title>A Decade of Digital Accessibility in Practice</Title><Publisher/><Subject>digital accessibility</Subject><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>state government accessibility</Subject><Subject>profile photos</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>A Decade of Digital Accessibility in Practice</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>People sitting around a table working.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/team-meeting-web_tcm38-450324.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>People sitting around a table working.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/team-meeting-web-thumb_tcm38-450323.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2020-10 - A Decade of Digital Accessibility in Practice</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-450250&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-10-22T14:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Interview of several agency leaders on the standard’s impact on their agencies.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>The impact of digital accessibility in our workplaces</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It has been 10 years since the State of Minnesota implemented a digital accessibility standard. In early September, we celebrated by interviewing several agency leaders on the standard’s impact on their agencies. We also heard from two other leaders who were instrumental in defining the standard and putting it into place.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Now, in celebration of the 75th anniversary of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), we went out into the field to get the thoughts and reactions of people with disabilities. We wanted to know from state employees if they saw an impact from the accessibility standard on their work. And from those who didn’t work at the state, we wanted to know if they saw any improvements in their abilities to interact with state services.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our interviewees represent a wide range of roles and disabilities. Here are their names and how they chose to identify themselves:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/anne-sittner-anderson_tcm38-450267.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Anne Sittner Anderson&quot; alt=&quot;Anne Sittner Anderson&quot; style=&quot;width: 20%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Anne Sittner Anderson&quot; /&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Anne Sittner Anderson, Director of Communications, Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing (MNCDHH). She identifies as deaf and communicates in American Sign Language as well as spoken and written English.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/dave-andrews_tcm38-450268.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Dave Andrews&quot; alt=&quot;Dave Andrews&quot; style=&quot;width: 20%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Dave Andrews&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;David Andrews, Chief Technology Officer, State Services for the Blind. He uses a screen reader and a Braille display.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/steve-jacobson_tcm38-450272.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Steve Jacobson&quot; alt=&quot;Steve Jacobson&quot; style=&quot;width: 20%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Steve Jacobson&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Steve Jacobson, Data Quality Analyst. He uses a screen reader with speech and a Braille output.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/lisa-larges_tcm38-450271.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Lisa Larges&quot; alt=&quot;Lisa Larges&quot; style=&quot;width: 20%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Lisa Larges&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Lisa Larges, Outreach and Marketing Coordinator, State Services for the Blind. She uses several different screen reading software programs to do her work.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/jamie-taylor_tcm38-450269.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Jamie Taylor&quot; alt=&quot;Jamie Taylor&quot; style=&quot;width: 20%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Jamie Taylor&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Jamie Taylor, Artist. She is DeafBlind.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/john-tuma_tcm38-450270.jpg&quot; title=&quot;John Tuma&quot; alt=&quot;John Tuma&quot; style=&quot;width: 20%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;John Tuma&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;John Tuma, Public Utilities Commissioner. Tuma is dyslexic and an auditory learner.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Early Impact and Progress&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When asked how long after the standard’s enactment it took for them to notice an impact our interviewees’ answers depended on whether they were working for the state at that time. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The first change for many was an increased awareness. While Steve Jacobson is not a state employee, he has been on several state-related committees including the first Technology Accessibility Advisory Committee. He noted, “There was some impact even before the standard was adopted because of the presence of the law that defined the need for a standard.” David Andrews adds, “One of the main benefits of the standard is that it increased the awareness of accessibility, and its need.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Moving from awareness to substantive change happened fairly quickly. Lisa Larges, who started working for the state in 2013 observed, “By then, many parts of the standard were being implemented.” However, as you may expect, some changes were easier than others. Lisa noted, it “would happen fairly often that I would need to access something using third-party software that hadn’t fully been vetted for accessibility. In the seven years that I have been with the state, there has been a steady and gradual increase in accessibility.” For example, the “phone line at my office desk, with its inaccessible digital display is now accessible; the multi-function machine, with its screen-driven input is now accessible.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Like Larges, John Tuma joined the state after the standard’s establishment, in 2015. He praised the Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) staff as “very helpful.” As a dyslexic and an auditory learner, he was accustomed to using his Mac at home to support text-to-speech output. He was also an early adopter of Dragon Naturally Speaking as a tool to dictate instead of type. He was able to install Dragon on his work computer, but early iterations of speech-to-text technology were less satisfactory. When the Office of Accessibility set up a pilot license of Read &amp;amp; Write, he was one of the first to take advantage of the opportunity. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;He noted that as people became more aware of the tools for people with disabilities they often became interested in using the tools themselves. For example, when he worked for a law firm, some of Tuma’s colleagues had administrative assistants who typed their letters and documents for them. But today, people must “create their own material.” Tuma’s use of Dragon encouraged them to use it themselves.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Andrews observed that the increased awareness has resulted in more people discussing accessibility – even if they don’t claim a need for it themselves. “Back in the 1990’s I would be the only one asking about accessibility in meetings. Now there are lots of people doing so, and it is increasingly becoming a part of our testing and procurement processes.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Larges concurs, but points out that the path wasn’t always smooth. “As the standard rolled out, there was also a bit of frustration on the part of some staff who suddenly faced a new layer of complexity as they did their work. All of a sudden, they had to think about: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;whether a document was accessible, or &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;whether a new program they were planning to purchase would be accessible. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Over time, the messaging about accessibility has become more upbeat and positive, and state employees have had the chance to see what a difference it can make, and these factors have led to a much more favorable attitude about accessibility.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Jamie Taylor agreed, noting that there was “a difference right away but it was not uniform nor consistent nor even. Sometimes an entity would seem to forget until I reminded them of the standard.”  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Anne Sittner Anderson stated, “In my heart, I believe that state employees want their work to be accessible and equitable. I think many are overwhelmed when they try to learn how to do it because the learning curve is vast and steep. I consider myself well-educated on communication access, but had to work hard to feel competent in document accessibility.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessible Documents&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;One of the first areas where the standard made an impact was in accessible documents. The standard’s implementation team built an online training program on creating accessible Word documents in 2012, which was updated in 2017. It continues to be heavily used. In addition to being displayed on MNIT’s public website, the training is in the process of integrating into agencies’ learning management systems. A number of state agencies also supported classroom training programs on the topic. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Larges observed, “Slowly, the word is getting out about this resource, and it’s making a difference. There’s a greater awareness about checking accessibility as one step in finishing a document. An added benefit is that document accessibility improves the quality of documents for everyone.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Andrews added, “I used to regularly see text boxes and scanned/image documents plunked down in Word documents. While I can’t say it never happens, it is pretty rare. Likewise, I see fewer PDFs that just contain an image, instead of text.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tuma agreed, stating that his agency’s “staff is very good about preparing documents with readable text.” Sometimes they have to incorporate old, scanned PDFs into the reading material, and they are aware that copying the PDFs creates a picture so they take pains to convert the picture to real text so his software can read it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Jacobson observed that even though he is not a state employee, “If I have a problem with a document or a website, I find that any difficulties I have are taken seriously, and some means of providing access is given.  However, the need to find accessible alternatives grows smaller all the time as the mainstream approaches are generally accessible.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Jamie Taylor also noted the improvement in PDFs. Previously, “they would often be images – scanned with no structure, no text for a screen reader to grab. Now a lot of forms are not only readable but also fillable online... No extra third-party software needed.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Websites&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Within a few years of the digital accessibility and usability standard’s adoption, state agencies updated their websites to be more accessible and usable. The executive branch websites span over 70 agencies and nearly 2 million pages – now more accessible than ever.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As Jacobson noted, “Over the past five years at least, I generally go to a state website assuming that I am going to be able to navigate the site successfully. It is one of the larger entities I visit where I make that assumption. Of course, I don&apos;t visit nearly every site and know that there are likely sites that can be improved, but I believe it is fair to say this is a change for the better over the past ten years.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Larges pointed out that “as a concerned Minnesotan, apart from my job with the state, every day I visit the COVID-19 Situation Update page of the Department of Health. Much of the data presented there is in graph form, which my screen reading software can’t interpret very well. However, almost every graph is accompanied by a table, and these tables are accessible. I am exceedingly grateful that the designers of this website created a site that gave sighted visitors a way of quickly getting information, but also included a way for nonvisual visitors to have access to the same info.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In addition to accessible website pages, another challenge has been accessible videos. Sittner Anderson recalled that in her first year working for the state (2015), she received an internal link for state employees only to find out that the related videos were not captioned. “Of course, I followed up and advocated for access. I remember being surprised because most state videos were captioned. Raising the bar continues to be a goal.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Fewer Barriers&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Everyone agreed that there are far fewer technology barriers today than existed ten years ago. Tuma noted that he’s “seen substantial, continued improvement. I feel much more confident that I could find the information I need in a format that I can access today than 10, 15, 20, years ago.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Taylor stated, “There are much fewer barriers than in 2010. I can more easily get around and do things with the rest of my life just like everyone else.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;While better, modern technology may be responsible for some improvements, they felt that the standard – and the law that gave rise to that standard – played a role. Larges observed, “For me, it’s nearly impossible to convey the importance of rules and legislation like these standards. It used to be pretty common that the only barrier between a highly qualified and motivated job seeker and a job was inaccessible technology. Having the same access to this tech makes it possible for me to do my job.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Andrews agreed, noting, “The standards are a great thing! They give developers and others some tangible things they can do and provide a means for making improvements in future updates.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Challenges Ahead&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This is not to say that our interviewees believe more change is not needed. Andrews noted that while documents and websites were generally better, large, statewide systems continued to present a challenge. One vendor for a statewide system “has fixed many things, but they are in future releases that we won’t get for a couple years. Sometimes it is two steps forward, one step back. Things get more complex, new web techniques and frameworks are developed, and we and our AT [assistive technology] must adjust.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Jacobson concurred, pointing out that as a volunteer to test the state’s job application system, “I saw firsthand how there was a tendency to accept a promise from the software provider to make something accessible as being equivalent to the software being accessible now. We need to work toward minimizing this.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Most of the interviewees noted the importance of empathy – of creating an environment that encouraged people to personally understand the value of accessibility. Sittner Anderson observed, “I think having more colleagues with disabilities is a way to push change for the better through in a natural way. I hope the state continues to increase the number of state employees with disabilities.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Larges pointed out, “The Accessibility Standard is only as good as its implementation. All of us in state government are still learning the important discipline of remembering inclusion and accessibility at the start of a project. The more that this becomes second nature to all of us, the more able we will be to serve all of Minnesota as One Minnesota!”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; &lt;/div&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>450250</id><pubdate>2020-10-22T00:00:20Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Learn about features in Microsoft Teams to ensure everyone on your team can access your posts.</Description><Audience/><Title>Microsoft Teams Accessibility Tips</Title><Publisher/><Subject>MS Teams</Subject><Subject>Accessibility Tips</Subject><Subject>Inclusive meetings</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Microsoft Teams Accessibility Tips</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Teams logo with silhouettes of people in the background.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/teams-tridion_tcm38-448431.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Thumbnail image of Teams logo with silhouettes of people in the background.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/teams-tridion-thumb_tcm38-448428.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2020-09 - Microsoft Teams Accessibility Tips</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-446778&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-09-29T12:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Learn about features in Microsoft Teams to ensure everyone on your team can access your posts.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Communicating with Accessibility in Mind</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By Jennie Delisi and Kris Schulze &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Microsoft Teams has features you can use to ensure everyone on your team can access your posts. The features are available for files, chats, and meetings. Use the digital accessibility basics you already know. For example, use meaningful text for links and headings. Format your posts as you would when drafting emails and documents.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;New features are being released all the time. Check the &lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/accessibility-overview-of-microsoft-teams-2d4009e7-1300-4766-87e8-7a217496c3d5&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Microsoft’s Accessibility overview of Microsoft Teams page&lt;/a&gt; regularly for the most recent information and newest accessibility improvements. Fun fact: While writing this article, the authors learned tips and tricks from each other! There is always more to learn.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Communicating with Accessibility in Mind&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are two key factors to digital accessibility when using Teams:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Plan with accessibility in mind.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Know the features and how to use them.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;While the following list  may seem a bit overwhelming, try learning a few each week.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Status indicators &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Many people check your status indicator to determine if you are available for a chat. Others use the status indicator to communicate to others that they need to focus on a meeting or task. This may be true for people with cognitive disabilities such as those that have had a brain injury. We can support our colleagues by respecting their status indicators.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Ways to update your status indicator&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/away_tcm38-447010.png&quot; title=&quot;away&quot; alt=&quot;Screen shot of the search box with text /away.&quot; style=&quot;width: 85%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;away&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Update your status from your Profile or from the Search (type a command box). Type &lt;strong&gt;/away, /busy, /dnd, /brb,&lt;/strong&gt; or &lt;strong&gt;/available&lt;/strong&gt; to set your status as Away, Busy, Do not disturb, Be right back, or Available.  
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If you have both Skype and Teams, you may need to set these presence indicators separately.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Naming Your Teams &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Name your team knowing that some people will have a lot of them. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use short, meaningful team names. It may be difficult for some to find a specific team when navigating within Teams. This difficulty increases as they join more teams. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Meaningful link text &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To add text to a link in chats or channel posts:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select &lt;strong&gt;Format&lt;/strong&gt;. The icon for Format is the letter &quot;A&quot; with a paintbrush, located below the message body.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Then, select &lt;strong&gt;Insert link&lt;/strong&gt;. An alternate way to do this: select/highlight the display text, use CTRL + K to open the Insert link dialog box. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Gifs and Emojis &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Select gifs and emojis carefully. Animations can cause issues for some users when there is no way to pause, stop, or hide them. A team owner can set if they want to allow animated emojis and gifs. If you have challenges with animations, send the team owner a note asking them to turn this off for the team (Manage Team &amp;gt; Settings &amp;gt; Fun Stuff). Learn more about accessible communications with emojis and emoticons in our article, &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/436147&quot;&gt;Say It With A Face&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Mentions Get Attention &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To get someone’s attention, “@Mention” them using @ and the person’s name. This adds an alert into the activity feed and makes it easier for the person to notice that you want them to review something. It also helps them find the information specific to them when they review longer posts and chats.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Format and Organize Your Posts &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Format your posts to keep conversations organized and easy to spot in channels: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Teams%20post%201_tcm38-447011.png&quot; title=&quot;teams-format-options&quot; alt=&quot;Screen shot of text format options for posts, including adding bullets and styles, and an option to Add a subject.&quot; style=&quot;width: 70%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;teams-format-options&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Always use a subject line when starting a channel post. This makes it easier for people to follow conversations and track steps they need to complete. Think of this like the subject line of an email. 
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select &lt;strong&gt;Format&lt;/strong&gt;. The icon for Format is the letter &quot;A&quot; with a paintbrush, located below the message body. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Text editing options will become available, including a prompt to “Add a subject.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use either Alt+Tab or the mouse to move up to add the subject. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;When replying to a post on the same topic use the “reply” option, instead of “Start a new conversation.” This will keep the group together. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use structure in posts, especially longer ones. 
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use the format button beneath the post text field to open more text editing options (or use CTRL + SHIFT + X). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Just like in documents, you can use styles (e.g. heading levels), bulleted and numbered lists.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Name your documents carefully &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Long lists of documents in Teams Files make it difficult to determine which one you need, even when sorted. Imagine the file name as the meaningful text for a link. Will it tell you which file will open?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use a Profile Photo &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/441391&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Profile photos&lt;/a&gt; help people identify which person shared a post. It also helps them know who is speaking during a meeting. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use Accessible Templates &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Have accessible, branded templates? Use them. Start in your desktop and save the document to the channel. Instructions are in the &lt;a href=&quot;https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/bulletins/2913ca6&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Tech Tip of the June 2020 Office of Accessibility newsletter&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility Features for Yourself &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Keyboard Shortcuts  &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/keyboard-shortcuts-for-microsoft-teams-2e8e2a70-e8d8-4a19-949b-4c36dd5292d2&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Keyboard shortcuts&lt;/a&gt; are available for Microsoft Teams. To find them within Teams there are several options:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Open Sans&amp;quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;In the search bar, t&lt;/span&gt;ype &quot;Keys”.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-family: &amp;quot;Open Sans&amp;quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;&quot;&gt;Type CTRL+Period (.) from anywhere within Teams Desktop or Web apps.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Open Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif&quot;&gt;Select your Profile icon, which may announce to screen reader users as “Profile, App Settings, and more.” Open the drop-down menu, and select Keyboard shortcuts. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Manage Your Alerts &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Mute a chat &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When you mute a chat, you&apos;re still included in the chat, you just won&apos;t get notifications from it. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select &lt;strong&gt;Chat&lt;/strong&gt; to open the chat list.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Find the name of the chat you want to mute.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select &lt;strong&gt;More options ellipses&lt;/strong&gt; and then select &lt;strong&gt;Mute&lt;/strong&gt;.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If you change your mind, just select it again to unmute. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Adjust your notifications &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select &lt;strong&gt;Profile &amp;gt; Settings&lt;/strong&gt; or use the shortcut &lt;strong&gt;Ctrl+Comma (,)&lt;/strong&gt;.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Open &lt;strong&gt;Notifications&lt;/strong&gt; to set the type of notifications you want for each type of activity.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use “Do Not Disturb” &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select your Profile icon, which may announce to screen reader users as “Profile, App Settings, and more.”  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Open the drop-down menu, and select &lt;strong&gt;Do Not Disturb&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;More options for setting this status are listed earlier in this article, in “Status Indicators.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Choose Your Level of Contrast &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Changing your color contrast/ themes may help people that: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Have migraines or  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Find that having a variety of color themes on their screen helps them focus. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To change your theme: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select your Profile icon, which may announce to screen reader users as “Profile, App Settings, and more.” Or use the keyboard shortcut &lt;strong&gt;Ctrl+Comma (,)&lt;/strong&gt;. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Open the drop-down menu, and select &lt;strong&gt;Settings &amp;gt; General&lt;/strong&gt;.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;In the &lt;strong&gt;Theme&lt;/strong&gt; section, select from &lt;strong&gt;High contrast&lt;/strong&gt; or &lt;strong&gt;Dark&lt;/strong&gt; or &lt;strong&gt;Default&lt;/strong&gt; themes. You will need to set this for both the Teams Desktop and Web apps. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Using a Screen Reader &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Microsoft has help pages for those using a screen reader. A good starting place is &lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/basic-tasks-using-a-screen-reader-with-microsoft-teams-538a8741-f21b-4b04-b575-9df70ed4105d&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Basic tasks using a screen reader with Microsoft Teams&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Using Magnification&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For those that need to zoom in to better see content, Microsoft has instructions on how to &lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/zoom-in-and-out-of-teams-dc3cd3d8-efb5-4995-8b31-434b3943ba52&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Zoom in and out of Teams&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Using Read Aloud Options &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Having information like posts and documents read aloud to you can help with editing. At this time, for those in the Government Community Cloud, this option is not yet available for Microsoft Teams Desktop or Web apps. A workaround is to open Teams in Microsoft Edge, and use Read Aloud in Edge.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Meeting Accessibility &lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our previous blog articles address meeting accessibility: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/429835&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Remote Meeting Guide&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/423822&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Accessible Remote Meetings&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Using a Sign Language Interpreter in a Meeting  &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To keep focus on the sign language interpreter’s video during a meeting you can “pin” their video.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Navigate to the person’s video. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Right click (Shift + F10) and select Pin. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If someone is also trying to share content, you won’t be able to pin both shared content and someone’s video. A workaround is to also join the meeting on the Teams Web app using Edge or Chrome.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;View the shared content using the web app. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Keep the interpreter’s video pinned on your desktop app.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Note: You may want to right click on the web tab to Mute the tab so that audio isn’t coming from both the web browser and desktop app.   &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;View Automatically Generated Captions in a Teams Meeting &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Automatically generated captions, called “live captions” in Teams, are available during Teams Meetings. While not as accurate as having a professional caption writer, there are times where this feature may help during a meeting. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To try out this option: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Go to the &lt;strong&gt;More options/ellipses&lt;/strong&gt; on the Meeting Control Bar. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select “Turn on live captions.” &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Captions for Meetings &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;While auto captions are a great feature, they are not a substitute for having a professional caption writer. Captions by a “CART writer” will have greater accuracy. If you are providing captions using CART, you will need to provide access to this through a separate web page option. At this time, there is not a way to integrate or replace the auto-captions in Teams Meetings or Teams Live Events. &lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>446778</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><Tag><Description/><Title>Digital</Title><Id>232499</Id><Key/></Tag><Tag><Description/><Title>Technology</Title><Id>232514</Id><Key/></Tag><Tag><Description/><Title>App</Title><Id>232519</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2020-09-29T14:48:02Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Learn about features in Microsoft Teams to ensure everyone on your team can access your posts.</Description><Audience/><Title>Microsoft Teams Accessibility Tips</Title><Publisher/><Subject>MS Teams</Subject><Subject>Accessibility Tips</Subject><Subject>Inclusive meetings</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Looking Back</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Screenshot of the mn.gov website on June 8, 2010. It has Minnesota North Star and the State of Minnesota seal as logos, with a light grey and purple color scheme.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/2010-mn-website-tridion_tcm38-448425.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Thumbnail image screenshot of the mn.gov website on June 8, 2010. It has Minnesota North Star and the State of Minnesota seal as logos, with a light grey and purple color scheme.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/2010-mn-website-tridion-thumb_tcm38-448424.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2020-09 - Challenges and successes launching the digital accessibility standard in Minnesota</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-446903&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-09-29T12:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Reflecting on the digital accessibility and usability law and its importance in ensuring that Minnesota citizens have access to the vital information and the systems that they need.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Challenges and successes launching the digital accessibility standard in Minnesota</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Screenshot of mn.gov from June 8, 2010&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;On September 1, 2020, the State of Minnesota celebrated the 10th anniversary of its digital accessibility and usability standard with several virtual events hosted by the Office of Accessibility and the state’s digital accessibility coordinators. The kickoff event was an online, internal broadcast providing “a look back” at how the standard was created and implemented. It was moderated by Chris Taylor, the State of Minnesota’s Chief Inclusion Officer. He interviewed Betsy Hayes, the State of Minnesota’s Chief Procurement Officer, and Rena Rodgers, Cook County Management Information Systems Director. Both Rena and Betsy were instrumental in the development and early successes of the digital accessibility and usability standard.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When monumental shifts, like the development of Minnesota’s standard, occur, often only a few people are present to witness each piece. As Kim Wee, digital accessibility coordinator for Minnesota IT Services partnering with the Department of Education said, “The looking back event was more than I expected. There were so many goose bump moments! My favorite was from Rena, ‘This really wasn&apos;t a project at all. It was a program.’”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;High value and scope&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Betsy shared why the digital accessibility and usability law was important. &quot;The purpose was to ensure that all Minnesotans, whether it be state employees or citizens that we serve, have access to the vital information and the systems that they needed. It&apos;s simply good business, and it is our obligation. It was our obligation and still remains so to this day to make sure all citizens have that level of access. And we wanted to tap and fully utilize the talent and capacity of all of our state employees.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Both Betsy and Rena spoke about how they and their colleagues came to understand the true scope of accessibility’s impact. Rena pointed out that there was a learning curve for many of them at the start. &quot;Understanding the difference between accommodation and accessibility was really key. We were not designing anything for individuals. We were designing technology to a standard.&quot; Betsy added, &quot;It was going to really be more efficient for the state because we were decreasing the number of times that we would have to apply single accommodations. This was a revelation that occurred as we progressed through the project.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Building the Standard&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The group decided to use both &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.section508.gov/manage/laws-and-policies&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Section 508&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/quickref/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0&lt;/a&gt; in the standard. Rena said that WCAG 2.0 &quot;talked about how to do a lot of things in web development but also application development. It also talked about things like captioning. It had a lot of detail, things like not having blinking lights on your website because that could trigger a seizure. It gave us a lot of meat to work with.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Betsy noted that being part of a larger committee was critical. &quot;We really needed a multitude of stakeholders involved. Subject matter experts from procurement being one of them. Not only did we recognize this initially but the legislature in their wisdom also saw that need and codified into the law the mandate that there be this advisory committee that was very diverse. The legislation specifically called out a ten-member panel that would be involved in this committee. Everything from advocates to many state agencies involved, IT expertise, procurement expertise. And with that broad array of diversity on the committee came a broad variety of interests which was not only instrumental to the project’s success but it was challenging in a way. I think it was that diversity that made the project successful in the end.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In 2010, the state&apos;s IT department, now Minnesota IT Services, had recently begun consolidation, instead of each agency having their own IT staff. Rena shared that the new organization was &quot;getting going with technology architecture, IT architecture. And they had just put together a process for how you create a standard, how you get a standard approved. And actually, accessibility was the very first standard to come through that (process). The reason that was monumental (was because) no one else in the country had done that at all. When it&apos;s in that architecture, then it affects our purchasing, it affects procurement, and it affects development.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Both noted the importance of including a neutral facilitator to help the committee develop common goals. Betsy recalled, &quot;The people who were more on the advocacy side were worried that the standards may not go far enough or that they would take too long to implement. People on the procurement side were perhaps more concerned about what the costs may be, or if it was too long a procurement process.&quot; She added, &quot;We wanted to make sure that the exception process that we determined was not so broad, or other loopholes so wide, that it sort of minimized the goal of maximizing accessibility.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It’s a program!&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Rena shared that the original thought of this as a project didn&apos;t fit. &quot;This really wasn&apos;t a project at all. It was a program. It needed a vision. It needed a clear understanding of benefits, that there were multiple stakeholders.” She talked about how other related projects would begin, and some of those projects (like putting the standard in place) were going to be operationalized. She added, “Other projects were going to be added on throughout the life of the program. And really it still is a program that&apos;s ongoing, that continues to grow. But a program is not just a great big ole project! It really is something different that has vision, and benefits, and mixes up operations as well as projects. Once we kind of got out of the ‘project management tools don&apos;t fit this exactly,’ it really made a difference because we navigated through it much differently.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How it turned out (so far)&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What are the biggest successes of the standard? Rena shared that recently work crossed her desk that she knew was not possible when they started. It was an accessible, interactive map. &quot;I realized that the work is sustainable. The fact that we&apos;re sitting here talking about it ten years later, to me that is the measure of success. If you built something that can continue to be built on, that continues to live and grow and change as technology does. If you built that and it stands that test of time, that&apos;s project success in my opinion.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Betsy also shared, “During this process, how we got there was as important as our destination. To determine and find our common purpose took time. It took collaboration. It took patience with each other. It was that process of working with each other that was needed to help us realize that we did have common interests, and we were reaching for the same goal only with different needs along the way….Having people at the table like Rena, like Mary Hartnett (the Director of the Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing Minnesotans, now retired), and many, many other people with such amazing talent made the work so much easier and fulfilling. It was highly attributable to that level of dedication and passion of the people involved that helped make the project successful, but also made the project quite a joy and fulfilling endeavor to be a part of. So I really want to thank them publicly. And to let others know as well that this was a real game changer for the state. It was also really personally impactful to be a part of this special project.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Rena added, “I think at the end of the day, every one of us that was at that table greatly admired the other ones and appreciated the work and the dedication. And became friends, really, truly became friends as a part of working on something so important together.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Chris Taylor concluded the program, noting that “as the Chief Inclusion Officer who is responsible to (push) systemic change this is just an incredible example of work that&apos;s gone on before, and continues to have an impact in the system today. So I just want to really thank you for your time today, but also thank you for the work that you all did ten years ago that we still get to benefit from today.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Reflecting on the session, David Andrews, Chief Technology Officer for State Services for the Blind shared “I very much enjoyed the looking back session to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our accessibility standard. It was great to hear the voices of Betsy Hayes and Rena Rogers again. We all worked long and hard back then – as we still are! We have come a long way, worked through many difficult problems, and established models that other states have followed.” Dave commented that there are now many more people working on accessibility. “This is good, as the program will grow and continue!”&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>446903</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><Tag><Description/><Title>Digital</Title><Id>232499</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2020-09-29T01:00:06Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Read how one experienced online meeting host handled using chat in his online meetings.</Description><Audience/><Title>Accessibility Best Practices for Using Chat in Online Meetings</Title><Publisher/><Subject>digital accessibility</Subject><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>state government accessibility</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Accessibility Best Practices for Using Chat in Online Meetings</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Two talk bubbles.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/feedback-002_tcm38-336347.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Two talk bubbles.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/feedback-002_tcm38-336352.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2020-08 - An Experienced Meeting Host&apos;s Story: Accessibility Best Practices for Using Chat in Online Meetings</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-443947&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-08-21T12:52:25Z</Date><ShortDescription>Read how one experienced online meeting host handled using chat in his online meetings.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>An Experienced User&apos;s Story</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility Editor’s note: With the majority of state employees working from home most meetings are now online. This has provided a greater awareness of remote meeting tools and features, and the challenges that they may present for people with disabilities. The Office of Accessibility and Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) are working together on known issues with online meeting tools. For example, one product announces every chat message to participants using a screen reader. While this may seem like a good idea, it forces the user to hear both the event audio and chat audio at the same time. We have alerted the vendor to this issue, but until the issue is resolved, the Office of Accessibility tested several temporary workarounds. One approach is to have chat only go to those with specific roles, like the meeting organizer. We collaborated with a user who frequently uses chat in online meetings to test this process in a few meetings, and asked him to share some best practices to make your meetings more effective and inclusive. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Managing chat in large online meetings: An experienced user&apos;s story&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It can be hard to apply a best practice to a specific situation. I host online meetings often, sometimes multiple meetings in a day, and I frequently use the chat panel. As a host, I was faced with finding a way to share information quickly with all attendees. First, I used the following best practice from the Office of Accessibility to manage chat in meetings. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Best Practice for Using Chat in Online Meetings&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tell participants how you will handle chat&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Send an email to attendees before the meeting. Ask them to use chat only for communicating with the meeting host or a designated chat monitor. Remind attendees not to use the “everyone” option at the beginning of the meeting.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Get help&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Ask a colleague or other meeting attendee to act as the designated chat monitor. Agree on roles in advance so everyone knows what to do. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Have a process for getting a turn to speak&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The host and the chat monitor can manage opportunities for people that want a turn to speak. They can also verbalize comments for those who prefer to type their communications. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Have a process for sharing information&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Share website URLs and files through alternate methods:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;When available before the meeting, share these and any meeting documents by email.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If individual attendees need the file or URL during the meeting, share those in the chat with them directly. Do not share using a post that goes to “everyone.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Follow Up&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Send a summary of all information shared during the meeting by email after the meeting. This should include any websites or documents discussed.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Putting the best practice in play &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When I learned that every message coming into the chat panel is read out loud for those that use screen readers, I knew I needed to change how I run my meetings. Hearing all of that in addition to trying to focus on the content from the presenter would be overwhelming.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I worked with the MNIT Office of Accessibility (they are my digital accessibility coordinator) to test and come up with some best practices and workarounds that would accommodate everyone. Since I frequently use the chat panel in the meetings I host, I realized I was quite locked into my usual approach, so I appreciated the help.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How I typically use the chat panel&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I typically use the chat panel when presenting about a product or process. I like to keep attendees engaged by asking them to enter their questions and comments in chat and sending it to everyone. This allows me to answer and react during natural pauses in the content. I think that works much better than allowing people to ask questions verbally, disrupting the flow. As I planned to limit the use of chat during my next meeting, I had two concerns:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How do attendees ask questions during a meeting if they aren’t able to use chat as they have been?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How will I keep them engaged by responding to them in real-time?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Planning for the workaround&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Turns out, shifting gears wasn’t difficult. Here’s how we planned for it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Changing up the chat&lt;/strong&gt;: We decided to send chat messages only to the host rather than to everyone. With this in place, there would be no more overlapping talking from presenter, and the screen reader.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Recruiting a chat monitor&lt;/strong&gt;: I’ve been very fortunate to have co-workers who have always helped me in meetings by moderating the chat. Now it was critical. First, we would make this person the meeting host so they were the one receiving the messages from the chat. Then, when I took a pause during the meeting, I could ask the chat monitor to relay a question or comment they received.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Allowing people to speak&lt;/strong&gt;: Unlike prior sessions, we decided to ask attendees to unmute and ask their questions as well. For those comfortable trying the new raise hand function (we have not yet fully tested this for accessibility) they could try this option.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sharing information&lt;/strong&gt;: One really useful thing about chat is the ability to share links to resources, files, etc. So instead of sharing them in the chat, the ones we would be referring to in the meeting would go into the meeting invitation.  For others mentioned during the meeting, we were prepared to send them out post-meeting.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Communicating the plan&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Once we knew what to do, it was a matter of getting the word out to attendees.  We did this both before and during the meeting.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;In the meeting invitation we included three links to content we would be referring to during the presentation. We also outlined the expectations that chat would only be going to the host.  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;When the meeting started we reminded attendees of the links in the invitation and walked through using chat. I had prepared a PowerPoint with screen shots of the interface, with the chat drop down options. As I answered questions, I mentioned again that I wanted them to use chat to ask questions and provide feedback. I highlighted the difference for this meeting: these chats would now be sent only to the host.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Lessons learned&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As always, a practice session before the meeting helped iron out some details. In particular, we figured out how to set chat to only go to the host, not everyone. Without our advance session, we may have missed that and our plan would not have worked as intended.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In our case, a post-meeting email was needed to share additional resources. We were ready for it; I kept notes about which ones to share, and we sent it within an hour of the end of the meeting.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Overall, it struck me was that this was a much more focused meeting than ones that allowed chat to everyone. Thinking back, we might have been expecting too much for any attendee to use chat and still be able to pay attention to the content I was presenting. We know that the vendor is working on a fix for this, but it’s made me consider that this might, in some cases, be a better approach to meetings moving forward.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>443947</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232492</Id><Key/></Tag><Tag><Description/><Title>Accessible Government</Title><Id>232634</Id><Key/></Tag><Tag><Description/><Title>Digital</Title><Id>232499</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2020-09-25T19:55:27Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Since its adoption in 2010, Minnesota’s digital accessibility and usability standard has been key to state agencies’ mission of providing information that is available and useful for all.</Description><Audience/><Title>The State of Minnesota Celebrates and Reflects on the Anniversary of the Standard</Title><Publisher/><Subject>digital accessibility</Subject><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>state government accessibility</Subject><Subject>profile photos</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>10 Years of Digital Accessibility Standard</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>10 Years - Minnesota Digital Accessibility Standard, image of laptop keyboard.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/10-years-accessibility-standard-blog_tcm38-444146.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>10 years logo</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/10-years-accessibility-standard-blog-thumb_tcm38-444144.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2020-08 - Accessibility Standard Celebration</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-443611&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-08-20T14:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Since its adoption in 2010, Minnesota’s digital accessibility and usability standard has been key to state agencies’ mission of providing information that is available and useful for all.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>The State of Minnesota Celebrates and Reflects on the Anniversary of the Standard</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It’s time to celebrate! The State of Minnesota’s digital accessibility and usability standard is 10 years old. First, let’s raise a (virtual) glass to toast:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The collaboration between people with disabilities, state legislators, and state agencies that made the Standard possible. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;People with disabilities who were involved in creating the law that led to the standard, and then in writing and implementing the standard.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The 63 state employees who serve as Digital Accessibility Coordinators (or alternates) for their agencies. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The agency leaders who are serving or have served on the accessibility governance committee. The Technology Accessibility Advisory Committee has always included leaders of Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) and other state agencies, as well as state employees with disabilities. This ensures broad-based adoption by agencies and their leaders.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;All the state employees who think about digital accessibility when doing their jobs, such as buying technology, writing documents, creating websites, writing code, managing projects, designing content, or building training programs. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 23px; font-weight: 600; font-family: Verdana;&quot;&gt;What’s in a standard?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Imagine a situation in which whenever you sent an email, posted a PDF, or created a web page, you weren’t sure whether your user would be able to read the content. How confident would you be in your work? That’s why standards are important. Standards provide the technical framework that help you define what works and what doesn’t.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 23px; font-weight: 600; font-family: Verdana;&quot;&gt;Ten years in Minnesota&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;On September 1, 2020, the State of Minnesota celebrates the adoption of a &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;digital accessibility and usability standard&lt;/a&gt;, which clearly defines what it takes to create accessible technology and content. To support the standard, the Office of Accessibility works with state Digital Accessibility Coordinators to create training and resources to help state employees and the public understand how to make sure that information and resources are accessible. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In the past ten years, &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Over 3,200 state employees took training on &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;creating accessible documents&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Agencies updated their websites and removed or replaced over 15,000 inaccessible PDFs, with a single agency accounting for over 10,000. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Software vendors are required to &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.mmd.admin.state.mn.us/mn06000.htm&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;make their products more accessible&lt;/a&gt; to sell to the State.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The state’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility website&lt;/a&gt; provided lots of useful information to agencies and the public, such as &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/maps/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;how to make maps accessible&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Because of this standard, the State is in a better position to hire more diverse state employees, particularly people with disabilities (&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/governor/assets/2019_04_01_EO_19-15_tcm1055-378183.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Executive Order 19-15-PDF&lt;/a&gt;); provide better, more efficient services to more Minnesotans; and provide guidance and resources to local and regional governments.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There’s still plenty of room for improvement. But thanks to the State digital accessibility and usability standard and an accompanying law that appropriated funds for the Office of Accessibility, state of Minnesota agencies and their employees have the training, support, and resources to ensure that their services and content are accessible.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more abo&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;ut the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>443611</id><pubdate>2020-08-25T13:13:19Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Profile photos can help improve your interactions with colleagues, including those with disabilities. Understand a few key considerations and best practices to ensuree your profile image is equally helpful to you colleagues. </Description><Audience/><Title>Profile Photos: Business Use and Accessibility</Title><Publisher/><Subject>digital accessibility</Subject><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>state government accessibility</Subject><Subject>profile photos</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>An Accessible Future – XR</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Woman at her desk wearing a virtual reality headset, arms in the air.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/xr-blog_tcm38-444147.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>woman wearing virtual reality goggles</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/xr-blog-thumb_tcm38-444143.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2020-08 - An Accessible Future – XR</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-444089&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-08-20T14:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Workplaces are adding new technology into training and online environments. While XR can provide more inclusive experiences for employees, it may also pose some accessibility challenges. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>Considerations for Virtual, Mixed, and Augmented Reality </Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Verdana&quot;&gt;By: Jennie Delisi, Accessibility Analyst, MNIT’s Office of Accessibility&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;While virtual, mixed, and augmented reality are terms we may recognize in relation to video games, TV shows, or coming from a teenager, the technologies are spreading into a more everyday use in our lives.  More workplaces are adding them into our work environments as part of:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;online experiences,&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;training spaces,&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;and considerations for future projects. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Most people are familiar with virtual reality (VR), which is a computer-generated simulation or re-creation of a real-life environment or situation. VR does this through visuals, sounds, and sometimes through sensations like vibration. Sounds can seem to originate from different locations with 360-degree views.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Then there’s augmented reality (AR) – the layering of computer-generated images on top of existing reality. For example, when watching a football game on TV, the first-down line is overlaid on the field using AR.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;AR and VR are not mutually exclusive technologies, which led to a new term, extended reality (XR) to describe all combinations of AR and VR. Implementations of XR will provide more inclusive experiences for employees, as well as pose some accessibility challenges.    &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;XR In Future Work Spaces&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Opportunities for virtual new employee “orientation events”&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Mixed reality could provide ways for new employees to get to know their colleagues, which would be especially helpful for some starting a new job while working remotely. Before a new employee webinar, as attendees arrive, they could meet in a virtual room. They can casually chat as they would at an in-person event. Or, they could complete certain virtual activities, such as a scavenger hunt, in small teams.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Virtual training spaces&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Those who learn by doing could interact with tools and technologies from afar. For example, individuals could use computer simulation in a shared online space to learn how to operate machinery which usually requires the students to be next to the teacher. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Such environments could also help some teachers show a student a complicated process. Some students learn better when the teacher can “physically” point to something, especially when the information can be reviewed in two different applications. For example, when teaching someone how the tags in a PDF correspond to the content in a Word document. You may move back and forth between the two applications and want to display them side by side. “Pointing” to the information on each application will help some students better understand the concepts, know where the teacher would like them to focus their attention. This may help when learning how components or concepts flow together. In this way, XR can save time, by reducing the need to create detailed and accessible screenshots and instructions. It can be more like the side by side training we gave at people’s desks in the past.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Increased employment opportunities&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some people with disabilities are excellent trainers. With XR they could train employees on how to use equipment or technology even if the trainers would not be able to use that equipment outside of the virtual space.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;XR Access Symposium&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As part of the XR Access Symposium I attended in July, I got to learn more about these types of experiences. I also got to try out some technologies for myself. The symposium provided experimental virtual rooms that attendees could join using a mobile or a desktop device. These rooms enabled us to:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Talk with other attendees.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Move throughout the room to find out what else was in there.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Manipulate objects within the room.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Consume content, such as information displayed on a screen within the room.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some attendees had disabilities, others did not. The event hosts set up both large- and small capacity rooms. They also had rooms with audio description  and others that provided American Sign Language. One goal was to give those newer to accessibility an opportunity to experience an inclusive session. The other was to let people try out some of the accessibility features in development.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Speakers shared considerations for universal design and accessibility principles:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Captions – where is the person looking within the virtual room? Where will the captions be? How will you keep the person following the captions from getting dizzy as they read captions and possibly move throughout the space?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Sign Language – where does the interpreter appear within the interface? How does this impact the person’s ability to interact within the space?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Keyboard only and screen reader users – how do they move throughout the space and manipulate objects? How do they know what is in the room? How do they not bump into other “people” and objects within the space?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Takeaways from the Experts&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Incorporating artificial intelligence and machine learning with virtual reality: We can teach machines what they need to do for each individual to optimize learning. Because people learn differently, this technology can provide alternative learning approaches. (Tom Furness, Professor and International Director, Human Interface Technology Laboratory, University of Washington)  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Content without headsets: Some people cannot use a headset or the motion aspects of the virtual environment. Alternatives should be considered to enable access to the same content. (Erin Hawley, Writer and Accessibility Consultant, The Geeky Gimp) &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;People using augmentative and alternative communication devices (AAC): When designing an experience where participants talk, consider the needs of those using this type of assistive technology. How can they access their assistive technology within these environments? (Joel Ward, Technology Specialist, Booz Allen Hamilton)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Begin with accessibility in mind: There are some projects in the XR space that did not begin with accessibility in mind. “If they are not thinking about accessibility now, they won’t be able to go full enterprise.” This is key when planning XR into your next project. (Joel Ward, Technology Specialist, Booz Allen Hamilton)  &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Learn More&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For those that would like to learn more about XR, find great resources:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://peatworks.org/futureofwork/playbook/&quot;&gt;The Accessibility Playbook for Emerging Technology Initiatives by PEAT&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.virtualworldsociety.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Virtual World Society&lt;/a&gt; – “a community using immersive technology to drive positive change.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://github.com/adobe-inclusive-design/id-workshop&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Adobe’s Inclusive Design Curriculum&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.imac-project.eu/approach/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Making 360 degree content more accessible&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/xaur/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;XR Meets Real Accessibility: Understanding XR Accessibility User Requirements&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;An upcoming presentation on Sept. 17 by Joshue O Connor’s as part of Inclusive Design 24, titled “&lt;a href=&quot;https://inclusivedesign24.org/2020/schedule/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;XR Accessibility: The art of the possible&lt;/a&gt;.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more abo&lt;span style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem;&quot;&gt;ut the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>444089</id><pubdate>2020-08-20T16:16:04Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Profile photos can help improve your interactions with colleagues, including those with disabilities. Understand a few key considerations and best practices to ensuree your profile image is equally helpful to you colleagues. </Description><Audience/><Title>Profile Photos: Business Use and Accessibility</Title><Publisher/><Subject>digital accessibility</Subject><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>state government accessibility</Subject><Subject>profile photos</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Profile Photos: Business Use and Accessibility</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Camera taking a portrait of a man</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/man-smiling-portrait-blog_tcm38-441355.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Camera taking a portrait of a man</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/man-smiling-portrait-thumbnail_tcm38-441389.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2020-07 - Profile Photos: Business Use and Accessibility</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-441391&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-07-28T14:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Profile photos can help improve your interactions with colleagues, including those with disabilities. Understand a few key considerations and best practices to ensure your profile image is equally helpful to your colleagues. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>Accessible and Consistent Photos Help Us Stay Connected </Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>
		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Profile photos can help improve your interactions with colleagues, including those with disabilities. There are a few key considerations, such as an updated photo and consistent usage, that ensure your profile image is equally helpful to you colleagues. &lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are many reasons why people do not have current profile photos, or a photo at all. Some people don’t have a profile photo because they never really thought about it, and don’t have a decent photo on their work computer. Others had once been told not to use them for a technical reason but had not gone back and checked if this had changed. &lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Times have changed! Especially with many people working remotely, it is important to update those photos.&lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Using a Profile Photo Helps Many&lt;/h2&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When using remote meeting tools, your initials may display when you are speaking if you don’t have a profile photo in the system This may cause confusion when people have the same initials. For example, Jennie Delisi and Jeremy DePew, both employees of Minnesota IT Services, often attend the same meetings. Both have the initials JD.&lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;  &lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/webex-identity-confusion_tcm38-441652.png&quot; title=&quot;webex-identity-confusion&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of virtual meeting, both participants have initials JD, one is blue, one is green.&quot; style=&quot;width: 80%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;webex-identity-confusion&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Sometimes only a difference of color will visually distinguish these participants. This is not accessible for everyone. Knowing only the person’s initials may also make it difficult to:&lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Send them a private chat&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Note their name so you can send a follow up question after the email&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Understand from the auto-captions and the visual speaker indicator (without the audio) which of the two participants is speaking&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“I love seeing other people’s profile pictures because I am a person who remembers faces with names,” says Emily Paoli Johnson from the Minnesota Department of Human Services. For some colleagues, this isn’t just a nice feature; sometimes it is the only way they can remember a person. While working remotely, some individuals may struggle if they do not see the faces of those attending the online meeting. While issues with network connectivity may sometimes prevent turning on video, profile photos can provide some substitute.&lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Suppose you only meet with a colleague every few months – seeing and hearing the person can help recall the previous conversation. The same is true of connecting with colleagues through instant messages, emails, and collaboration tools. Now imagine communicating with someone without ever seeing or hearing that person. How connected do you feel? Jessica Cavazos from the Minnesota Department of Health shares, “I use a profile photo in Office 365 because it’s a little more warm and friendly for virtual correspondence - remember trading photos with your pen pal in elementary school? It provides people the opportunity to place a face with the name.”&lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The presence of a profile photo can also make difficult conversations easier. Ben Blanchard from Minnesota IT Services shares, “When working in a position that has a lot of bad news and frustrated people, I’ve found that having a face displaying during an online interaction helps people to remember I’m a person, and as a result, these interactions become easier.”&lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Another key difference is that a profile photo enables people to identify you with less reliance on reading text. For example, when attending a presentation in your department or at a conference, sometimes you want to follow other information which may be available from the speaker. This could be on internal sites like Yammer, or on external channels like Twitter. When the speaker uses the same photo on their presentation slides that they have on their profile photos (especially when no video is presented during an online training), it makes it much easier to quickly match the photo to your search results. For some with cognitive disabilities this can make the task more manageable. Jessica adds, “Putting photos in presentations is newer to me, but I find it helpful when there is more than one presenter so I can know who is who.”&lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And finally, not everyone feels comfortable meeting new people, even in online meetings. Having a profile photo in your emails, collaboration tool profile, or social media channels helps those that may get nervous meeting people for the first time. They can match your profile photo and name prior to the meeting, and this may help them prepare.&lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility Considerations for Your Photo&lt;/h2&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Like all digital images, accessibility is a key consideration as you plan, create, and share.&lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use the highest quality image accepted by the system&lt;/h3&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The better the image quality, the better it will magnify. Check that it is clear when viewed at 200%.&lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Show your face prominently&lt;/h3&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Crop the image so your head and shoulders fill the frame. If you use a full body shot, your face won’t be recognizable at small sizes.&lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Add alt text when possible&lt;/h3&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some systems will pull your profile name into the alt text for your profile photo. Be sure to add the alt text when possible, if it is not added automatically.&lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tips for a Great Profile Photo&lt;/h2&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Jeremy DePew, Senior Designer and Communications Advisor for Minnesota IT Services, shares tips for those ready to update their profile photos.&lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use a recent photo&lt;/h3&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The best part having of a profile photo is to build recognition. You want to be seen as you are today, not as you were 20 years ago. Try to update your photo every so often.&lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Smile!&lt;/h3&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You want to look friendly, don’t you?&lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use a simple background&lt;/h3&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This doesn’t have to be a blank wall, but you should consider how “busy” the background is. The goal is to have some separation between you and everything that is going on behind you. A blurred background is one technique for creating separation. Your camera or phone may have features to create a blurred background, otherwise you can do it manually. &lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
				&lt;strong&gt;Advanced tip:&lt;/strong&gt;
				 You can achieve a blurred background by using a low aperture setting on your camera (such as f/2.8). Aperture, which is the size of the opening on your lens, can be controlled on most conventional cameras, but less frequently on cell phones. The wider the opening (the lower the f stop number), the more blurred your background will be.
			&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
		

		&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Lighting is key &lt;/h3&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Unless you have a full photography studio in your house, you may consider using natural light. Avoid taking your photo in bright sunlight, which will cause harsh shadows to appear on your face. Instead, take your photo on a cloudy day. The clouds will create a soft, diffused light that is great for portraits. Choose a time in the morning or before sunset. Windows can also provide nice light for a photo. An easy trick to soften window light is to hang a white bed sheet over the window.&lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Lighten shadows using a simple reflector&lt;/h3&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you are taking your portrait and notice that there’s too much shadow on one side of your face or under your chin, you can use a medium-to-large sized piece of white tagboard or foam core board to bounce light back onto your face and lighten shadows. The reflector should be held relatively close to your face (usually within a few feet), but in a way that it’s not visible in the frame. It’s easiest if you have another person hold the reflector.&lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Hold the camera still&lt;/h3&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To achieve a sharp photo, you’ll want to avoid camera movement, which can result in a blurry photo. This is especially important in lower-light situations. Use a tripod or prop the camera on a sturdy object and use the timer feature. If your photographer needs to hand-hold the camera, they can avoid subtle camera movements by taking the photo at the top or bottom of their breath. Leaning up against a sturdy object for support can also help eliminate camera shake.&lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Don’t use a selfie&lt;/h3&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This will cause distortions in your posture, and extreme camera angles can look unprofessional. Hand the camera to a friend and let them take your photo.&lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Take a bunch of photos! &lt;/h3&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Not every attempt will turn out. Try different expressions, backgrounds and lighting situations. You’ll eventually land on a photo you really like. &lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Crop your photo as a square for Outlook&lt;/h3&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you provide a rectangular photo, it may be compressed either vertically or horizontally. The results are not usually flattering.&lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Uploading Your Profile Photo&lt;/h2&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some organizations may block your ability to post or change your profile to certain apps. If you find that to be the case, check with your IT resource. It may be that some apps draw the profile photo from other sources. For example, your Teams profile may pull from your Office 365 profile.&lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Again, be consistent! Use the same profile for all your professional media, such as LinkedIn, that you use for your work apps.&lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
			&lt;br /&gt;
		&lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
			&lt;br /&gt;
		&lt;/p&gt;
		

		&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #ECEFF3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px 20px 20px 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;
					&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;
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	</BodyText><Author/><id>441391</id><pubdate>2020-07-28T15:28:32Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>July 2020 is the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Office of Accessibility interviewed a state employee about the link between the ADA and the need for accessibility.</Description><Audience/><Title>ADA, Digital Accessibility, and Improving Culture</Title><Publisher/><Subject>digital accessibility</Subject><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>state government accessibility</Subject><Subject>law</Subject><Subject>anniversary</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>ADA, Digital Accessibility, and Improving Culture</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Digital Accessibility Law, image of map of Minnesota with pointer on it. </AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/ADA2_tcm38-441336.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>ada, digital accessibility law</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/ADA3_tcm38-441345.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2020-07 - ADA, Digital Accessibility, and Improving Culture</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-441338&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-07-28T14:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>July 2020 is the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Office of Accessibility interviewed a state employee about the link between the ADA and the need for accessibility.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Interview with a State Employee about the ADA Anniversary</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;July 2020 is the 30th anniversary of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ada.gov/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)&lt;/a&gt;. People in Minnesota are more aware of digital accessibility since the passing of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=16E.03&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;State of Minnesota Digital Accessibility Law&lt;/a&gt; 10 years ago. While the Office of Accessibility gets many questions about the differences between the ADA and Minnesota’s law, both reinforce the rights of people with disabilities and provide a pathway for inclusion. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.adaanniversary.org/media-kit-ada-social-media&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;ADA Anniversary website&lt;/a&gt; – updated for our 2020 world with social media and other important digital accessibility reminders– states that the ADA &quot;prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including:  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;jobs,&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;schools,&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;transportation, and&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;all public and private places that are open to the general public.&quot; &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This month we spoke with Ken Rodgers, Disability Programs Coordinator/ADA Title I for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). Ken worked as a cardiac registered nurse before losing his sight to a rare retinal disease. We talked about his office’s work, and the link between the ADA and the need for digital accessibility. Ken&apos;s office has several divisions, including:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;diversity and inclusion training,&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;affirmative action work that monitors the hiring process for the agency, and the&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;discrimination investigation unit.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Ken said, &quot;everyone in the office is well educated and well-versed in document accessibility.&quot; They produce numerous documents for their agency, such as the Affirmative Action Plan.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&quot;Nothing goes out, or is published, unless it is fully accessible. Our staff were early adopters of digital accessibility. Our entire office took classes together.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Ken feels that more people now understand the need for digital accessibility. His office used to be the singular content for answering questions about digital accessibility for MnDOT staff. But times have changed. &quot;We are at a point that everyone should know these skills, and we should all be doing our work with an eye towards accessibility. We generally have success at doing that, so it is easier to have that expectation of others.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Ken shared that as others understood more about digital accessibility, it changed more than just documents. At one point the department was considering which copier/scanner to buy. He adds that his “coworkers were the ones that identified that I would not be able to use it, that it wasn’t accessible.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Ken reminds people about Minnesota’s digital accessibility law when he encounters barriers. But the law is not enough to change behaviors by itself. “We need people with significant disabilities in every office, so we can make fundamental change. That awareness of the need for digital accessibility can be built by people learning, but it is enhanced with a person. It is what makes me such an advocate for increasing the number of people in our workforce, to become a more responsive workforce.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The ADA provides tools to hire more people with disabilities. The accessibility law helps make the workplace functional for them.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Ken&apos;s Recommendations for Improving Your Team&apos;s Digital Accessibility Culture&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Train and Work With Your Staff on Accessibility&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ken’s staff who create documents for publication work closely with him. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;They took training as a team. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&quot;Accessibility is definitely up front” in Ken’s office.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Hire People with Disabilities&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&quot;I honestly think the reason why my office is different is because I am a constant reminder of why it is important that what we produce is accessible. I am a person that requires accessibility. If every office has someone who relies on a different way of accessing electronic content, and they interact with that individual every day, that awareness is going to affect how they do their work.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;2020 is also the 10th Anniversary of Minnesota’s Digital Accessibility Law!&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Not only is 2020 the 30th anniversary of the ADA, but it is the 10th anniversary of Minnesota’s Digital Accessibility and Usability Law. The Office of Accessibility will be sharing more about the anniversary in the next few months.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #ECEFF3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px 20px 20px 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>441338</id><pubdate>2020-07-28T04:37:56Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>May 21 marked the 8th annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). Minnesota held a virtual event, “Stories of Inclusion: State Government Accessibility.” 

</Description><Audience/><Title>ICYMI: Digital Accessibility Awareness Day</Title><Publisher/><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Title>ICYMI: Digital Accessibility Awareness Day</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Diverse group of people in a group. </AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/people-web-full%20size_tcm38-433024.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Group of diverse people. </AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/people-blog-thumbnail_tcm38-433026.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2020-07 - ICYMI Digital Accessibility Awareness Day</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-441317&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-07-23T14:40:36Z</Date><ShortDescription>May 21 marked the 8th annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). Minnesota held a virtual event, “Stories of Inclusion: State Government Accessibility.” 

</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Learn How Minnesota Prioritized Digital Accessibility from our May 21 Event</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;May 21 marks the 8th annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). As a leader in digital accessibility, the State of Minnesota participates in GAAD every year. Minnesota’s contribution to this year’s celebration was a virtual event, “Stories of Inclusion: State Government Accessibility.” The event featured interviews and speakers from across state government. Here are links to each of the interviews:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Governor Tim Walz&apos;s &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/-5nCPfCU19w&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;proclamation for Digital Accessibility Awareness Day in the State of Minnesota (video)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The Department of Employment and Economic Development’s State Services for the Blind, who recently launch a &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/GNfan16lt_s&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Radio Talking Book app&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The Minnesota Department of Health and its work &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/Ipk6iKRnPKo&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;providing critical and accessible information for decision makers and the public on COVID-19&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Department of Revenue’s Employee Development Services and their &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/RB_6IB-wM4U&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;accessibility standards for e-learning training design and development&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Find out what you missed by watching all the interview videos on our &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-DiEzEfoN6wm3LHayk6fAOVVkYBa-3PT&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;YouTube channel&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>441317</id><pubdate>2020-07-24T12:30:15Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Emojis and emoticons can be a great tool for communicating emotions if you keep your audience in mind, understand accessibility considerations, and follow our quick checklist. </Description><Audience/><Title>The Difference Between a Smile and a Grin</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>AT</Subject><Subject>emoji</Subject><Subject>emoticon</Subject><Subject>social media</Subject><Subject>digital accessibility</Subject><Subject>assistive technology</Subject><Subject>state government accessibility</Subject><Subject>social media accessibility</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Say It With a Face</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Smiling face emoji with various emojis in the background.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/emoji-001_tcm38-436173.png</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Smiley face emoji on a background various emojis.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/emoji-001_tcm38-436189.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2020-06 - Emojis and Emoticons</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-436147&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-06-17T16:28:24Z</Date><ShortDescription>Emojis and emoticons can be a great tool for communicating emotions if you keep your audience in mind, understand accessibility considerations, and follow our quick checklist. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>Accessible Communications with Emojis and Emoticons</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Emoticons and emojis are great tools to convey ideas and emotions, when you keep your audience in mind. Just as you may not speak with co-workers the way you talk with your friends, you should consider your audience when making your emoji or emoticon selections. Since their original use in text messages, these icons have moved into everyday communications.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We now commonly encounter them in social media posts, business tools like Microsoft Teams, and even emails. Digital accessibility questions about using emoticons and emojis include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How do people add emojis if they do not use a mouse? &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Is there a quick check list of considerations for when we would like to use emoticons and emojis?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Are there users with disabilities that may find them difficult to use?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How are they read by assistive technologies? Will users hear some odd letters, like a y?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What is an Emoticon? What is an Emoji?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.britannica.com/story/whats-the-difference-between-emoji-and-emoticons&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Encyclopedia Britannica&lt;/a&gt; defines an emoticon as “punctuation marks, letters, and numbers used to create pictorial icons that generally display an emotion or sentiment.” Think: emotional icon. If you place a colon and a close parenthesis side by side, they are read as a happy face even though it may visually appear sideways (hint: one of the potential issues for readers). Emojis are picture symbols “of faces, objects, and symbols.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For those people looking for more technical definitions Rob Reed covers many of the terms such as Unicode and character sets in “&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2016/11/character-sets-encoding-emoji/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Everything You Need To Know About Emoji.&lt;/a&gt;” He also references the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) information on character encoding. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Adding Emojis and Emoticons Without a Mouse&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Depending on your application, you can sometimes use characters on your keyboard to add emoticons and emojis. For example (y) creates a thumbs up icon in applications like Skype for Business. &lt;a href=&quot;https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4534547/windows-10-keyboard-tips-and-tricks&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Windows 10 keyboard tips and tricks&lt;/a&gt; notes that you can use: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Windows logo key + period to get the emoji keyboard, and&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The Alt key (held down) while you type the four-digit code for an emoticon, using the number pad. Don’t have a keyboard with a number pad? &lt;a href=&quot;https://altcodeunicode.com/how-to-use-alt-codes/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;How to Use Alt Codes&lt;/a&gt; has other options.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are times where you may want to reassign the default key combination in certain applications for emojis and emoticons. For example, consider (y). Cliff Tyllick, accessibility consultant, recommends, “Look in QuickCorrect and change the key combination to something like (.y) or *y). Otherwise when you type references to Item (y) they will become Item 👍 (thumbs up) —just like ‘Item (c)’ will become ‘Item [copyright symbol]’ unless you make a similar edit.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some interfaces have the option of adding emojis and emoticons into their text editing options. You can navigate to the emoji option, or the insert icon option, to get a list or menu of available options. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Want some fun Alt codes to try out? Check out: &lt;a href=&quot;https://altcodeunicode.com/alt-codes-emoticons-cat-faces-gesture-symbols/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;ALT Codes for Emoticons, Cat Faces &amp;amp; Gesture Symbols&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Quick Checklist for Using Emojis and Emoticons&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Movement:&lt;/strong&gt; Best practice is to use emojis or emoticons that do not move. Avoid those that move continuously and use with caution if they move for a brief period. This may cause issues for some of your readers. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Magnification:&lt;/strong&gt; Test out what the emoji or emoticons looks like when magnified to 200%. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Frequency:&lt;/strong&gt; Use emojis or emoticons occasionally for emphasis, rather than relying on the icons to communicate a large percentage of the message. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alternative Text:&lt;/strong&gt; Check to ensure there is alt text. Add alt text if possible. If not, add a note within the body of the content to describe the emoji or emoticons.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Color Contrast:&lt;/strong&gt; If the emoticon or emoji is used in place of text, select ones that have good color contrast.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Familiar Symbols:&lt;/strong&gt; Use common symbols to make it more likely that the symbols will work correctly on readers’ devices and improve the chance that they will be familiar with their meaning.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Emojis May Impact People’s Reading Experiences&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/index.jsp&quot; title=&quot;Intro - Accessibility Policies &amp;amp; Standards&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessibility Policies &amp;amp; Standards&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;State of Minnesota Accessibility Standard&lt;/a&gt; applies to social media channels and other types of communications that may have the ability to use emojis and emoticons. Planning digital accessibility into communications means considering the impact of design choices on accessibility, and testing to ensure results are accessible. If emojis and emoticons are designed into communication, it is important to consider how they may impact the understanding of that message. Considerations include characteristics of an emoji such as animation or contrast, as well as the need to think about how emojis are understood across devices or by a variety of audiences. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Varying Interpretations&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There is a significant potential for miscommunication while using emojis based on the varying types of emojis across platforms and devices. Those reading the emoticons and emojis may not have the same interpretation of the symbol as the person using it in their communication. Also, a sender’s device may visualize the same emoji in a different way than the receiver’s device. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Consider differences between the emoticon :( and the emoji ☹️ (sad face):&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Some may list that emoticon as a frown.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The emoji’s alt text in Microsoft Word says “Sad face with no fill.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For those with cognitive disabilities, emoticons and emoji may make it more difficult to understand your message and lead to varying interpretations of what you are trying to communicate. If the emoticon is sideways, some people may be unable to decode the emotion. Even if it is upright, the symbol may be unfamiliar and cause confusion or a misunderstanding of the message, especially when the meanings are non-literal. You may use an avocado to reference healthy eating, but this may not be understood by all your readers. A smiley face may come through on your device or application, but your reader may only get the letter j. They may not realize you had entered a symbol that did not get communicated to them.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Characteristics of Emojis and Emoticons&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;While it may be entertaining for some, animated emojis can cause a significant problem for other users. Take a moment and watch one of the emojis used in a message you received – do the eyes keep moving? Without the ability to pause or to choose not to receive these moving symbols, some may have difficulty focusing on your message, the messages around it (in applications with long threads), or may experience other issues because they cannot control the movement.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://veroniiiica.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Veronica Lewis&lt;/a&gt; discusses how a person with low vision may chose specific emojis based on background color in, “&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.perkinselearning.org/technology/blog/how-do-people-vision-impairments-use-emoji&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;How Do people with Vision Impairments…Use Emoji?&lt;/a&gt;” Remember, your readers may be using magnification/zoom, they may have a different color scheme on their computer like high contrast mode, or they may be using assistive technology to read them the information in your message.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Screen Reader Experience&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Lewis also provides insight into the challenges emojis may cause when using a screen reader. She writes, &quot;If my friend sends me five cake emojis, the screen reader will read ‘cake cake cake cake cake.’&quot; Emoticons and emojis can be a part of your communications, as long as you think about accessibility as you craft your message.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For the Techies&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;According to the Technique H86 from the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 information on &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/html/H86&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;providing text alternatives for ASCII art, emoticons, and leetspeak emoticons&lt;/a&gt;, “include ASCII characters that form facial expressions and other ways to communicate an emotion.” They recommend ensuring there is a text alternative for emoticons, and provide examples. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Lastly, start your search for Unicode blocks of emojis on &lt;a href=&quot;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emoji#Unicode_blocks&quot;&gt;Wikipedia&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>436147</id><pubdate>2026-04-13T18:22:41Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Flowcharts are powerful tools for communicating steps in a process, or demonstrating organizational structure (org. chart), but the need to create accessible information remains prevalent in all use cases. </Description><Audience/><Title>Key Considerations for Flowchart Accessibility</Title><Publisher/><Subject>digital accessibility</Subject><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>flowchart</Subject><Subject>flow chart</Subject><Subject>org chart</Subject><Subject>organizational structure</Subject><Subject>AT</Subject><Subject>state government accessibility</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Key Considerations for Flowchart Accessibility</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Illustration of a flow chart on a blue background.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/flow-chart-001_tcm38-436172.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Illustration of a blank flow chart.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/flow-chart-001_tcm38-436187.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2020-06 - Flowchart Accessibility</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-436349&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-06-17T14:27:14Z</Date><ShortDescription>Flowcharts are powerful tools for communicating steps in a process, or demonstrating organizational structure (org. chart), but the need to create accessible information remains prevalent in all use cases. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>Advice from Digital Accessibility Coordinators</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Flowcharts, and similar diagrams, are powerful tools for communicating steps in a process, or demonstrating organizational structure (org. chart). Specific software can aid in the design of flowcharts, but the need to create accessible information remains prevalent in all use cases. Whether you are designing your org. chart in InDesign, or creating a how-to document to explain a process in Microsoft Word, there are considerations that users can keep in mind. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Following a discussion between the State of Minnesota’s digital accessibility coordinators and a state employee, the Office of Accessibility combined their shared advice into key considerations to think about as you design your next flowchart or org. chart. Ken Graeve, a state employee from the Minnesota Department of Transportation, posed the initial question about flowcharts, “If the flowchart is so complicated that we have to depict it visually in order to make it easier to understand, then how should we make that accessible to the visually impaired while maintaining the simplicity?”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Start with Your Requirements&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It is tempting to select a tool first, but it is a best practice to first understand your requirements to not only improves your chances of a successful diagram, but to also save time.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Consider the Information’s Complexity&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Understanding requirements starts with understanding the information that needs to be communicated. David Miller from Minnesota IT Services (MNIT), partnering with the Department of Corrections, says, “Flowcharts with a lot of branching in them would be notoriously difficult to define a ‘proper reading order.’ Authors cannot predict which branch a reader will want to take. And if you find yourself at a node that has multiple ways of getting there, how does the app know which way is ‘back?’&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We recommend considering the number of layers your flowchart will have. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Determine how many layers need to be presented in this one diagram. When working with a complex structure, consider multiple, simpler, diagrams.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Decide if your readers will need to understand: 
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The overall structure, or&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;the detail of each level.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Determine the Frequency of Updates&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Flowcharts can:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Be produced once and never be updated, or &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;be updated and republished, like an org. chart.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;David Miller adds that, “visual representations are much more difficult to track changes over time. Most visual tools don’t have capabilities of identifying differences from one version to another, so the user has to do a side-by-side comparison on their own. For a flowchart with 10 nodes and 40 paths between the nodes, picking up the one or two changes may be extremely difficult.” Identifying those changes will be important as you update your text versions and alt text.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Plan Out The Flowchart Using Text&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Planning the flowchart with text helps refine what tools you may want to use and whether to make one or several charts. Here’s an example of a common structure used for org. charts:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/accessibility-flow-chart-001_tcm38-436329.jpg&quot; title=&quot;accessibility-flow-chart-001&quot; alt=&quot;Example flowchart, text details found in List Example heading.&quot; style=&quot;width: 80%; height: auto;&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessibility-flow-chart-001&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Option 1: Lists&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Build ordered lists with ‘If X, then go to Y’ language for branching decisions. It&apos;s like a make-your-own adventure book,” says Miller.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;JoAnn Rautio, the digital accessibility coordinator for MNIT partnering with the Department of Employment and Economic Development, adds, “With some straightforward flowcharts it is possible to use nested lists, with the list more or less representing the order of the steps represented by the flowchart.” &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;List Example&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For a group that all reports to Andrea, you may have:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Annie
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;David&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Karen
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Bob&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tricia&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ken
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Nancy&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Lea&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Richard
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;John&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Steve&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Becky
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Andrew&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Charlie&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Option 2: Headings&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Headings can be another way to use text to communicate structure, especially for org. charts. For example:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;First level heading is the name of the chart.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Second level heading is the person at the top of the org. chart.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Include paragraph text or an unordered list under this level for people that report to the person at the top of the organization.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Third level headings for each person that reports to the second-level person
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Paragraph text under each third level heading is for the individuals that report to the person in the third level heading.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This only works for so many levels to keep the process understandable. If there are more than 4 levels, consider breaking the charts into several sub-charts.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Heading Example&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Note: This is an image of the example, rather than real text. It includes the names and organizational structure in Option 1 but applies the heading structure described in Option 2.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/accessibility-flow-chart-002_tcm38-436332.png&quot; title=&quot;accessibility-flow-chart-002&quot; alt=&quot;Flowchart headings example, text details found in heading list example.&quot; style=&quot;width: 30%; height: auto;&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessibility-flow-chart-002&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Select the Flowchart Creation Tool&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Once you understand your requirements, select which tool will best communicate the information. Today most tools are unable to create an image or group of images that communicates to users of assistive technology:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;the text within the image,&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;the relationship between two individual points within the image, and&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;the larger structure of the flowchart.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If using one of those tools, it will be important to create a single image used in the final format and consider how to communicate the information in a text only format. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Other considerations for flowcharts include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;using colors with good contrast for text and background in the image&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;using methods other than just color (shapes, for example) to communicate concepts&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;the quality of the image produced so that if magnified, the image is still clear.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Make the Flowchart Into a Single Image&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Once the tool has been selected and the flowchart has been created it most likely has a group of images. For those readers who cannot see the image, or find text easier to understand than an image, they may be using assistive technology to read or understand the flowchart by accessing the image description (alt text). When they access each image within the group, it takes more time to access the chart, and this still may not communicate the goal or message of the group of images – the relationship between each image.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In this example of a flowchart in a PDF, the diagram is made up of several shapes. The “tag tree” on the left has one of those shapes (the triangle) selected and tagged as a figure tag. There is a figure tag in this tag tree for each part of the diagram. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In this case, the focus of the image is the group, not each individual shape. If describing the group of images to someone over the phone, we would describe the relationship between them, because the shapes are representing how four ideas relate to the central one. We would not describe that there is a brown triangle with a line connecting it to the central blue circle, then say that there is a green diamond, with a line connecting it to the central blue circle, and so on. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/accessibility-flow-chart-003_tcm38-436331.jpg&quot; title=&quot;accessibility-flow-chart-003&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of flowchart components with different shapes showing a relationship between components.&quot; style=&quot;width: 80%; height: auto;&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessibility-flow-chart-003&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If, as in the example above, the goal is to communicate the relationship between the different flowchart components, or it is a more complicated flowchart which will be accompanied by text elsewhere in the document, then you’ll want to convert the chart to a single image. If the tool won’t export the entire flowchart as a single image, then take a high-quality screenshot. Be sure to test to ensure this is clear when magnified to 200%. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are occasional times where it is acceptable to include individual elements of a flowchart. JoAnn Rautio notes one scenario: applications that allow the reader to zoom into specific sections or break out the flowchart into individual portions, allowing the user to navigate to the section of interest. In such cases, you will still need to provide an overall text description of the flowchart, as well as an accessible way for all users to navigate to and understand each individual portion.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Don’t Forget About Alt Text&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Becky Bernauer, accessibility coordinator for MNIT partnering with the Department of Health, has a great strategy for creating a single alt text for the entire flow chart. “I encourage creators to think about how they would explain the chart over the phone to someone and then include that in the text . We make the visual piece one image and the alt text is something like, ‘Flow Chart of X, text details found (name heading of where details are included).’”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;All of the digital accessibility coordinators interviewed agree that as the diagram becomes more complicated, and without the ability to move easily between the high-level overview and into areas of interest, alt text for individual portions of the graphic no longer provides useful information. In most situations one alt text for the entire diagram is the best solution. Either summarize the relationships in the alt text or name the flow chart and explain where the reader can find the full description.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Publish the Text Versions&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Providing both the visual and the text version used for planning provides access for a wider audience. You might be surprised by the number of people that use each format (visual, text) or both, based on their preference.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If publishing in a document, include the ordered list or heading version below the flowchart, or in an appendix. If posting on a webpage, provide the information below the chart or have a link below the image that takes readers to the location of the text version. Do not list the URL for the other version in the flowchart’s alternative text, as this cannot be used by assistive technologies to navigate to the other location.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For Flowcharts That Get Updated&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Bernauer adds that following the above process makes it easier when the flowchart or org. chart is updated. “When you provide the text version after the visual version, it&apos;s very easy to update once you have it set up. Just one image to add alt text to and whatever text needs to be changed. It&apos;s a five-minute turn-around.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Keep Learning!&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our digital accessibility coordinators know that new techniques evolve and software vendors improve the digital accessibility of their products. The coordinators read advice from various resources, test to see how they work in their particular use cases, and work with teams to ensure the solution is the best available at the time. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here are some of the resources they have found helpful:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://accessibility.psu.edu/images/flowcharts/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Penn State’s Flowcharts and Concept Maps&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/discussion/mail_thread?thread=9127&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WebAIM Email Archive – How to make accessible flowcharts?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://support.office.com/en-us/article/make-your-visio-diagram-accessible-to-people-with-disabilities-e2c847a9-f010-4fef-af65-16e252829d44&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Microsoft’s Make your Visio diagram accessible to people with disabilities&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

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&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>436349</id><pubdate>2020-06-17T15:45:21Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>With many people working from home, there has been an increase in the use of emails. Take some time to brush up on your accessible email skills. Here is a checklist to get you started.
</Description><Audience/><Title>Communicate Inclusion: An Accessible Email Checklist</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>email</Subject><Subject>Accessible Email Checklist</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Communicate Inclusion</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Email icons floating in front of a person typing on a laptop.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/email-002_tcm38-432809.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Email icons floating in front of a person typing on a laptop.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/email-002_tcm38-432812.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2020-05 - Communicate Inclusion</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-432802&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-05-20T17:23:18Z</Date><ShortDescription>With many people working from home, there has been an increase in the use of emails. Take some time to brush up on your accessible email skills. Here is a checklist to get you started.


</ShortDescription><Subtitle>An Accessible Email Checklist</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are many ways we know someone wants to include us in an activity. If your colleagues want you to join them for lunch, they make sure there is a seat at the table for you. If they want you to be a part of a work group, they may avoid scheduling the meeting on the day you need to pick up your child early from daycare.  Emails also have these subtle cues that indicate you want to include your colleagues.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;With many people working from home, there has been a sharp increase in the use of emails. Whether you are emailing a group of colleagues or your entire department, take the time to send accessible emails. If you are a State of Minnesota employee you are required to follow the &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/index.jsp&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessibility Policies &amp;amp; Standards&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;State of Minnesota Digital Accessibility Standard&lt;/a&gt;, which includes emails. But more than that, accessible emails communicate to our colleagues with disabilities that they are valued members of the team.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Take some time on Global Accessibility Awareness Day, and throughout the year, to brush up on your accessible email skills. Here is a checklist to get you started.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Subject Line&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Include key words about the email topic.&lt;/strong&gt; This will increase the readability of the subject line, and help people find the email later.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Don’t have the file name be the subject line.&lt;/strong&gt; Sometimes we use the share option within a document to start an email. This automatically creates a subject line using the file name. It may be more difficult to read, or hard to pronounce for those using assistive technologies.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Text&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Use meaningful text for links.&lt;/strong&gt; Instead of using text that begins with www(dot)…, be sure the reader knows where the link will take them. For example: “I thought you might enjoy this article about &lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/index.jsp?id=38-423819&quot;&gt;Accessible Remote Documents&lt;/a&gt;.” This is also more informative than “click here” or “learn more.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Use styles for headings in long emails.&lt;/strong&gt; Ever get a super long email? They can be hard to visually scan so you can preview their content and find out which parts require immediate action. Though you will need fewer heading levels than in a document, using headings helps everyone quickly find what they need in an email, including those using assistive technology.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Don’t use hard to read fonts, font sizes, or font colors.&lt;/strong&gt; Just as you would for documents and web pages, choose your font family, size, and color carefully. Set your preference as the default if your employer doesn’t already have one that all employees must use.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Don’t forget about list formatting.&lt;/strong&gt; Notice how the bullets make it easy to determine how many items are in this list? Properly format lists in emails to help everyone use information more efficiently.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Images&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Include important images like screen shots.&lt;/strong&gt; Images help many people understand your point. While many are working remotely, we often have to digitally “show” someone what we are talking about since we cannot go to their desk. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Add alternative text to images.&lt;/strong&gt; If someone needs to read text that provides a description of your image, alternative text makes sure they will have access to the same information as everyone else. Remember: good alternative text is short, and similar to how you might describe the image to a colleague over the phone.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Don’t forget about your logo!&lt;/strong&gt; Your email signature often includes your organization’s logo. Be sure to have alternative text for logos, including your social media channels. Need instructions? Check out a presentation we gave on how to create &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/presentation-csun_develop-test-deploy-2018_tcm38-374413.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;accessible templates for an entire state (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;. It has instructions for creating and deploying accessible email signatures.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A Few Other Tips&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Use properly formatted tables.&lt;/strong&gt; Tables are a great way of organizing data you need to share. Just make sure it is an accessible table.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Don’t use tables for layout.&lt;/strong&gt; There are much better tools in most email clients for making your email look good. This includes styles, ways to add white space properly, even ways to add columns. Tables for layout may cause some of your users to have trouble accessing your email using assistive technology.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Don’t use a background color. &lt;/strong&gt;While your email may stand out when you use a colored background, it can cause lots of difficulty for your readers. If they have challenges with their vision, it may make it harder to find your links. If they forward your email to someone else, the background color may make their default font color difficult to read. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our biggest tip for creating accessible email? Take our &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/word-document-training.jsp&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessible Word Document Training&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;Accessible Word Document Training&lt;/a&gt;. You will learn how to follow all of the tips discussed in this article, and the skills will also apply to your Word documents. Happy Global Accessibility Awareness Day! Thank you for taking time to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
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&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>432802</id><pubdate>2026-04-13T18:22:38Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>May 21 marks the 8th annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day. Minnesota’s contribution to this year’s celebration will be a virtual event, “Stories of Inclusion: State Government Accessibility.”</Description><Audience/><Title>Celebrating Digital Accessibility in the State of Minnesota</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Global Accessibility Awareness Day</Subject><Subject>GAAD</Subject><Subject>digital accessibility</Subject><Subject>state government accessibility</Subject><Subject>assistive technology</Subject><Subject>AT</Subject><Subject>COVID</Subject><Subject>coronavirus</Subject><Subject>COVID-19</Subject><Subject>COVID 19</Subject><Subject>corona virus</Subject><Subject>virus</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Global Accessibility Awareness Day</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Man using a refreshable braille display.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/assistive-tech-005_tcm38-356061.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Man using a refreshable braille display</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/assistive-tech-005_tcm38-356059.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>_Blog - 2020-05 - Global Accessibility Awareness Day</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-432871&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-05-20T16:17:02Z</Date><ShortDescription>May 21 marks the 8th annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day. Minnesota’s contribution to this year’s celebration will be a virtual event, “Stories of Inclusion: State Government Accessibility.”


</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Celebrating Digital Accessibility in the State of Minnesota</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;May 21 marks the 8th annual &lt;a href=&quot;https://globalaccessibilityawarenessday.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD)&lt;/a&gt;. As a leader in digital accessibility, the State of Minnesota participates in GAAD every year. Minnesota’s contribution to this year’s celebration will be a virtual event, “Stories of Inclusion: State Government Accessibility.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Because not everyone can be at the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/events/237698027494853/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;May 21 event (12 p.m., CT)&lt;/a&gt; or wait for the recording to be posted, read on to learn just a few of the ways the State of Minnesota is ensuring full digital accessibility for citizens and employees.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Department of Health’s COVID-19 Website&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) created a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/index.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;COVID-19 webpage&lt;/a&gt; in January as part of the information on &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;diseases and conditions&lt;/a&gt; of concern in Minnesota. Because of this virus’ immediate nature, the COVID-19 site is continuously maintained with daily updates to data and statistics. The site contains a page dedicated to providing a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/situation.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;COVID-19 Situation Update&lt;/a&gt; that was planned for, created, and maintained with accessibility for all Minnesotans in mind.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/mdh-covid-website-001_tcm38-432855.PNG&quot; title=&quot;&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of Minnesota Department of Health&apos;s coronavirus webpage.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;mdh-covid-website-001&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;State Services for the Blind Radio Talking Book App&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Before newspapers were available online, many people with disabilities would “read” local newspapers (including store discount coupons) by using a specialized radio receiver tuned to their local Radio Reading Service station. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Even with the prevalence of online news, such services remain popular. Each region’s Reading Service, called the Radio Talking Book (RTB) in Minnesota offers news and other information to allow multiple generations of blind and low vision and other print-disabled listeners to connect to their communities. However, the radios themselves have become outdated. The Department of Employment and Economic Development’s State Services for the Blind (SSB) recently launched an app that performs all the functions of the old radios, and more. The apps are available on &lt;a href=&quot;https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ssb.rtb&amp;amp;hl=en_US&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Google’s Play Store&lt;/a&gt;, Apple’s App Store, and as an Alexa smart speaker skill. Users can also access the services on &lt;a href=&quot;https://apps.deed.state.mn.us/ssb/rtb/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;SSB’s website&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Minnesota’s Radio Talking Book app and website enable any qualified user to access the service.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/ssb-rtb-website-001_tcm38-432856.png&quot; title=&quot;&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of Radio Talking Book website.&quot; style=&quot;width: 80%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;ssb-rtb-website-001&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Department of Revenue’s Accessible e-Learning Program&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Minnesota Department of Revenue (DOR) develops a wide variety of computer-based training (CBT) for its staff as well as the general public. For example, DOR provides training for certification programs such as the Property Tax Calculation exam, as well as information for state employees on how to handle Power of Attorney forms. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A common challenge of e-learning design and development is how to enable a high level of interaction and engagement at a reasonable cost. Making interactive elements accessible is an added challenge. For example, a common method of encouraging user interaction was to have the user “drag and drop” an element to demonstrate understanding. However, most techniques for this interaction are not accessible to all users, as it requires the use of a mouse, preventing some assistive technology and other keyboard-only users from effectively completing the task.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The DOR developed a “CBT accessibility training” program for its e-learning designers and developers. The training teaches, among other topics:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The importance of accessibility&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How to create accessible courses in Adobe Captivate&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accessible Interaction strategies&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The basics of how screen readers work&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Advanced testing with screen readers&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;DOR’s Employee Development Services maintains a template that gets updated as new issues arise. The template includes items such as:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Closed caption formatting&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Color palette with sufficient contrast&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Pre-set font sizes&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Wrap&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;All of the interviews will be captioned and posted on the &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/index.jsp&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessibility Landing&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility section&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
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&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>432871</id><pubdate>2020-05-20T17:28:09Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) was recently listed among the top five percent of the most accessible homepages in the world according to WebAIM.</Description><Audience/><Title>Striving to Improve Digitally: The Journey to a More Accessible Website</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Accessible Website</Subject><Subject>web design</Subject><Subject>web development</Subject><Subject>DNR</Subject><Subject>Natural Resources</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Striving to Improve Digitally</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A person in front of a laptop showing the Minnesota DNR&apos;s website.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/dnr-website-001_tcm38-432810.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A person in front of a laptop showing the Minnesota DNR&apos;s website.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/dnr-website-001_tcm38-432811.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>_Blog - 2020-05 - Striving to Improve Digitally</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-432786&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-05-20T13:32:47Z</Date><ShortDescription>The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) was recently listed among the top five percent of the most accessible homepages in the world according to WebAIM.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>The Journey to a More Accessible Website</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By:&lt;/strong&gt; Rebecca Oestreich, Electronic Information Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) provides critical information to Minnesotans and its visitors about the state’s parks, trails, environment, and so much more. We work hard to ensure that all our website visitors can access our content so we were excited to find ourselves among the top five percent of the most accessible homepages in the world according to &lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WebAIM&lt;/a&gt;, a nonprofit that provides web accessibility solutions. Our work didn’t happen overnight, of course. It’s the result of years of effort by many of our DNR and Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) staff and sustained support by our agency leadership.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In February 2020, WebAIM conducted an &lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/projects/million/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;accessibility evaluation&lt;/a&gt; on the home pages of the top 1,000,000 web sites by using the automated web accessibility evaluation tool, &lt;a href=&quot;https://wave.webaim.org/standalone&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WAVE&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The test found that the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;DNR homepage&lt;/a&gt; had zero accessibility errors, and WebAIM ranked DNR as 18,324 out of one million others. In February 2019, we were ranked as 88,261 out of one million.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;While the test showed that we had zero accessibility errors, that does not mean that our homepage is fully accessible. Automated testing tools, like WAVE can only detect 25 percent to 35 percent of potential errors.  Manual testing is necessary to find the remaining issues.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Reaching the top of this list is a great accomplishment, but we&apos;d be okay if everyone reading this article managed to beat us next year. By learning from each other, we can reduce accessibility errors and create a more equitable digital landscape. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Want to join us in the top 5 percent? Here are a few tips that might help you on your journey.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Build Accessibility into your Process&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When the DNR migrated to the content management system, Drupal, we had a unique opportunity to tackle website accessibility. Integrating accessibility into every step of this project made it manageable and ultimately successful.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Accessibility is an important consideration when developing content and applications. It’s much more efficient to address accessibility from the start rather than trying to retrofit a product at the end,” said Steve Lime, Data and Applications Manager, MNIT Partnering with DNR.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Leadership and staff buy-in also made the process much smoother.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Continue to Improve&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our rank increased in 2020 because we take deliberate steps to continually improve our website accessibility. It is a journey rather than an end point. Don&apos;t expect perfection from day one, but actively make improvements over time.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We didn&apos;t catch everything right out of the gate. For example, here are some structural issues the DNR recently addressed:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;We added missing labels to the search and email signup forms.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://developer.paciellogroup.com/resources/contrastanalyser/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Colour Contrast Analyser&lt;/a&gt; detected color contrast issues in the site header, which we fixed.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;To make the slideshow carousel more accessible, we integrated the &lt;a href=&quot;https://paypal.github.io/bootstrap-accessibility-plugin/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;PayPal Bootstrap Accessibility Plugin&lt;/a&gt; extension into the website. (Bootstrap is a popular framework for developing responsive and mobile-first websites.) &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Test&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Periodic testing was part of the website migration process and continues today.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://siteimprove.com/en-us/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Siteimprove&lt;/a&gt; continually crawls our website checking for accessibility errors, misspellings and broken links.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;When staff want to post something to the website, it is first checked for accessibility by gatekeepers who have gone through accessibility training. If it&apos;s not accessible, it is not posted.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Having an accessible website is not only the law, it’s the right thing to do. Together we can break down the online barriers for people with disabilities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;See you in the top 5 percent!&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #ECEFF3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
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&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>432786</id><pubdate>2020-05-20T17:28:09Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Everyone, including those who use assistive technology (AT), should be able to stop phishing attacks. We&apos;ve developed instructions for everyone to stay safe online.</Description><Audience/><Title>Slow Down, Check for Phishing Attacks: An Accessible Way to Stop Phishing Attacks</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility </Subject><Subject>assistive technology</Subject><Subject>AT</Subject><Subject>Phishing</Subject><Subject>Phishing Attacks</Subject><Subject>cyber</Subject><Subject>cyber threat</Subject><Subject>online safety</Subject><Subject>stay safe online</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Category><Description/><Title>Cybersecurity</Title><Id>226754</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Slow Down, Check for Phishing Attacks</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>An illustration of hacker on the screen of one laptop reaching for data from another laptop with a fishing rod.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/cybersecurity-month-010_tcm38-407216.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>An illustration of hacker on the screen of one laptop reaching for data from another laptop with a fishing rod.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/cybersecurity-month-010_tcm38-407217.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2020-04 -  Slow Down, Check for Phishing Attacks</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-429836&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-04-27T12:42:37Z</Date><ShortDescription>Everyone, including those who use assistive technology (AT), should be able to stop phishing attacks. We&apos;ve developed instructions for everyone to stay safe online.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>An Accessible Way to Prevent Phishing</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By:&lt;/strong&gt; Jennie Delisi, Jay Wyant, Ken Rodgers, Kim Wee, David Andrews, John Israel, Microsoft Enterprise Disability Answer Desk.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We have all done it – clicked on a link too fast in an email. We don’t always take the time to:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;verify the sender is who we think it is, and&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;check that the link goes to where we think it will go.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You are the first line of defense for phishing scams that target both personal and professional email accounts. When you receive emails asking you for sensitive information, payment, to log into your account, or to open an attachment, you must be sure it is safe to do so.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Instructions are easier to find for those with vision, and for those who use a mouse. But, what if you use a screen reader or an alternative access method like switches? If you write cybersecurity updates for your organization, how do you write instructions to ensure all employees can follow the directions, including those who use assistive technology (AT)?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Everyone should be able to stop phishing attacks. This month we tested methods for verifying email addresses of senders and URLs of links. The instructions below were verified using Outlook Office 365 Pro Plus (desktop application), Outlook 2016, our keyboard, and JAWS 2020.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And why the long list of contributors for this blog? When the Office of Accessibility reviews an issue, we validate the instructions or resources available online. This review often requires a team of internal, and in this case, external contributors, until we can solve any issues. A truly inclusive workforce means having solutions that work for everyone. Thank you to all the contributors that helped ensure we had solutions for both Office 365 Pro Plus and Outlook 2016!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Check Sender Email Address&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For each of these instructions, the email must be open, not just in a reading pane.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Easiest Method&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Inspect the email address itself, not just the name at the beginning of the contact.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For example, if it says it is sent from the Department of Health in the “From field,” review the actual email address because it could have something different than expected:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It may end with gmx.com or other odd ending instead of a standard government email address.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It may have the person’s name in the first half of the email address with a single letter misspelled.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;But what if the contact name is there, but you don’t get the full email address available to inspect? For example, you may have stored their name in your contacts (the display name), but cannot see not their actual email address. Then use one of the following set of steps, based on your app’s version.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Office 365 Pro Plus Desktop Application&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;h5 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Using a Mouse&lt;/h5&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Hover over the sender’s display name to expose their email address.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Carefully read the email address and verify that it matches your expectations.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h5 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Keyboard option 1: check the Contact Card for the Email Address&lt;/h5&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use Shift + Tab until you have focus on the reply button.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Shift + Tab one more time (this may not have focus).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use Shift + F10 to open the context menu.
&lt;ol style=&quot;list-style-type: lower-alpha;&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;You may have to select the email address in order to get this menu to appear, then open the context menu.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select N to open the contact card where the email address will be displayed.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For screen reader users: once the contact card is open, use Tab to navigate to the email address.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h5 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Keyboard option 2: start a Reply to Review the Email Address&lt;/h5&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select Reply (Control + R).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use Shift + Tab to bring focus to the “To field.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Check the email address in the “To field.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Delete (or “discard”) the email draft.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Outlook 2016 Desktop Application&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;h5 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Review Email Address in Outlook Properties&lt;/h5&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ensure the message header is available using Alt + H, A, 1, O, M. Note this is a toggle and only needs to be done once.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use Shift + Tab from the message until focus is on the From address.
&lt;ol style=&quot;list-style-type: lower-alpha;&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If you are using a screen reader, and hear the person’s name but do not hear the word button after their name, you may need to Shift + Tab once more.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Shift + F10, then select Open Outlook Properties.
&lt;ol style=&quot;list-style-type: lower-alpha;&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Note if you get cut, copy, paste in this menu: use Escape, then Home. Repeat Step 3 to bring focus to the beginning of the From address.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;You may get an option for Open Contact Card – this will work as well.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tab through the properties (or contact card) to the email address and review.
&lt;ol style=&quot;list-style-type: lower-alpha;&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For some screen reader users, you will need to go to the Actions button, navigate to the email button, then use Shift + Tab to review the email address.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Check the URL for a Link with Meaningful Text&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Meaningful text for a URL helps many people, including those with cognitive disabilities and those using assistive technologies. An example of meaningful text for a URL is &lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/techniques/hypertext/link_text&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Links and Hypertext&lt;/a&gt;. The instructions below are not a reason to stop using meaningful text for links. We want to ensure that everyone can review a URL before using the link.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some email services rewrite web links for security, marketing, tracking, or simplification purposes. These links may start out with a different domain name than the site you are visiting. For example, the URL for the Office of Accessibility &lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/index.jsp?id=38-423819&quot;&gt;blog post on accessible documents&lt;/a&gt; begins with mn.gov/mnit. If I copy it from a post in Twitter, it has a Twitter URL that begins with https://t.co.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In these cases, we advise that you not only check the URL before selecting the link, but also check the URL in the address bar of your browser after arriving at the destination site. In our examples above, they were safe URLs, but not all links you see will be. If you are at all unsure about the validity of a link you want to visit, you can enter it directly in the address bar of the browser yourself rather than selecting any links.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Using a Mouse&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Hover over the link’s meaningful text to expose the URL.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Carefully read the URL to verify it is valid.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Keyboard option 1: copy link to another location to review&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use Tab to bring focus to the link.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use Shift + F10 to open the context menu.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use C, ENTER to copy the link.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Open another non-web location where you can paste the URL such as a blank new email or text file.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use Control + V, T to paste a text version of the URL.
&lt;ol style=&quot;list-style-type: lower-alpha;&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The T may not be necessary if no paste options are revealed.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Note: you may have to select Control again to expose the letter option: Control + V, Control, T&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Inspect the URL to verify the address is where you expect it to go.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Delete the pasted location.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Keyboard option 2: create a reply or forward to review&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use Control + F to begin to forward the email.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Navigate to the link.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Control + K opens the Edit Hyperlink dialog.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If not automatically placed in the address field, use Tab to navigate to it.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Review the URL.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Delete the draft you have created.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What if I identify a phishing email?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you are suspicious of the email, and this is a professional email account, report it! Follow your organization’s reporting process.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Want to learn more about cybersecurity and how you can protect yourself? Minnesota IT Services has &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/about-mnit/security/index.jsp&quot; title=&quot;Intro - Security&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Security&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;security tips and resources&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>429836</id><pubdate>2020-05-15T14:29:59Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Remote meetings are now more common thank ever. We&apos;ve developed a guide to make sure that your remote meetings are as effective and accessible as possible.</Description><Audience/><Title>A Guide to Effective and Inclusive Remote Meetings</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Remote Meetings</Subject><Subject>Meetings</Subject><Subject>Inclusive Meetings</Subject><Subject>Effective Meetings</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Remote Meeting Guide</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A group of people in an online meeting.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/people-meeting-003_tcm38-430290.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A group of people in an online meeting.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/people-meeting-003_tcm38-430293.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2020-04 - Remote Meeting Guide</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-429835&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-04-27T12:42:30Z</Date><ShortDescription>Remote meetings are now more common thank ever. We&apos;ve developed a guide to make sure that your remote meetings are as effective and accessible as possible.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>A Guide to Effective and Inclusive Remote Meetings</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Remote meetings are suddenly our most common way of connecting with one another. While conversations that typically rely on physical cues to ensure inclusive meeting are gone, we must make sure that remote meetings are as effective and accessible as possible.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;While we have provided a &lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/index.jsp?id=38-423822&quot;&gt;few tips on inclusive meetings&lt;/a&gt; (also available as a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.accessibilityassociation.org/content.asp?contentid=681&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;free webinar&lt;/a&gt;) and a &lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/index.jsp?id=38-429215&quot;&gt;self-help guide to troubleshooting audio or video quality issues&lt;/a&gt;, all this information can seem overwhelming. So we’ve condensed all the key steps into a single guide to effective and inclusive remote meetings.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Planning and Setup&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Don’t fly solo.&lt;/strong&gt; Assign others to take notes, help with tech troubleshooting, and manage the chat features.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Include necessary information in the meeting invitation.&lt;/strong&gt; When sending out the email announcement or invitation of the meeting, explain the purpose of the meeting and provide materials that will be discussed such as an attachment or link. You should also note if you are providing a separate caption option and provide a link for that capability. For larger meetings, webinars, and formal presentations, include a statement for people who may want to request accommodations, along with contact information.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Get set up.&lt;/strong&gt; Before you sign into the meeting, ensure you are using a high-quality webcam, microphone, or headset.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Meeting Introduction/Kickoff&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Start with the ground rules.&lt;/strong&gt; If there is a large group, explain how a person will “get the floor” to be able to comment or ask a question. Make sure to account for people who are only using the phone, or don’t have audio capabilities. (See more ideas in the Explanations/Clarifications section.)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Introductions.&lt;/strong&gt; Remind everyone to say their name before speaking. If you are going to have people introduce themselves, let them know before it happens.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Add important information in a chat feature.&lt;/strong&gt; If you are holding your meeting on a platform that includes chat, include information that you will also explain verbally. This information can include:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A separate call in number.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A separate captioning link.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Attachments or links that are discussed during the call.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Share recordings.&lt;/strong&gt; If you will be recording, let everyone know that and announce when and where the recording will be available in an accessible format.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If You’re Presenting/Facilitating&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Remove distractions.&lt;/strong&gt; Turn off or mute email and other notifications and set your presence to “Do Not Disturb.” Close applications and content that you aren&apos;t going to be sharing in the meeting.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Describe visuals or what&apos;s being shared on the screen.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Have a side channel with the chat monitor.&lt;/strong&gt; When appropriate, have the chat monitor read aloud the items/questions in the chat before answering. When multiple people have asked to speak, announce the order so they can plan ahead.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Make sure everyone has a chance to contribute.&lt;/strong&gt; Recognize that there are many reasons people may not be quick to jump in. Allow time for participants to add notes in the chat or ask to speak. Provide multiple ways to collect feedback and avoid letting any one person dominate the audio.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Everyone&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Introduce yourself.&lt;/strong&gt; Start off by saying &quot;This is Kris, and...&quot;. Introduce yourself every time when you speak.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mute your microphone when not speaking.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If you are not speaking, consider turning your camera off.&lt;/strong&gt; Upload a picture or avatar: seeing faces rather than initials creates a positive feeling of interaction among colleagues, rather than strangers.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Look directly into the camera when speaking.&lt;/strong&gt; If you don’t like to see yourself while speaking, look at the layout options for a way to hide your self-view window.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Consider your background.&lt;/strong&gt; Clear out your laundry and remove distractions. Avoid speaking from a dark room or with light behind you.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Avoid speaking too quickly after the previous speaker.&lt;/strong&gt; Give the person time to finish.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Explanations/Clarifications&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Options for enabling people to “get the floor”.&lt;/strong&gt; Ask attendees to use the chat to request to speak. They can use a code, such as q+, to indicate that they would like a turn speaking. For those on the phone, they can interrupt with “Please put me on the queue” and someone managing the queue will add their name into the chat.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Respect this queue.&lt;/strong&gt; Announce when it is the next person’s turn, and let them speak. Give them a moment to unmute themselves. If you have a long queue, announce the next 3 or so in order to help people predict when their turn is coming up.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The need to say your name every time you talk.&lt;/strong&gt; Some people do not distinguish voices well. Some people are reading the audio through captions or other methods. If you don’t say your name, it is not clear that a new person is speaking or who that person is.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Meeting recordings.&lt;/strong&gt; If the meeting is recorded, viewers can more effectively identify the speaker. Post-meeting transcripts can accurately track positions and decisions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Introductions&lt;/strong&gt;. Having a large group of attendees self-introduce can be unwieldy if not well-managed. Some strategies include:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;“I’m going to have everyone on the call take a turn to introduce themselves” or “I’m going to have today’s presenters introduce themselves.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;“I’m going to go in alphabetical order by first name” – use whatever method the remote meeting interface uses to order those in the meeting in the participant list. This helps people prepare to unmute, and for those that get nervous, helps then know when it will be their turn.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For those reading captions or using an American Sign Language interpreter, it may take them a moment to get the end of the last sentence spoken by the previous speaker, before being ready to take their turn. For those using screen readers or other types of assistive technologies, it may take them a moment to navigate to the unmute button.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;State “if you prefer to have me introduce you, please type your information into the chat” and then when that person’s turn comes up, have the chat monitor read what they have written. Sometimes people are having issues with their microphone, have lots of background noise, or find this method easier.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ensure inclusion in the conversation.&lt;/strong&gt; At key points of conversation, pause the conversation, and ask if anyone else has something to add. Don’t just take silence as agreement.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;You can ask all those who agree to put something in the chat like a +1; a -1 if they disagree.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;You can go through each person, and ask them if they have any concerns. By going through by name, if they got distracted or had audio issues, you can confirm that their response.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Because you cannot see facial expressions when everyone has their camera off, it is more important to use these alternative methods so you can be sure that the group has come to consensus.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Proactively ask if others have something to share.&lt;/strong&gt; If you have a group member who is taking up a lot of the speaking time, it can be helpful to purposefully see if others have thoughts to share.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;“I see X on the queue but I would like to be sure that others have had a chance to weigh in. I’m going to pause for a moment to see if others are ready to contribute.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;“X has been doing a great job asking questions, helping us think this through. I want to be sure that others have the same opportunity. I’m going to go through each person’s name, and just do a quick check in before getting back to X.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #ECEFF3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px 20px 20px 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>429835</id><pubdate>2020-05-15T14:30:00Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Many employers are holding remote meetings. Accessibility isn’t just about including people with disabilities. Learn how everyone can participate equally in your remote meetings.</Description><Audience/><Title>Accessible Remote Meetings </Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>remote meetings</Subject><Subject>telework</Subject><Subject>teleworking</Subject><Subject>remote worker</Subject><Subject>remote working</Subject><Subject>working remotley</Subject><Subject>Accessible Remote Meetings</Subject><Subject>Accessible Meetings</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Accessible Remote Meetings </Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Wendy Ady video conferencing with Chief Technology Officer, Jeff Nyberg.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/wendy-ady-001_tcm38-418198.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Wendy Ady video conferencing with Chief Technology Officer, Jeff Nyberg.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/wendy-ady-001_tcm38-418199.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2020-03 - Accessible Remote Meetings</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-423822&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-03-19T16:29:37Z</Date><ShortDescription>Many employers are holding remote meetings. Accessibility isn’t just about including people with disabilities. Learn how everyone can participate equally in your remote meetings.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>How to Have Digitally Accessible Remote Meetings </Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;By: Kim Wee, Kris Schulze, Jay Wyant, Jennie Delisi&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Many employers are shifting to teleworking or holding remote meetings. Following accessibility best practices isn’t just about including people with disabilities – it’s about ensuring that everyone can participate equally in the meeting.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;So what do you do to ensure effective and inclusive remote meetings?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;First, take a deep breath. This information is familiar for those already adding digital accessibility practices into workflows.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Second, take a few minutes to plan. Review the basic tips and links we provide below to plan for inclusive meetings.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;note-info&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Online meetings are different than broadcasts. This article covers online meetings. Broadcasts happen when you are in one location broadcasting to many people, and attendees only participate through online questions and answer.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Which tool will you use?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Phone meeting&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Online meeting option (Skype for Business, Webex, Teams, etc.)
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Make sure these have a phone number option for joining. Don’t have a number? Ask your support team or IT help desk to assign one for you. This will enable people to participate if they:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Experience low bandwidth&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use caption and video relay services&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;You may need captions for your meeting. More information is provided below, but note if you will be using a live captioner.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What are you sharing?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Documents&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Whiteboard&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Chat&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Polling/interaction tools&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Showing videos (continue to follow typical accessibility best practices for videos)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How many people will speak during the meeting?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Are you sharing the captions with all attendees?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Make sure your online meeting tool supports the features you need.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Who will have a role?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Meeting leader:&lt;/strong&gt; this person must provide the structure, so people take turns and do not try to speak at the same time.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chat monitor:&lt;/strong&gt; this person will also monitor whether the captions are working.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Multiple presenters?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Note taker:&lt;/strong&gt; different person than the meeting leader.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Meeting Rules&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Send these with the meeting invitation as a separate email.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;One person speaks at a time.&lt;/strong&gt; This ensures that whoever is speaking can talk without interruption. It also helps those who may be reading live captions provided through relay or video interpreting services (for those that use American Sign Language), and will provide a more accurate caption file if you are recording the meeting.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Say your name before speaking.&lt;/strong&gt; Not everyone has a distinctive voice. Saying your name both ensures transition between speakers and ensures everyone knows who is talking. You may not realize that someone is using captions or an American Sign Language interpreter during the call. By saying your name before you speak, this will identify you to those who may not be able to determine who you are just by the sound of your voice.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;When possible, send accessible documents to be discussed ahead of time.&lt;/strong&gt; This ensures a more efficient meeting and effective use of everyone’s time. It also helps those who use assistive technologies and anyone who needs extra time to review documents.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If you use a whiteboard feature, share your screen, or if you present a PowerPoint, describe what is on the screen.&lt;/strong&gt; Visual descriptions provide equitable access for those that cannot see the screen or are only using the telephone.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If using a method for asking questions or requesting a chance to speak, we suggest using a method such as hand raising or indicating this in the chat.&lt;/strong&gt; This is why the person running the meeting needs to delegate someone else to monitor the chat. The monitor may also read from the chat to share the information with those attending only by phone.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For large meetings, getting an opportunity to speak during the meeting can follow a simple process. One process may be having users type &lt;strong&gt;q+&lt;/strong&gt; into the chat feature when they have a question. The chat monitor then lets the leader know when there are questions or comments to share.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Invitation&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Typically, meeting invitations should be sent with a request for accommodations and timeline so that accommodations can be prepared (e.g. captions, sign language interpreter). Include a person’s name and contact information should someone require these types of accommodations.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;But, during these unusual times, there may not be the availability or time to get these types of accommodations in place. Continue to include the request for accommodation language, but we will give you some options for how to handle these unusual situations.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Captions&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The best way to provide captions is to use a professional captioner. This can be delivered:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;In person&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Remote: A captioner connects to the meeting from their location, and provides captions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you work for a state or federal agency, begin by investigating your typical process for acquiring a captioning service. They may be able to handle your request, even at the last minute.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Captions can be delivered to participants:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Directly into the meeting platform, such as using Webex’s caption pane.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Into a browser page when your online meeting tool doesn’t have a caption option. This can also be an option for tools that only allow one line of captions to display at a time, which can be difficult to follow.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Through auto-captioning tools. Note: This is a &quot;necessary evil&quot; when a live captioner is not available due to an emergency situation. These captions must be monitored as they will make errors. Have a chat line open, if possible, to post clarifications and to allow participants relying on the captions to ask questions if they have trouble understanding due to auto-caption errors.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;More Resources&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We know that this checklist does not contain everything you need. Once you have determined what you plan to share and how, you may need more training.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Office of Accessibility has resources for you!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Check out our companion article on what you need to get started &lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/index.jsp?id=38-423819&quot;&gt;creating accessible Word documents&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Our &lt;a href=&quot;&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-61512&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Electronic Documents&quot;&gt;documents page&lt;/a&gt; has information for making all types of documents accessible. And, here’s a &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/?id=38-417349&quot;&gt;PowerPoint accessibility checklist&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Making or showing a video? Our &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/multimedia.jsp&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Multimedia&quot;&gt;multimedia section&lt;/a&gt; can be a good starting place.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Need more details about remote meetings and accessibility? Jay Wyant and Kris Schulze did a presentation in 2019: &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/presentation-it-symposium_integrating-local-remote-participants_tcm38-374415.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;presentation-it-symposium_integrating-local-remote-participants&quot;&gt;Integrating Local and Remote Meeting Participants&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Looking for information on auto-captions? While we typically do not recommend using auto-captions due to the high error rate, we understand that many meetings have had to quickly shift from in-person to online without time or budget to prepare. Here are some resources but know that once you have some time to plan, this is not an equivalent option for those requiring captions for participation. These are resources, and are not endorsements of their products, or of their reliability.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://support.office.com/en-us/article/present-with-real-time-automatic-captions-or-subtitles-in-powerpoint-68d20e49-aec3-456a-939d-34a79e8ddd5f&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;PowerPoint auto caption information&lt;/a&gt; – note, this feature may not be turned on at your location.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://support.google.com/docs/answer/9109474?hl=en&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Google Slides auto caption information&lt;/a&gt; – note that this information is provided for those in school systems. Many employers and state agencies do not approve of Google products being used.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://webcaptioner.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Web Captioner&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://streamer.center/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Streamer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And, if you are looking for more specifics on what is available for each type of remote meeting option, the differences between live captions and auto captions, the article &lt;a href=&quot;https://tinachildress.wordpress.com/2020/03/13/captioning-options-for-videoconferencing-and-learning-management-systems/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Captioning Options for Videoconferencing and Learning Management Systems&lt;/a&gt; has good details.&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>423822</id><pubdate>2020-05-15T14:30:00Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Teleworking has suddenly become a new normal. You may find yourself writing more frequently. Here are some accessibility writing tips for remote workers.</Description><Audience/><Title>Accessible Remote Documents: Writing Tips for Remote Workers</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Accessible Remote Documents</Subject><Subject>telework</Subject><Subject>teleworking</Subject><Subject>remote working</Subject><Subject>telecommuting</Subject><Subject>accessible documents</Subject><Subject>document accessibility</Subject><Subject>Remote Workers</Subject><Subject>Writing Tips</Subject><Subject>accessibility writing tips</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Accessible Remote Documents</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Person working on a computer.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/people-computer-002_tcm38-346797.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Person working on a computer.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/people-computer-002_tcm38-346800.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2020-03 - Accessible Remote Documents</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-423819&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-03-19T16:21:58Z</Date><ShortDescription>Teleworking has suddenly become a new normal. You may find yourself writing more frequently. Here are some accessibility writing tips for remote workers.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Writing Tips for Remote Workers</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By: Jay Wyant&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Teleworking has suddenly become a new normal for many people. Meetings are either cancelled or held online, our &lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/index.jsp?id=38-423822&quot;&gt;article on accessible remote meetings&lt;/a&gt; has more information on this topic.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You may find yourself writing more frequently – creating documents for online, remote collaboration – and communicating more often through email than by phone or in-person.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Make sure you start with accessibility in mind.&lt;/strong&gt; You can avoid extra time fixing it when you’re done and be sure that everyone can read the drafts. Fortunately, if you work for the state of Minnesota, your agency should have made it easy for you.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use Templates&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you use Word, select File&amp;gt;New (or Alt, F, N). That will launch a view of available templates. This is what it looks like for Minnesota IT Services (MNIT):&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Every document in our templates is formatted with MNIT’s branded font and styles, and is accessible. Even the blank document’s default font and styles are the same as the rest.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Don’t have templates like this? Ask your communications office if they would make one or two. If you’re an independent contractor, select one of the existing templates that looks good to you and follow the rest of the steps.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Start With an Outline&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Just like your fifth grade English teacher taught you. What’s the main point? What are the key sub-points?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Main points and key sub-points become your headings. Don’t know all of your headings yet? Don’t worry – it’s easy to change their style once you have identified them.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use the Built-in Styles&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Once you’ve got a top-level outline identified, make them headings. If you chose a template with pre-existing content, simply replace the filler text with yours. If you chose a blank template, go to the Home ribbon, select the Styles section (Alt, H, L) then select the appropriate heading. Or open the styles pane and float it nearby for easy reference (Alt, H, FY).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;So far in this post, I have:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accessible Remote Documents (Heading 1)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Writing Tips for Remote Workers (Heading 2)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use Templates (Heading 3)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Start with an outline (Heading 3)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To make the above text a list, I used bullets, via the List Paragraph style. (Selecting the bullet icon option or ALT, H, U) should give you the same result, but always check the styles pane to confirm.)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you’re an independent contractor using someone else’s template, now’s a good time to test the headings for &lt;strong&gt;sufficient contrast&lt;/strong&gt;. To ensure readability, text should be at a 4.5:1 ratio to its background. 3:1 is acceptable for large text (18pt or greater). &lt;a href=&quot;https://developer.paciellogroup.com/resources/contrastanalyser/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Test the heading text&lt;/a&gt; and adjust as necessary.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Add Alternative Text (Alt Text)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Sharing a screenshot in an email, Word document, or PowerPoint? It needs a text alternative called “alt text” in the Microsoft tools. Use this alt text feature to describe your screenshot, graph, or picture. If the detail is critical to understanding the image (such as a technical issue) use the body text to provide more details.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For example, the alt text of the template view above image reads: “screenshot of Microsoft Word’s New Document view, presenting a list of thumbnails of the different templates available.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It doesn’t attempt to describe each thumbnail. But if the document’s purpose is to review all the templates, then you want to make sure that you provide a more detailed description in the body of the document. Use simple alt text so the user knows that it’s the image referenced in the body text.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use Meaningful Links&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When sharing links in documents or even in emails, embed the link in text that defines the link. That helps people who have to skim your document quickly decide whether they should follow the link. It also helps people with disabilities find and use the link more effectively. After all, which do you think is easier to read?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Check out this great tweet about how &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/MNIT_Services/status/1234931760322031616&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;we worked with college students on user-centered design&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Check out this great tweet about how we worked with college students on user-centered design: &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/MNIT_Services/status/1234931760322031616&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://twitter.com/MNIT_Services/status/1234931760322031616&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Meaningful text should be used for links in all electronic documents, including email, Word, and PowerPoint or their equivalent.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Learn More&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Take our FREE &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/word-document-training.jsp&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessible Word Document Training&quot;&gt;Introduction to Accessible Documents&lt;/a&gt;. (If you’re a state of Minnesota employee, ask your training staff about access to the course in ELM, the enterprise learning management system).&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
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&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>423819</id><pubdate>2020-05-15T14:30:01Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Minnesota’s Accessible Maps Community of Practice were asked to travel to California to share their work and knowledge around map accessibility best practices for map designers and creators.
</Description><Audience/><Title>Minnesota’s Accessible Maps Community of Practice Shares Best Practices with the State of California</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>accessible maps</Subject><Subject>maps</Subject><Subject>map accessibility</Subject><Subject>digital maps</Subject><Subject>web maps</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>California Mappin’</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Amy Ellison, Cartographer for the State Parks and Trails Division at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources giving a presentation on map accessibility.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-map-presentation-001_tcm38-421145.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Amy Ellison, Cartographer for the State Parks and Trails Division at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources giving a presentation on map accessibility.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-map-presentation-001_tcm38-421146.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2020-02 - California Mappin’</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-421163&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-02-26T22:16:47Z</Date><ShortDescription>Minnesota’s Accessible Maps Community of Practice were asked to travel to California to share their work and knowledge around map accessibility best practices for map designers and creators.
</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Minnesota’s Accessible Maps Community of Practice Shares Best Practices with the State of California</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The state of California heard about the incredible work Minnesota’s Accessible Maps Community of Practice had done to create best practices for map designers and creators and asked some of its members to travel to Sacramento to share their knowledge.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;So the last days of January, Amy Ellison, Cartographer for the State Parks and Trails Division at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Kitty Hurley, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Application Developer for Minnesota IT Services traveled to California. Being savvy map users, they knew there was no beach where they were headed, but they made the trek out west.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Amy and Kitty provided a full day hands-on workshop to 50 attendees representing the spectrum of California state map designers and creators. The workshop provided an overview of the entire process of making accessible maps:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Why accessible maps matter and who benefits.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How to incorporate accessibility into map design.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;How to use color effectively.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Making accessible static maps.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Making and testing accessible interactive web maps.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Attendees were able to try out their newfound knowledge in exercises as well as take home copies of our famous &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/CompleteSetAccessibilityQuickCards_tcm38-294078.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Accessibility - Quick Card - Complete Set&quot;&gt;quick cards (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Many of the attendees were new to accessibility and expressed varying degrees of astonishment that they could actually make maps accessible for people with disabilities. For example, attendees were interested to learn about the significant numbers of people who were colorblind and how they could implement strategies to make maps more useful for that population.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Wish you could have been there? Here’s the next best thing: check out the &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/maps/index.jsp&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Map Accessibility&quot;&gt;Map Accessibility&lt;/a&gt; section of our website!&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>421163</id><pubdate>2026-02-09T18:16:30Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>At the state of Minnesota Digital Accessibility Coordinator meeting, MNIT Deputy Commissioner Jon Eichten recognized state employees who had obtained their digital accessibility certification.
</Description><Audience/><Title>Digital Accessibility Certifications: Celebrating State Employees Achievement in Accessibility</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Accessibility Certifications</Subject><Subject>Digital Accessibility</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Digital Accessibility Certifications</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A photo of Deputy Commissioner Jon Eichten and Chief Accessibility Officer Jay Wyant with the Digital Accessibility Certification recipients.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-certification-001_tcm38-421144.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A photo of Deputy Commissioner Jon Eichten and Chief Accessibility Officer Jay Wyant with the Digital Accessibility Certification recipients.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-certification-001_tcm38-421147.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2020-02 - Digital Accessibility Certifications</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-421160&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-02-26T22:15:09Z</Date><ShortDescription>At the state of Minnesota Digital Accessibility Coordinator meeting, MNIT Deputy Commissioner Jon Eichten recognized state employees who had obtained their digital accessibility certification.
</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Celebrating State Employees Achievement in Accessibility</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;At the monthly State of Minnesota Digital Accessibility Coordinator (DAC) meeting, Minnesota IT Services’ (MNIT) Deputy Commissioner Jon Eichten recognized state employees who had recently obtained their digital accessibility certification.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Eichten stated that it was critical for the state to increase its capacity for digital accessibility, calling out the need to increase “competencies and skill sets in accessibility at both MNIT and agencies.” He recounted that just that morning at a hearing “the staff in the House were reiterating how they expect any document that gets sent to them for hearings by state agencies to be fully accessible.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Two groups of state employees were recognized. The first were the employees who had most recently passed the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.accessibilityassociation.org/cpacccertification&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC)&lt;/a&gt;. Those included:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Kursten Dubbels&lt;/strong&gt; - Minnesota Department of Education&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rita Williams-Larson&lt;/strong&gt; - Minnesota IT Services partnering with Pollution Control&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;David Andrews&lt;/strong&gt; - State Services for the Blind&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Samantha Fischer&lt;/strong&gt; - Department of Employment and Economic Development&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tamara Sawyer&lt;/strong&gt; - Minnesota Management and Budget&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lea Dooley&lt;/strong&gt; - Minnesota IT Services partnering with Department of Human Services&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jay Wyant&lt;/strong&gt; - Minnesota IT Services&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The second group were those who recently passed the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dhs.gov/office-accessible-systems-technology&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Office of Accessible Systems and Technology Trusted Tester Version 5 (TTV5) certificate&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;JoAnn Rautio&lt;/strong&gt; - Minnesota IT Services partnering with the Department of Employment and Economic Development&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Kim Wee&lt;/strong&gt; - Minnesota IT Services partnering with the Department of Education&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;An even larger cohort was expected to take the exam soon, so watch this newsletter for more updates!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/news/index.jsp?id=38-403321&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Learn More About Digital Accessibility Certifications&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>421160</id><pubdate>2020-05-15T14:30:03Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Do you have an accessible PowerPoint template? If so, be sure to use it. If not, you can still create an accessible PowerPoint. Learn how.
</Description><Audience/><Title>PowerPoint Accessibility Checklist</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>PowerPoint</Subject><Subject>checklist</Subject><Subject>how to create an accessible presentation</Subject><Subject>accessible presentation</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>PowerPoint Accessibility Checklist</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A person writing checkmarks on a checklist.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/checklist-001_tcm38-417668.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A person writing checkmarks on a checklist.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/checklist-001_tcm38-417669.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>_Blog - 2020-01 - PowerPoint Accessibility Checklist</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-417349&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-01-27T21:53:01Z</Date><ShortDescription>Do you have an accessible PowerPoint template? If so, be sure to use it. If not, you can still create an accessible PowerPoint. Learn how.
</ShortDescription><Subtitle>How to Create Accessible PowerPoint presentations</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Do you have an accessible PowerPoint template? If so, be sure to use it. If not, you can still create an accessible PowerPoint.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Plan Your Content&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Include only concepts and brief descriptions on slides, not full sentences.&lt;/strong&gt; This makes it easier to read from the back of the room. It also supports those with difficulty taking notes to remember key points when they review your slides after the event.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Display only simple tables.&lt;/strong&gt; Complex table data is difficult to see from the back of the room and is difficult to make accessible within a PowerPoint presentation. You can show sections of a table on a slide, provide an accessible PDF of a table you are referencing, or highlight key elements of the table in your slides.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Use graphics that support your slide topic.&lt;/strong&gt; Graphics help many people with vision understand your topic more quickly but not every slide needs a graphic. Consider it as one tool for communication.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Make sure color is not the only way you are communicating.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Choose video content with accessibility in mind.&lt;/strong&gt; Videos you choose to show during your presentation should have:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accurate captions turned on during your presentation.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Description of visuals that are displayed. Consider those that are unable to see. If you close your eyes, can you understand why the presenter selected a video from just the audio?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Create Your Slides&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Every slide needs a unique slide title.&lt;/strong&gt; This is a specific type of content placeholder. Select Home – Arrange – Selection Pane, and check for Title 1.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Font size should be fairly large.&lt;/strong&gt; This needs to be viewable from the back of the room. 24-point font is the minimum size, but we recommend larger.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Font color is important.&lt;/strong&gt; Use a tool like the &lt;a href=&quot;https://developer.paciellogroup.com/resources/contrastanalyser/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Colour Contrast Analyser&lt;/a&gt; to verify your text color contrast is sufficient.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Add alternative text to each graphic.&lt;/strong&gt; A brief description, without the words “graphic” or “picture of,” provides a text description for those using assistive technology.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Use properly formatted tables with the previous font and color considerations.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Don’t use the notes area to add information for your attendees.&lt;/strong&gt; Not everyone can access the notes area easily. Consider providing supplemental information in another format, like an accessible Word document or PDF.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Use meaningful text for links.&lt;/strong&gt; Instead of posting a link like &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/index.jsp&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessibility Landing&quot;&gt;mn.gov/mnit/accessibility&lt;/a&gt;, use &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/index.jsp&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessibility Landing&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility (mn.gov/mnit/accessibility)&lt;/a&gt;. This makes it easier for those using assistive technology to access the document and provides the link for printed handouts.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Test for Accessibility&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Run the accessibility checker in PowerPoint. Review any identified issues and fix them.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Do a quick check of alternative text for all images. Sometimes file names sneak in and won’t be caught by the checker.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Go to View – Outline View. Ensure all text (other than alternative text and tables) is present and remove any extra spaces.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Go to Home – Arrange – Selection Pane. Content order should be bottom to top for most versions of PowerPoint (at the time of this article).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Consider Making an Accessible PDF of Your Presentation&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you have Adobe Acrobat Pro, you can export your PowerPoint presentation using the Acrobat tab within PowerPoint.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Open the tags pane. Verify that the tags are in the correct order and have the correct type of tag. Run the Acrobat Pro accessibility checker.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There is more to testing in Acrobat Pro, so if you plan to create a PDF, reach out to a colleague with experience to help you.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Anything Else?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This checklist was created by the State of Minnesota’s Office of Accessibility to help you consider digital accessibility as you create a PowerPoint, but it does not include tips for all the things you might add into your presentations. Please visit the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility/office?activetab=pivot_1:primaryr2&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Microsoft Accessibility help pages&lt;/a&gt; for more information.&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>417349</id><pubdate>2020-01-28T16:47:13Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>With the holidays approaching, sports are a hot topic of conversation. We were curious how national sports teams to ensure the digital accessibility.</Description><Audience/><Title>Accessible Presentations: Getting Presenter Buy-In</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>PowerPoint</Subject><Subject>presentations</Subject><Subject>digital accessibility</Subject><Subject>Accessible Presentations</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Accessible Presentations</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A panel of presenters speaking to a large group</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/presentation-001_tcm38-330876.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A panel of presenters speaking to a large group</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/presentation-001_tcm38-330878.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2020-01 - Accessible Presentations</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-417339&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-01-27T20:13:33Z</Date><ShortDescription>You may have heard that making accessible presentations is hard or it will make your presentation boring. This doesn’t have to be true. Learn more.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Getting Presenter Buy-In</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By:&lt;/strong&gt; Dalena Nguyen, Project Analyst and Anne Sittner Anderson, Director of Communications for the Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing (MNCDHH)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility, including communication access and equal opportunity, is at the heart of the work of the Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing. When MNCDHH hosts events and conferences, we make accessibility a priority.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Beginning with our calls for presenter proposals for an upcoming conference or event, we make it clear that presenters must provide accessible slides and handouts for their presentation. This is the only way we can ensure that all our audience members have equal opportunities to access the content before, during, and after the event.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;MNCDHH also provides information on how to make material accessible, provided by the Minnesota IT Services’ Office of Accessibility. Check out their &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/electronic-documents/powerpoint.jsp&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessible PowerPoint&quot;&gt;Accessible PowerPoint Presentations page&lt;/a&gt;. If you would like a condensed version, visit their &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/CompleteSetAccessibilityQuickCards_tcm38-294078.pdf&quot; title=&quot;CompleteSetAccessibilityQuickCards2017&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Accessibility - Quick Card - Complete Set&quot;&gt;Accessibility Quick Cards (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;. Scroll down to find the PowerPoint quick card.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Why Accessible Presentations Matter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When people think about accessibility, they may think of curb cuts or automatic doors. Some presenters may already be strong advocates for captioning and sign language interpreters.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Unfortunately, many presenters do not realize that document accessibility is just as important as curb cuts and captions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;MNCDHH has experienced resistance from some presenters about making PowerPoint presentations accessible. This is a common experience also shared by many conference organizers.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here are the three most common objections MNCDHH has received from presenters:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Making my presentation accessible is hard and time-consuming.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It will make my presentation boring and ugly.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It does not matter because the people who see my presentation will not need it to be accessible.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you are a conference organizer, you may have received these same comments. Here are MNCDHH’s counteracting points.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Making presentations accessible is hard and time-consuming.&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This doesn’t have to be true. Making an accessible PowerPoint is not hard and will not consume a lot of time if the built-in accessibility tools are used as the document is being created. It might be harder to add accessibility after a PowerPoint is created, but exactly how hard depends on what the presenter put in the PowerPoint and how the presenter structured the presentation.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It will make my presentation boring and ugly.&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;An accessible PowerPoint can have photos and designs that make a presentation aesthetically pleasing. There are ways to achieve this that you can find in the &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/MicrosoftPowerPointQuickCard_tcm38-294083.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Accessibility - Quick Card - PowerPoint&quot;&gt;PowerPoint Quick Card (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It does not matter because the people who see my presentation will not need it to be accessible.&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Yes, it really does matter. There is a portion of the human population that depends on accessibility for equitable access. Creating inaccessible PowerPoint presentations excludes them from being equal participants during the session. Most of the time, presenters do not know who will be in the room during the presentation, and they do not know who will be accessing the PowerPoint on the conference website or app. With 20% of the U.S. population having some type of disability, the chances are high that the accessibility features will make a meaningful difference to some members of the audience.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This is especially important for the deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing population with whom MNCDHH works. At least 40% of deaf people have additional disabilities, as was noted by MNCDHH’s board member, Jamie Taylor, in her message, “&lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/deaf-commission/news/index.jsp?id=1063-413455&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Why Presenters Need to Make Accessible PowerPoints&lt;/a&gt;.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How to get support for accessible presentations from presenters.&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What are the best practices for conference and event organizers to follow while working with their presenters? Along with our tips, MNCDHH is sharing tips from Jeremy DePew, Minnesota IT Services Senior Designer and Communications Advisor and Ryan Odland, Regional Representative of the North Central Region, Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults (HKNC).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Set a list of minimum requirements for presenters.&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I try to set minimum requirements of what needs to be done to their slides before I’ll review their PowerPoint.&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;cite&gt;Jeremy DePew&lt;/cite&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here are some minimum requirements that conference organizers can share with their presenters:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Add alternative text to all images.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use a unique title for all slides.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Add labels to all pie charts and other graphs.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Provide presenters with a pre-built template.&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;First, the presenter needs to use our agency’s PowerPoint template, which has been optimized as an ‘accessible starting place.&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;cite&gt;Jeremy DePew&lt;/cite&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;An accessible pre-built template is a great starting point for presenters, who can then customize the template to fit their presentations. This also forces presenters to pay attention to some of the requirements from conference organizers, saving time and energy for everyone. Presenters will still need to make their added content accessible, such as images, titles for slides, pie charts, etc.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Be a gracious teacher.&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If they are brand new to accessibility, I’m pretty lenient, but am sure to use my interaction as a teaching opportunity, so they can do more on their own the next time around. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;cite&gt;Jeremy DePew&lt;/cite&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Sometimes presenters do not know how to make their PowerPoint presentations accessible and it is a barrier for them. Like Jeremy, MNCDHH is always willing to help our presenters learn how to use the built-in accessibility tools that PowerPoint offers. It is important that all conference and event organizers are willing to provide that same support.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Remember the “teach a man to fish” philosophy. A presenter who grows in his or her understanding of accessibility will continue improving for the presentations they provide in the future.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Provide ample time to review presentations for accessibility and return them to the presenters for any needed accessibility fixes. Give presenters a reasonable timeline for completing those fixes.&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Essentially, if you have another person edit your PowerPoint, you lose out on the quality of information you hope to capture during your presentation. To make the changes yourself, you take the full control of the process and create a lasting imprint on your audience with the information you wish to convey.&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;cite&gt;Ryan Odland&lt;/cite&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If the presenters balk at having to make these fixes, connect with them directly (a phone call or in-person meeting may be better than email) to learn about the presenter’s concerns. If the presenter is concerned about his or her time, work with them to craft a doable timeline. If the presenter does not know how to do the fixes, provide guidance.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Overall, it is much better for everyone if presenters fix their own accessibility issues for their one PowerPoint than for the conference organizer to fix multiple PowerPoint presentations from different presenters.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Be reachable for both presenters and conference attendees.&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This process is a two-way street. To ensure that the participant has the accessible material, it is important to maintain an open communication far in advance to give the presenter ample time to prepare their materials in an accessible format for the participant.&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;cite&gt;Ryan Odland&lt;/cite&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Make sure that both presenters and audience members know how to reach your organization in advance so that they can communicate their questions and needs to you.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Promote empathy for audience members.&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Because there are so many people who need accessible PowerPoints, making your PowerPoints accessible is not about convenience, it’s about equality.&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;cite&gt;Jamie Taylor&lt;/cite&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Share, straight from the horse’s mouth, why accessible documents make a difference! This year, MNCDHH worked with our board member, Jamie Taylor, to craft a &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/qtN_805FvxU&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;special message for future presenters (video)&lt;/a&gt;. We plan to send this video to all our presenters so they understand why we are requiring accessible documents. Our hope is that Jamie’s message will create empathy and support from presenters and motivate them to learn how to create accessible documents.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You are welcome to share this resource with your presenters too!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Demonstrate the real-life impact of document layouts.&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I try to relay to the presenter how their quirky layout choices might impact a real person using assistive technology. For example, by using multiple returns to create extra space between paragraphs (instead of simply adjusting the paragraph spacing option by a few points) the presenter is forcing a screen reader user to listen to “blank, blank, blank” over and over. Annoying, right? This tends to make it real for them.&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;cite&gt;Jeremy DePew&lt;/cite&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This is another critical step of building empathy and having a clear communication channel with your presenters.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Appeal to the side of efficiency and effectiveness.&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Efficiency and effectiveness are the keys. As a presenter, our purpose is to deliver information in the best way possible so they may take away valuable knowledge and tools to enhance their own. The quality of information depends on how accessible the media is to your audience. Do you want this information to be used? If yes, consider how to create such a device that meets your purpose.&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;cite&gt;Ryan Odland&lt;/cite&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our time and energy are valuable. Presenters are busy professionals who genuinely want to reach their audience. If they understand that creating accessible documents from the beginning will yield the most wins, this should help conference organizers get buy-in from their presenters.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h2 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Other Options&lt;/h2&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Suppose the time has come to post the accessible PowerPoint presentations on the conference website and/or app, and there are presenters who refuse to make their documents accessible. What should conference organizers do? We see two options for state entities:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Option 1:&lt;/strong&gt; Conference organizers can decide to remediate the presentation(s) themselves if they have the staff time and resources to do it. While this may create work for your team at the expense of other projects often at the expense of other projects, conference attendees will have access to accessible documents.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Option 2:&lt;/strong&gt; Take a firm line and leave the presenter’s PowerPoint as is. Do not post the PowerPoint on the conference website or app. Conference attendees will, unfortunately, not have access to the presentation and may complain. However, this approach demonstrates that your organization clearly supports accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As you can see, there is no easy solution. Therefore, supporting our presenters, maintaining a good relationship with them, and getting buy-in is critical to the success and usability of our conferences and events.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you have additional ideas, we would love to hear from you. You can contact us at &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:dalena.nguyen@state.mn.us&quot;&gt;dalena.nguyen@state.mn.us&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;mailto:anne.sittner-anderson@state.mn.us&quot;&gt;anne.sittner-anderson@state.mn.us&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/index.jsp?id=38-417349&quot;&gt;Learn more about how to create accessible PowerPoint presentations.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>417339</id><pubdate>2026-02-09T18:16:28Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Jay Wyant, Chief Information Accessibility Officer for the Office of Accessibility breaks down the growth of digital accessibility and opportunities still to be realized with VR.</Description><Audience/><Title>Technology Through the Decades: The Growth of Digital Accessibility</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>tech</Subject><Subject>technology</Subject><Subject>assistive technology</Subject><Subject>Digital Accessibility</Subject><Subject>augmented reality</Subject><Subject>virtual reality</Subject><Subject>AR</Subject><Subject>VR</Subject><Subject>XR</Subject><Subject>AT</Subject><Subject>government</Subject><Subject>Minnesota</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Tech Through the Decades: Part 4</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A split screen of close up Jay Wyant texting on a two way pager about the Accessibility Matters video and Jay standing in front of his computer with the video displayed on the screen.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/jay-wyant-001_tcm38-416042.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Jay Wyant texting on a two way pager about the Accessibility Matters video.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/jay-wyant-001_tcm38-416133.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2020-01 - Tech Through the Decades Part 4</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-416140&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2020-01-14T18:22:10Z</Date><ShortDescription>Jay Wyant, Chief Information Accessibility Officer for the Office of Accessibility breaks down the growth of digital accessibility and opportunities still to be realized with VR.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>The Growth of Digital Accessibility</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pictured Above: &lt;/strong&gt;Jay Wyant texting on a two way pager about the Accessibility Matters video. You can &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/9dypgQOjV6I&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;watch the video here&lt;/a&gt; or listen to an &lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/5oMPgoU507c&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;audio described version here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The impact that technology has on the everyday lives of Minnesotans is changing exponentially. As we head into 2020, we wanted to reflect on where we were 10 years ago, the challenges and opportunities addressed by technology today, and where we might be headed in 2030. Technology touches nearly every aspect of the services that Minnesota state government provides, and the evolution of those services is underpinned by advances in technology, better business processes propelled by new applications or data management, and a focus on access for all.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing the perspectives of six employees from Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) who work hard every day for the State to ensure that Minnesotans have access to a better government.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Jay Wyant is the Chief Information Accessibility Officer (CIAO) for the Office of Accessibility, housed within Minnesota IT Services. As the Minnesota’s first and only CIAO, hired in 2012, and as a person who was born deaf, he has had a front-row seat in both the evolution of accessibility in technology and as the State has worked to improve the accessibility of its services.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Q&amp;amp;A with Jay Wyant&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What are some of the areas where you have seen the most growth in digital accessibility for Minnesota government?&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jay:&lt;/strong&gt; It wasn’t too long ago that I was using a 2-way pager to communicate with people. Since then, a lot has happened in the field of accessible technology. The question was whether we had the capacity and leadership support to implement it in our state systems. A key impetus was a coalition of advocates in 2009 who persuaded the legislature to require the state to have a digital accessibility standard. The resulting task force set up such a standard in 2010, and then went back to the legislature the next year to ask for funding to create the Office of Accessibility, to be run by a Chief Information Accessibility Officer. Having such an Office has been key to increasing awareness of agencies’ responsibility to implement accessible standards and technology across state government.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Over the past decade, one of the biggest changes I’ve seen is the almost uniform inclusion of responsive design in our websites. While mobile sites are not inherently accessible, the principles of designing for mobile tend to create more accessible sites. Now, most public-facing websites that are run by the State are mobile friendly. Agencies are working hard to update their public-facing applications and other digital services to support mobile users, which makes the technology much more accessible for everyone.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Another key change is the growth of digital accessibility as a body of practice. When I started at the State, it was not possible to get people certified in accessibility but a few years ago a worldwide organization, the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP), started establishing certifications. This was a tremendous advancement because not only did it provide state employees with an incentive to learn more about accessibility, but it also codified that digital accessibility is a profession with specific internationally-recognized skillsets.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What is a development in digital accessibility that has also hit mainstream technology?&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jay:&lt;/strong&gt; It is much more common now to have online videos that are captioned. While people with disabilities remain key drivers, there are other factors at play, such as teenagers and young adults who are used to having it on their TVs. So, it made sense to them to add text to their videos so that they are sharable around the world. It follows a trend where newer technologies are built with accessibility in mind. For example, accessibility is built very effectively into our smart phones.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Other examples of how technology providers are supporting accessibility functions include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot;&gt;The popularity of “dark mode.” Color inversion was initially developed to support people with low vision. Now, many users understand the value of this function and use it to customize how to view their screens, although not all dark mode designs are necessarily accessible.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot;&gt;Alternative (alt) text. Content management systems and social media sites now commonly support this feature. Facebook takes this one step further, automatically adding alternative text to images – now users must edit the text to make it more accurate.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What advancements will help improve digital accessibility even more by 2030?&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jay:&lt;/strong&gt; The new frontier is immersive technology. Most people know about virtual reality, or VR, which is a computer-generated simulation or recreation of a real-life environment or situation. VR does this through vision and sight, often through 360-degree views and making sounds appear as if they are coming from different locations.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Then there’s AR, or augmented reality – the layering of computer-generated images or other stimuli on top of existing reality. The first-down line that football broadcasters overlay on the field is a simple example of augmented reality. Three-dimensional architectural renderings on photos of existing sites are another. Holograms and motion-activated commands are other examples.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;On top of that, some people are promoting another term, XR, for extended reality to refer to all computer-generated real/virtual environments. It can be VR, AR, or even combined VR and AR.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Whatever you call it, immersive technology can make things more accessible for some, but more difficult for others. For example, how do you account for captioning when you’re inside the VR event. Should the captions stay in the same place? If you’re in a virtual event with multiple speakers scattered in an area, should each have its own set of captions? Or perhaps only appear when you stare or press a button?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It is important that digital accessibility is not an afterthought but included in every discussion so that the technology is available for the most amount of people. Otherwise, we’ll be in a position where the State will want to use advanced technology but can’t because it isn’t accessible.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Along with immersive technology or XR, artificial intelligence (AI) offers huge promise along with challenges. We are already seeing companies leverage AI for accessibility. For example, Facebook uses AI to generate the alternative text on images. Just as with XR, we need to make sure that the State harnesses AI so that it expands the potential population that can access information as well as improve the State’s efficiency.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There has been increased visibility of people with disabilities and the value of accessibility in the past few years. We are now more aware of what we need to do as a State to make it more welcoming and functioning for all. I am excited for the help and support of our partners to work to accomplish that over the next few years.&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>416140</id><pubdate>2020-01-14T18:46:22Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Ten State of Minnesota employees were finalists or recipients of awards recognizing their advocacy, skills, and work in digital accessibility this November and December. 
</Description><Audience/><Title>State of Minnesota Employees Recognized for Their Work in Digital Accessibility</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>award</Subject><Subject>awards</Subject><Subject>digital accessibility</Subject><Subject>leadership</Subject><Subject>advocacy</Subject><Subject>government</Subject><Subject>IT awards</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Excellence in Accessibility</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Commissioner Tomes presenting David Andrews with an award at the Golden GOVIT Awards.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/gov-it-awards-2019-002_tcm38-413705.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Commissioner Tomes presenting David Andrews with an award at the Golden GOVIT Awards.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/gov-it-awards-2019-002_tcm38-413710.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2019-12 - Excellence in Accessibility</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-413701&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2019-12-18T22:30:41Z</Date><ShortDescription>Ten State of Minnesota employees were finalists or recipients of awards recognizing their advocacy, skills, and work in digital accessibility this November and December. 
</ShortDescription><Subtitle>State of Minnesota Employees Recognized for Their Work in Digital Accessibility</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;By Jennie Delisi, Accessibility Analyst&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Think back to Minnesota, in the year 2009. How often did the phrase “digital accessibility” come up in your work conversations, meetings, or at conferences?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Did you read about people being recognized for their work in this area? How about being recognized for work in accessibility with an award that was not focused on digital accessibility?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For many of us that work in this area, the answer was: seldom or never.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Fast forward to 2019…&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Nine state employees in Minnesota were finalists for awards recognizing their advocacy, skills, and work in digital accessibility this November and December. Better yet, one state employee won an award! You read that correctly, 10 state employees in 2 months!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;First, a little about them and the non-accessibility focused awards for which they were nominated.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Quality Assurance Teams Championing Digital Accessibility&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) Team of the Year award recognizes an operational team across the agency that provides excellent customer service for both the executive branch partners and Minnesotans using state technology. At MNIT, accessibility is a part of the agency’s quality assurance work and when MNIT announced the finalists for this annual award, not one but two quality assurance teams were recognized.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/quality-assurance-team-001_tcm38-413712.jpg&quot; title=&quot;quality-assurance-team-001&quot; alt=&quot;MNIT Central’s Quality Assurance Team receiving their award on stage and smiling, one giving a thumb’s up. Others on stage are applauding.&quot; style=&quot;width: 75%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;quality-assurance-team-001&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The first finalist, MNIT Central’s Quality Assurance Team, is often in the right place, at the right time. They are an important part of large teams working on projects that impact all state employees. Their projects include major system upgrades and rollouts of new products and services. In meetings they are often the ones asking, “What about accessibility?” because they know that early consideration improves the accessibility of projects overall, and saves time and money. This year they went from a team that thought about the importance of digital accessibility to incorporating it into their projects and creating plans to increase their knowledge of digital accessibility. In addition, they were major players in the digital accessibility testing of a large system upgrade, while working in partnership with the Office of Accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Also recognized as finalists, the MNIT partnering with the Department of Human Services EAQAT Team is passionate about the relationship between quality assurance and digital accessibility. The team’s primary focus is creating quality assurance (QA) test plans, test cases, and QA test closure documents that address digital accessibility. This team uses and develops data collection tools, shares information, and takes pride in the work they do every day.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/quality-assurance-team-002_tcm38-413713.jpg&quot; title=&quot;quality-assurance-team-002&quot; alt=&quot;MNIT Partnering with DHS’ EAQAT Team posing with Commissioner Tomes and their certificates.&quot; style=&quot;width: 75%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;quality-assurance-team-002&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Inspiring Leaders&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/gov-it-awards-2019-001_tcm38-413711.jpg&quot; title=&quot;gov-it-awards-2019-001&quot; alt=&quot;MNIT Commissioner Tomes, David Andrews, and Kim Wee at the Golden GOVIT Awards.&quot; style=&quot;width: 75%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;gov-it-awards-2019-001&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Golden GOVIT Awards are given at the Government IT Symposium in Minnesota, held every December. They “recognize government agencies and other public sector institutions that have advanced government technology through collaboration, innovation and service.” Nominations were given by peers, to those they felt champion and implement innovation, inspire collaboration, are focused on improving service, and demonstrate “a personal commitment to advancing the professional and career development of him/herself as well as others in their agency.” Two state employees that have dedicated their careers to digital accessibility were selected as finalists.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Kim Wee has a passion to ensure all Minnesotans are able to use the information developed in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) “in the same way, regardless of their disability or special technology needs.” As a MNIT employee, she is always learning about digital accessibility and applications, participating in accessibility committees, and building websites with accessibility in mind. She presents locally and nationally on digital accessibility and is known as an accessibility expert by her colleagues at MNIT, MDE, and in other agencies.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;David Andrews, Chief Technology Officer at State Services for the Blind, won the Golden GOVIT Individual Leader Award! He is known by many in the community not only for his long-standing commitment to improving digital accessibility in the state, but also for his willingness to share his knowledge and train others. Dave&apos;s advocacy as part of a group of dedicated individuals led to:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The passing of the State of Minnesota’s digital accessibility law,&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The hiring of the Chief Information Accessibility Officer, and&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The establishment of the Office of Accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As part of this journey, he co-chaired the Technology Accessibility Advisory Committee for the State of Minnesota.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Others around the world know Dave as a member of the Minnesota Assistive Technology Advisory Council, an author and invited expert on the ePUB Accessibility 1.0 W3C submission in 2017, and conference presenter.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Impact&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What is most remarkable about these awards is that neither were specifically looking for individuals that work in digital accessibility and yet these individuals and teams stood out. Some colleagues will read the nominations and learn about digital accessibility for the first time. Others will better understand how digital accessibility is an important part of all digital information work: its purchase, creation, and upgrading/maintenance. Best of all, this is where we want digital accessibility to be – a part of everyday technology conversations.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This is a great way to close this calendar year on a high note. Let’s celebrate the achievements of these individuals and the dedication of the Minnesota digital accessibility community. This is a strong (and growing) community!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Consider your own team members doing great work in digital accessibility. In 2020, commit to seeking out opportunities to help others learn the value your colleagues bring as they promote inclusion and create digital spaces and information that can be used by all.&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>413701</id><pubdate>2019-12-19T13:46:02Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Internships are the perfect opportunity to dip your toes into the working world and explore potential career options. Here are some tips to land your next internship.</Description><Audience/><Title>How to get an Internship</Title><Publisher/><Subject>intern</Subject><Subject>internship</Subject><Subject>career</Subject><Subject>career development</Subject><Subject>IT jobs</Subject><Subject>IT Careers</Subject><Subject>IT internships</Subject><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>State of Minnesota jobs</Subject><Subject>State of Minnesota careers</Subject><Subject>State of Minnesota internships</Subject><Subject>jobs</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Careers</Title><Id>226755</Id><Key/></Category><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>How to get an Internship</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Two women looking at a laptop computer.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/people-working-006_tcm38-413706.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Two women looking at a laptop computer.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/people-working-006_tcm38-413708.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2019-12 - How to get an Internship</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-413689&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2019-12-18T22:12:50Z</Date><ShortDescription>Internships are the perfect opportunity to dip your toes into the working world and explore potential career options. Here are some tips to land your next internship.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>A Former Office of Accessibility Intern&apos;s Advice for Landing Your Next Internship</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;By Molly, Former Office of Accessibility Intern, now Studying Abroad!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Internships are the perfect opportunity to dip your toes into the working world and explore potential career options. As the holiday season approaches, you may have relatives asking about your job search and though the prying is well-intentioned, below is some advice that might help you land an internship and get your relatives off your back (no, Auntie Brenda I don’t have a job yet)!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What You Can Learn From Internships&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The stereotypical internship includes: making coffee runs, getting stuck doing all the photocopying and printing, and learning exactly zero job skills. I’m happy to report I’ve never found that the case with my actual internship. I gained valuable professional skills working in the Office of Accessibility at Minnesota IT Services (MNIT). Since digital accessibility involves working with many different types of documents, I was able to create and remediate PDFs. Working to make documents accessible also helped grow my technical knowledge; I improved my ability to use and learn new software. The Accessibility internship also improved my communication skills because I had to communicate about deadlines or my capacity to work on certain projects. Even better, I only was stuck with printing duty one time which ended in an almost-jammed printer (whoops)!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The All-Powerful Resume&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As a fellow internship-seeker, I know one of the most nerve-wracking parts of applying for jobs is worrying if your resume is good enough. Below are a few tips:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Brag a little in your resume.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;While the goal of a resume is to list off your work experience, don’t downplay the roles and responsibilities you held. For example, not only were you a part of Rocket Club, you were chosen to co-lead and coordinate all efforts to build a functioning rocket!&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Talk about translatable skills!
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Have you studied abroad? Mention how that experience helped you become more confident and self-starting. Translatable skills can be anything from adaptability to organizational skills.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Make your resume accessible.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Making an accessible resume will ensure that any and all prospective employers can read it. Furthermore, an accessible document will demonstrate technological savvy, which is always in demand. For example, use Heading Styles! (&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/electronic-documents/index.jsp&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessible Documents&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;Visit the Office of Accessibility Electronic documents section&lt;/a&gt; for more information on document accessibility).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Finding The Right Fit&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Apply to any and all internships that look interesting, even if they might not directly relate to your desired career path. Gaining work experience in a professional environment – regardless of the field – can help you learn non-job-specific skills that are still highly valuable in the working world. The worst that can happen is a polite rejection letter in your inbox (I would know). Besides, you may even discover that you want to pursue a different career!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Preparing For The Interview&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Building a resume is stressful enough, but interviewing might be the toughest part of the internship search. There are lots of things to make you anxious — is there any spinach in my teeth? — but I’m typing out this article right now to tell you that you can do it! When I interviewed for the position of Digital Accessibility Intern, I had no previous experience with digital accessibility, had no clue what Section 508 meant, and I was incredibly nervous. All you can do is your best. Here is my “best:”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Get a good night’s rest.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Review potential questions the night before and then hit the sack. Sleeping will help you be fresh for the interview.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;It is okay to acknowledge your weaknesses when answering a question.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Make sure to talk about how you are working on them though!&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;When you leave the room, congratulate yourself for putting yourself out there.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;I’m proud of you for going after something you want. And even if it doesn’t work out, I’m still proud of you!&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And if you are interested, keep an eye on the &lt;a href=&quot;&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-304400&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Page Intro - Careers&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;MNIT Career Opportunities page&lt;/a&gt; and apply to the Office of Accessibility Internship when it is posted! I look forward to reading your (you, the next Accessibility Intern) articles in this newsletter.&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>413689</id><pubdate>2026-02-09T18:16:25Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>The State of Minnesota&apos;s InDesign Accessibility Community of Practice recently created a short how-to document on how to create accessible documents in Adobe InDesign.</Description><Audience/><Title>InDesign Accessibility Update</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>InDesign</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>InDesign Accessibility Update</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A person at a table working on a digital tablet next to color swatches.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/design-001_tcm38-413707.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A person at a table working on a digital tablet next to color swatches.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/design-001_tcm38-413709.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2019-12 - InDesign Accessibility Update</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-413702&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2019-12-18T06:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>The State of Minnesota&apos;s InDesign Accessibility Community of Practice recently created a short how-to document on how to create accessible documents in Adobe InDesign.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Update from the State Accessible InDesign Practices group</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;By Jessica Cavazos, Health Educator, Minnesota Department of Health&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Comprised of members from various Minnesota executive branch agencies, our InDesign Accessibility Community of Practice meets monthly to test and develop best practices for creating accessible PDFs from Adobe InDesign. We recently finalized a short how-to document, “Creating Accessible Documents in Adobe InDesign.” Our group members have rigorously tested these best practices to ensure they meet the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot;&gt;State of Minnesota Digital Accessibility Standard&lt;/a&gt;. We also tested using methods including the Acrobat Accessibility Checker, reviewing with JAWS (a screen reading software), and CommonLook (a plug-in for Acrobat Pro DC which tests and remediates PDFs).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Some of the best practices include:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use Paragraph Styles to create the tag structure of your PDF, but don’t use them to change the look of your text.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use Character Styles to change the look of your text — font attributes (font, color, size).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Have you struggled with your reading order even though you put everything in the Articles Panel? Turns out that reading order is dependent on how items are ordered in the Layers Panel as well as the Articles Panel. Creating Accessible Documents with Adobe InDesign provides more information to help you achieve proper reading order.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/indesign-accessible-documents_tcm38-413703.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;indesign-accessible-documents&quot;&gt;Learn how to create accessible documents in Adobe InDesign&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We are currently working on a webinar series and a more detailed document to help users create accessible documents with Adobe InDesign. Stay tuned for more updates from us in the coming months!&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>413702</id><pubdate>2019-12-19T13:46:02Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>With the holidays approaching, sports are a hot topic of conversation. We were curious how national sports teams to ensure the digital accessibility.</Description><Audience/><Title>Digital Accessibility and Sports</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>sports</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Digital Accessibility and Sports</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A football on a tee in a stadium.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/football-002_tcm38-410967.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A football on a tee in a stadium.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/football-002_tcm38-410965.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2019-11 - Digital Accessibility and Sports</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-410973&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2019-11-20T20:57:23Z</Date><ShortDescription>With the holidays approaching, sports are a hot topic of conversation. We were curious how national sports teams to ensure the digital accessibility.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>How Accessible is Your Team?</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By:&lt;/strong&gt; Molly&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Soccer is just ending, hockey and basketball are starting their seasons, and football is in full swing. With the holidays approaching, sports are a hot topic of conversation at the holiday gathering. In my family, we always have the football games on during Turkey Day. My uncle and I always escape the people we don’t want to engage, and find a place to talk about the chances of our teams winning based on their stats.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;But what if my uncle or I had a disability? Would we be able to:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Buy tickets online for a game?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Stream games?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Look up stats on team websites?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Let’s take a look at some of the work being done by national sports teams to ensure the digital accessibility of their online offerings, as well as some accommodations available for those that attend in person.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The National Football League (NFL)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;On their website the National Football League (NFL) has an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.nfl.com/accessibility&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;NFL Accessibility Statement&lt;/a&gt;. In the opening lines the statement promises ongoing commitment to creating quality experiences on its website for “fans with disabilities that is full and equal to that provided to fans without disabilities.” NFL.com commits to following the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Levels A and AA. Coincidentally, the State of Minnesota follows these same standards! The League statement further states that they work with the National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) to maintain their website and provide training on an ongoing basis, and that their website will undergo periodic tests, with assistive technology and by assistive technology users. Finally, the league supplies a dedicated email to contact for issues concerning accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.vikings.com/footer/accessibility&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Vikings’ Accessibility Statement&lt;/a&gt; appears similar to the NFL’s statement. It promises an ongoing commitment to accessibility and usability of its site for all fans and that they work with an accessibility consult to help the team implement WCAG 2.0 guidelines on their site.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Major League Baseball (MLB)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mlb.com/official-information/accessibility/frequently-asked-questions&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;MLB Accessibility Information webpage&lt;/a&gt; states that they utilize the guidelines put out by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and that they are working to make MLB.com satisfy levels A and AA of the WCAG 2.0 guidelines.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Additionally, MLB.com “launched an accessible media center for our MLB.com Gameday Audio subscribers, offering features such as volume control, ability to choose the home or away feed and access to archived games, and more.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;They also link to their &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mlb.com/official-information/accessibility/frequently-asked-questions&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Accessibility FAQ webpage&lt;/a&gt; which has answers for question like “what is the best way for a screen reader user to navigate MLB stats?”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;On their &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.mlb.com/twins/ballpark/disability-access-guide#assistive-listening-devices&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Access Guide for Guests with Disabilities&lt;/a&gt;, the Minnesota Twins and Target Field state that they have Assistive Listening Devices that transmit ballpark audio to all guests, free of charge. The St. Paul Saints provide color contrasting directional signage and braille for fans with vision disabilities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The National Hockey League (NHL)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;According to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.xcelenergycenter.com/guest-services/accessibility-ada-services&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Xcel Energy Center Accessibility/ADA services webpage&lt;/a&gt;, the Minnesota Wild provide closed captioning services at all Xcel Energy Center home games. Captioning appears on the east and west ends of the arena scoreboard. Xcel Energy also supplies Assisted Listening Devices for loan.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Florida Panthers’ website lists a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nhl.com/panthers/info/websiteaccessibility&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Policy on Website Accessibility&lt;/a&gt;. The Policy States that the company has adopted WCGA 2.0 standards for its website. The Policy further states that the company conducts monthly tests of the website for accessibility compliance and that “The company actively solicits feedback on the usability and accessibility of its website and digital contact in order to maintain an open channel of communication with its end users.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The National Basketball Association (NBA)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Minnesota Timberwolves play in the Target Center. The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.targetcenter.com/plan_your_visit/ada_information&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Target Center ADA information page&lt;/a&gt; lists a few digital accessibility features. The Target Center loans assisted listening devices to guests during events. Additionally, the AIRA app designates the Target Center a free location for use with AIRA. AIRA is a service that delivers access to visual information to blind or low vision individuals and allows them to better navigate.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As the world of sports becomes increasingly digitized, digital accessibility becomes more important. From live streaming games, buying merchandise and tickets online, to checking up on team news on their website it is important that all features are accessible to everyone.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;So, take just 15 minutes with your family this holiday season to try different ways to access your online sport experiences:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tab through links on the web page of your favorite team. Only use your keyboard to navigate. Perfect for when the Bluetooth mouse goes missing.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If you have text to speech on your mobile device or tablet, check out how it reads your webpage to you. Now you can continue cooking, while listening to how bad your team is doing!&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Turn on captions or audio description if available for a streamed or broadcasted game. Great for those moments where everyone is loud, and you cannot hear the game!&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And, you may be surprised by who in your family tells you that this makes it easier for them to engage with their sporting experience!&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #ECEFF3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px 20px 20px 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>410973</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:20Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Learn about one Minnesota State Agency’s quest to share their love prairies through accessible podcasts.  </Description><Audience/><Title>Accessible Podcasts</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessible</Subject><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>podcasts</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Accessible Podcasts</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A microphone with the word Podcast setting in front of a computer showing audio waveforms.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/podcast-001_tcm38-410966.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A microphone with the word Podcast setting in front of a computer showing audio waveforms.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/podcast-001_tcm38-410964.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2019-11 - Accessible Podcasts</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-410972&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2019-11-20T20:56:05Z</Date><ShortDescription>Learn about one Minnesota State Agency’s quest to share their love of prairies through accessible podcasts.  </ShortDescription><Subtitle>How One Minnesota State Agency is Reaching a Larger Audience</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By:&lt;/strong&gt; Claire Gahler, Content Strategist with the Minnesota Department of Human Services&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;*tap tap tap* Is this thing on? *tap tap*&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Oh, hey! I’m just tuning up my imaginary microphone, setting sound levels and making sure I’m ready to record. You know, for my snazzy new podcast.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;*crickets*&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Okay, not really. But I am here to chat about podcasts and how creating an accessible podcast is totally doable.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;People listen to podcasts. According to the Pew Research Center, 32% of Americans listened to a podcast in the past month. That’s up from just 9% in 2008!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The percentage of Americans who have listened to a podcast has also substantially increased over the last decade. As of 2019, 51% of Americans ages 12 or older have ever listened to a podcast, according to Edison Research and Triton Digital survey data, and 32% have listened to a podcast in the past month, up from 26% in 2018 and just 9% in 2008. Furthermore, 22% of those 12 and older said they have listened to a podcast in the last week, up from 7% when this was first measured in 2013.
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.journalism.org/fact-sheet/audio-and-podcasting/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Audio and Podcasting Fact Sheet&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Pew Research Center - July 9, 2019&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In 2017, a few of us at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) thought it was time to explore the world of podcasting. Megan, a regional ecologist, and Jessica, a research scientist, wanted to share their love of all things prairie. They pitched an idea for a podcast with a focus on prairie conservation, restoration, and management. Our expert voices were on board! Next we needed technical help. Dan, an information officer at the DNR, offered to be our tech resource. He finessed the recorded audio and prepped the files for distribution.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;With our tech squared away, we focused on promoting the podcast. We created a website with the audio files for download and worked with the DNR’s Digital Media Coordinator on a social media plan. The Prairie Pod podcast was ready to make its debut!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;*record screech*&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wait! What about accessibility?!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As with all good projects, accessibility should begin at the start of your project. Say it with me – incorporate accessibility at the start of a project. Twenty percent of the American population lives with some degree of hearing loss (from the Minnesota Department of Human Services Living with Hearing Loss video). Remember when I mentioned 32% of Americans listened to a podcast in the past month? Consider how much higher this could be by making podcasts accessible to the 20% of the population living with hearing loss!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The first questions we asked, focused on how to create an accessible podcast. What does that mean? What are the requirements? What did we have to do to make our podcast accessible?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The answer? Not much.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;We needed an accessible website to host the podcast – check.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;We needed a useable media player – check.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;We needed an accessible transcript of the audio – ummm, well, not yet.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;At first glance, the idea of transcribing over 45 minutes of audio was daunting. But because we built accessibility into the start of our project, we were able to create a timeline that allowed space for transcription.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For our first season, we stayed in-house and gathered a crew to help transcribe eight 45-minute episodes, planning three to four hours per episode. This number could be higher if you’re not familiar with the technical language. We had additional time at the start as we learned best practices. We needed to identify each speaker and note any background noise (like chirping birds). It is important that anyone reading the transcript would have a similar experience to those listening to the audio.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We added additional time to make the transcripts documents accessible. We started in Word using an accessible template and once the transcript was finalized, we converted it to a PDF via Word’s plug-ins. As with all PDFs, there were a few minor updates that needed to be done to get a fully accessible PDF.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A quick note – some podcasters recommend embedding the transcript into the web page as web text (versus a separate document like a Word or PDF file). This can help ensure readability, as long as your web page is properly formatted for accessibility, so it can be accessed by users of assistive technology. As an added bonus, it’s great for search engine optimization, too!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I know, I know. This sounds extreme for a 45-minute podcast. But we believe in the information we’re sharing. And we believe in the importance of access for all. Plus, transcripts provide plenty of added benefits:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;a printable document to reference later,&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;a boost to appear in online searches,&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;an additional opportunity to review the content before going live, to name just a few.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In July 2018, we shared our first episode of the Prairie Pod podcast – How to Grow a Prairie from Scratch. Along with the audio, there was a transcript of the episode, a list of resources, and suggestions for prairies to visit.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This summer we kicked off our second season. And again, we talked accessibility in our prep meetings. We wanted to use a transcription service but we needed funding. With the successful launch of season one, we were able to build a case to leadership for support (i.e. funding) to move forward with season two.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To pull a successfully accessible podcast off, timing was key. Episodes needed to be recorded well in advance of the July launch to allow time for the transcription service to do their work and allow time for us to review the transcripts. With technical jargon, it was important our experts reviewed each transcript to make any clarifications. It was far less time than keeping the work in-house, but we still weren’t completely hands-off.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We are excited with the positive feedback for the Prairie Pod and we learned so much about the world of podcasting through this experience. As with everything, the more you do the better you get. I hope we’ll have many more seasons of the Prairie Pod AND maybe a few new podcasts to enjoy!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Resources&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/prairiepod/index.html&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Prairie Pod podcast&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/multimedia.jsp&quot;&gt;Minnesota IT Services – Multimedia Accessibility&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://podcast-accessibility.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Podcast accessibility&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
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&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px 20px 20px 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>410972</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:21Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. We asked employees of Minnesota IT Services about their role in accessibility.</Description><Audience/><Title>Everyone in an IT Organization Has a Role</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>National Disability Employment Awareness Month</Subject><Subject>NDEAM</Subject><Subject>IT</Subject><Subject>information technology</Subject><Subject>employment</Subject><Subject>disabilities</Subject><Subject>disability</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Your Role in Accessibility</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Three people sitting at a table during an interview.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/people-meeting-002_tcm38-408416.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Three people sitting at a table during an interview.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/people-meeting-002_tcm38-408417.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2019-10 - Your Role in Accessibility</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-408414&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2019-10-25T12:53:35Z</Date><ShortDescription>October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. We asked employees of Minnesota IT Services about their role in accessibility.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Everyone in an IT Organization Has a Role</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), and this year’s theme is “The Right Talent, Right Now.” Accessible information technology (IT) ensures employment opportunities are available to all qualified candidates, including those with disabilities. Some examples of relevant IT include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Reading employment opportunities on the website&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Applying for a position&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Completing your time card&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Reading and responding to email&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Writing and reviewing electronic documents&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Accessing the organization’s intranet and external website&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Using software tools needed to do your job&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In most cases, we don’t get to see all the people working behind the scenes to develop, implement, and support inclusive hiring practices, and to ensure the computers, software, phones and websites are up to date and operating as expected. At Minnesota IT Services (MNIT), all employees are involved in ensuring we have an inclusive workplace.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;At MNIT, “The Right Talent, Right Now” is evident in our recruitment strategies to hire people with disabilities. By employing a diverse team, we work better and smarter to build more inclusive digital environments. MNIT considers digital accessibility in recruitment strategies and the accommodation process. &lt;strong&gt;“Minnesota IT Services is committed to being a leader in employing individuals with disabilities,”&lt;/strong&gt; says David Berthiaume, Recruiting and Retention Director. &lt;strong&gt;“We often leverage social media platforms to communicate our hiring needs and recently we have been able to add alt text to several of our recruiting graphics in an effort to become more digitally accessible.”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Sarah Herder Lewis, Director of Equal Opportunity, Diversity, and Inclusion says, &lt;strong&gt;“As ADA Coordinator, my role is ensuring that people with disabilities receive the accommodations they need to be successful on the job. Accommodations can be equipment, software, or services that facilitate equal access to systems and information. I have taken time to learn about digital accessibility and work with knowledgeable colleagues to improve the accessibility of our documents about the accommodation process. This ensures that those using these types of assistive technologies can review the information.”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We asked a group of MNIT employees to tell us more about their role in ensuring the state’s digital technology is accessible to all current and potential employees, and to state government stakeholders.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;MNIT leadership recognizes the importance of embedding accessibility everywhere into business processes to create an inclusive culture.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;MNIT Chief Business Technology Officers (CBTOs) manage the IT operations for State of Minnesota agencies, serving as the MNIT partner for the agency’s executive leaders. Bruce Yurich, the CBTO partnering with Minnesota Management and Budget, says, &lt;strong&gt;“Accessibility is the responsibility of everyone at all levels from executive leadership to staff. When truly adopted into the organization, accessibility isn’t an extra responsibility, but just another step in a larger process of delivering services to our employees and the public. For example, as executive leaders we set the vision and expectation that accessibility be built into our processes, and follow through by providing the resources and room for our teams to carry it out.”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Dan Oehmke, Director of the Enterprise Service Desk, agrees. &lt;strong&gt;“We in IT have a legal and moral obligation to improve digital accessibility. This includes continuing to increase our understanding, while considering opportunities to better serve others. It’s about enabling our colleagues and fellow citizens to participate as fully as possible in the business of government.”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;But what does this look like in daily operations?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;“The MNIT Tridion Web team is responsible for the development, coding, design, deployment and digital experience for the consumer-facing digital/web services,”&lt;/strong&gt; says Colette Johnson of the MNIT Web team.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Put simply, the Tridion Web team develops the templates and tools that serve as the foundation of agency websites. Agencies then work with these tools to post content and follow the state’s standards to enable users to search for and find what they need. &lt;strong&gt;“Working with agency customers and stakeholders, the team manages the content management system, Search, and other systems required to bring digital information to life, get them tagged appropriately, optimized for organic search, and support of the State of Minnesota Accessibility Standards.”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Other jobs support those who make digital content accessible. Did you know that Application Administrators play a role? Grant, from the Enterprise Application Operations team, shared that he supports &lt;strong&gt;“several applications owned by the Enterprise Office of Accessibility. These applications assist users in remediation of documents and sites, which ensures assistive technologies such as screen readers can properly navigate content.”&lt;/strong&gt; Because of the work Grant and his peers do, agencies can share resources, ensuring affordable access to more accessible software and content.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What happens when an agency needs to buy new software or upgrade old technology? How do we make sure that these systems are accessible? That’s when it’s critical to have staff who are knowledgeable about the potential impact for end users that use assistive technology, the different digital accessibility considerations throughout the project life cycle, and who to involve in making decisions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Nicholas Bawek explained, &lt;strong&gt;“As a Systems Architect, I support digital accessibility in my work by ensuring assistive technology systems with a client/server relationship component (such as screen readers) are functioning properly, and changes are coordinated between the client-side software and the server-side application or licensing functions. In addition, when acting as the Solution Architect on an Enterprise rollout project (e.g. Windows 10 or O365 ProPlus), I aim to make sure that the Office of Accessibility is properly included in the project plan, and receives the resources and information they need to conduct a proper accessibility assessment of the solution delivery.”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;With experience comes improvement, and Colleen Adams, Senior Project Manager partnering with the Office of Higher Education, has words of advice. &lt;strong&gt;“The two biggest accessibility lessons I have learned are: Bake in accessibility standards early in software development; and, conduct initial and periodic accessibility reviews with a digital accessibility coordinator throughout the project. Both of these best practices will significantly reduce rework later.”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Finding the person on your team who has deep digital accessibility knowledge is one way to find a peer mentor and develop your skills. They are often passionate about the topic, and willing to help you find resources and ways to ensure your next project better includes digital accessibility. Natalie Zett, Lead Business Analyst partnering with Department of Human Services, is a good example. &lt;strong&gt;“As state employees serving ALL of the people of Minnesota, we need to remember that each of us has differing abilities and ways that we access and understand information. Fortunately, we have digital accessibility standards and excellent support from the Office of Accessibility to ensure that our content is accessible by everyone. In my project work, I ensure that accessibility guidelines are included in all aspects of business and solution requirements elicitation and creation. In my work as a team lead, I enjoy being available as a resource for anyone who wants to make accessibility a part of their daily work.”&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Staff in any organization can improve their digital accessibility skills through a number of activities such as intranet postings with articles about digital accessibility, opportunities to take trainings and attend conferences. And support from leadership is key, but often the first step is simply engaging in conversations about inclusion.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Before National Disability Employment Awareness Month draws to a close, we encourage you to ask yourself and your colleagues:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What is your specific role in ensuring the digital technology used in your organization is accessible?&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px 20px 20px 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>408414</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:21Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>It is clear that digital accessibility is a good thing. What is not clear is what to do when you hit a rough patch. Learn how to keep moving down the road to digital accessibility.</Description><Audience/><Title>Road to Digital Accessibility</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Digital Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Assistive Technology</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Road to Digital Accessibility</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Computer code with lines of light forming the shape of a road.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/digital-road-001_tcm38-403442.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Computer code with lines of light forming the shape of a road.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/digital-road-001_tcm38-403446.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2019-09 - Road to Digital Accessibility</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-403317&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2019-09-20T15:33:09Z</Date><ShortDescription>It is clear that digital accessibility is a good thing. What is not clear is what to do when you hit a rough patch. Learn how to keep moving down the road to digital accessibility.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Getting un-stuck on the road to digital accessibility</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By: &lt;/strong&gt;Zoua Vang, Communications Specialist, Olmstead Implementation Office&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It is clear that digital accessibility is a good thing and everyone should be doing it. What is not clear is what to do when you or your organization hits a rough patch and gets stuck on the road to digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Perhaps you are just starting out and don’t know where to begin. Or maybe you and your co-workers were trained on how to make documents accessible but that was a few years ago and everyone has become a little rusty. Or maybe you feel your organization has this digital accessibility thing figured out, but with new technologies coming online all the time, how do you know what you don’t know?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In this article we talk to three digital accessibility coordinators who shared some tips and tricks for helping you and your organization get back on the road to digital accessibility:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Kim Wee&lt;/strong&gt;, Webmaster and Accessibility Coordinator for Minnesota IT Services, partnering with the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Becky Bernauer&lt;/strong&gt;, Accessibility Coordinator for the Minnesota IT Services Partnering with the Department of Health (MDH)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Anne Sittner Anderson&lt;/strong&gt;, Director of Communications and Accessibility Coordinator for Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;New to the journey&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Whether you are just starting or have been on the journey for years, it is important to be familiar with the &lt;a href=&quot;https://dev-level-access.pantheonsite.io/the-digital-accessibility-maturity-model-introduction-to-damm/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Digital Accessibility Maturity Model (DAMM)&lt;/a&gt; and refer to it often. This tool helps make things less overwhelming as it allows you to see what the road ahead looks like, to be able to identify beginning and end points, and locate where you are on the road so that if you get stuck it won’t be for too long because you’re tracking progress.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Becky Bernauer’s digital accessibility journey started soon after Minnesota’s Accessibility Standards Law took effect in September 2010.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“I felt responsible. I was working on websites at the time and knew our PDFs weren&apos;t accessible,” said Bernauer. “No one knew where to begin back in those days. Someone had to get on top of it. I just started digging in and sharing my knowledge.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Since those early days, the State of Minnesota’s Office of Accessibility has created useful step by step tools to assist with implementation of digital accessibility. A good start is to visit their free &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Training Modules&lt;/a&gt; which provide step by step instructions on how to make documents accessible. The Office of Accessibility also provides an &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/implementation-toolkit.jsp&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Implementation Toolkit&lt;/a&gt; that details strategies for how organizations can implement accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p class=&quot;note-info&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;State employees should check with their training coordinator on how to access those modules in Enterprise Learning Management (ELM).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Let’s be honest, learning something new that requires you to rewire your brain can be exciting but also overwhelming.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“When you are starting out, there’s a knowledge gap, so the goal is to keep everyone from being overwhelmed yet still excited. When starting out we need to build momentum and keep the team moving,” said Becky Bernauer.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;One thing they did at MDH that helped staff more quickly adopt digitally accessibility, was to create and implement templates that had accessibility features already embedded. Beyond templates, it’s getting serious about standards.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Bernauer says “It has to start with ‘Nothing goes out to the public unless it is done right.’ The more pushback there is and the more they are forced to redo the work, the better they get and the less frustrated they become.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It is a fine balance of holding staff accountable and knowing when to provide them with more support.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“One of best things MNIT did was to find a bunch of people in state government with accessibility questions and put them all in a room so they could support each other and work toward solutions,” recalls Bernauer.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Kim Wee says at MDE, it was critical for them to cultivate a trusting and supportive group.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“When getting started it is important to have people trust others in the room. I can’t stress this enough” said Wee. “It’s really hard for people to work through the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis and score the categories honestly if they feel they can’t be honest and forthright.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Feeling safe to explore and learn is one thing, but strong leadership is just as critical at the foundational stage. Whether an organization has thousands or just a few employees, every person interviewed agreed that for an organization to become digitally accessible, leadership is imperative in making this organizational shift happen. Strong leadership means work flow processes can be revamped and new procedures instituted to ensure digital accessibility is prioritized.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;At the Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, Deafblind and Hard of Hearing (MNCDHH) there is support from all staff and office protocols are clear.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“All of MNCDHH’s digital content goes through me but I do not make my colleagues’ documents accessible,” said Anne Sittner Anderson. “My colleagues know that they need to make their documents accessible before they send them to me. If they accidently forget, it is caught when I check the document, and I return it to them. We believe in the ‘teach a man to fish’ theory.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;So you and people at your organization have attended trainings on how to make documents accessible and there may even be established protocols for digital accessibility, but is that enough?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Needing to get back on the road&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Having established procedures for digital accessibility is a great start but that shouldn’t be where it stops. It can’t be. Even at places like MNCDHH where they have been leaders in digital accessibility, they say there is always more to do.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“My amazing colleagues are all staunch advocates for accessibility and MNCDHH was the lead agency to get the digital accessibility and usability law passed with our partners in 2009,” said Sittner Anderson. “However, I am always modifying my approach as I learn new accessibility features or methods.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Digital accessibility veterans say individuals or organizations that are more advanced acknowledge that while they are doing the best they can right now, they know that technology is always changing and they must continue to learn and evolve so their products remain accessible and usable. The goal is to build a mindset that continual improvement in digital accessibility should be a source of pride, not frustration.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When you feel stuck or directionless, digital accessibility veterans say go back the basics! Revisit the DAMM. Look at where you started, see how far you’ve come and celebrate those successes. Next, look at where you want to go and start taking steps to get you there.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;At MDE, they rely on knowledgeable and well trained staff to help infuse change and excitement into their work.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“We have content managers for each of the program areas,” said Kim Wee. “The content managers at the Department of Education have had advanced training in accessibility. This has been extremely helpful with making sure the content that is being posted to our internal and external websites is accessible.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;MDH has similar approach. There, they use quality control staff at the division level and the division staff are routinely trained. Whether it is at MNCDHH, where there are only six employees, or at larger organization like the Minnesota Departments of Education and Health, they say it all comes down to having policies and a structure to support the work. Policies set a clear direction on where everyone needs to be and a structure ensures there will be resources to support the work.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;From time to time, experts notice that staff may become complacent about making their work digitally accessible because over time, it is viewed as another “to do” and people forget why they are doing it in the first place.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“The key to making this work sustainable is making others passionate about it,” said Bernauer. “We have to always help people reconnect with why this work matters. We aren’t just doing it because it’s the law, we are doing it because it is the right thing to do.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Summary&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There is one thing that our digital accessibility veterans want you to know. Where you or your organization is on the digital accessibility road doesn’t matter, what matters is that you are traveling in a direction that will get you to a better place. A few things to consider having in place to ensure momentum and forward movement are:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Continue to help staff understand “why” digital accessibility is important&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Build trust by providing a safe space for learning&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Create and maintain digitally accessible templates&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Invigorate leadership and implement policies that support digital accessibility&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Build or strengthen infrastructure to support organizational change&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
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&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>403317</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:23Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Did you know that there are certifications for digital accessibility? As the Accessibility profession continues to gain visibility, learn how to stay ahead of the curve.</Description><Audience/><Title>Digital Accessibility Certifications </Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Digital Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Certifications</Subject><Subject>IAAP</Subject><Subject>WAS</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Digital Accessibility Certifications </Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>An illustration of a circuit board with a checkmark.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/digital-certification-001_tcm38-403441.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>An illustration of a circuit board with a checkmark.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/digital-certification-001_tcm38-403444.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2019-09 - Digital Accessibility Certifications</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-403321&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2019-09-20T15:33:03Z</Date><ShortDescription>Did you know that there are certifications for digital accessibility? As the Accessibility profession continues to gain visibility, learn how to stay ahead of the curve.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>How to grow your career in accessibility</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By:&lt;/strong&gt; Jay Wyant, Chief Information Accessibility Officer, Office of Accessibility&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Did you know that there are certifications for digital accessibility? The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.accessibilityassociation.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP)&lt;/a&gt; currently offers two certification exams, the Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) and Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS). Folks who have both certificates are deemed to hold the Certified Professional in Web Accessibility (CPWA) certificate.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility as a profession continues to gain visibility as government agencies and the private sector respond to increasing demands to provide accessible digital services and information. Organizations want to know that their employees and contractors can credibly deliver on accessibility promises and the IAAP certificates have become key contributors to that credibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Folks preparing for the CPACC gain broad knowledge about different models of “disability” along with a foundational understanding of digital accessibility and how it applies across the spectrum of information and communication technology. WAS takes a deeper dive into more technical aspects of how to make web technology accessible.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To date, at least two State of Minnesota employees hold the CPWA certificate and several others hold the CPACC certificate. The Office of Accessibility obtained online training licenses for State employees who wish to attain IAAP certification in accessibility. There are currently three CPACC cohorts and one WAS cohort. The goal is to get at least 40 State employees certified as accessibility professionals by the end of Summer 2020.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you are not a state employee and have questions about the certifications, visit the CPACC Frequently Asked Questions page on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.accessibilityassociation.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;IAAP website&lt;/a&gt;, which also lists contact information for the organization.&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>403321</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:22Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Find in-depth information on what digital accessibility is, why it is important, and how to apply it to your work.
</Description><Audience/><Title>Closing the Digital Accessibility Gap</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Digital Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Assistive Technology</Subject><Subject>AT</Subject><Subject>disability</Subject><Subject>Disabilities</Subject><Subject>Cognitive Disabilities</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Closing the Accessibility Gap</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>An illustration of two people filling in the last piece of a bridge.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/bridge-gap-001_tcm38-403443.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>An illustration of two people filling in the last piece of a bridge.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/bridge-gap-001_tcm38-403447.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2019-09 - Closing the Accessibility Gap</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-403322&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2019-09-20T15:32:57Z</Date><ShortDescription>Find in-depth information on what digital accessibility is, why it is important, and how to apply it to your work.
</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Cognitive Disabilities, Accessibility Standards, and Assistive Technology – Learn, Apply, Advocate</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By: &lt;/strong&gt;Glenda Sims and Jennie Delisi&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What is Digital Accessibility?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Did you know that the web was originally designed to work for everyone, even if you have a disability? Digital Accessibility is when people with disabilities can independently use technology. All people need to be able to get information, communicate, learn, work, and play online.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you can see, you might not know that people who are blind can use the web. A special type of software called a screen reader makes it possible for a blind person to use computers. Accessibility helps more than just people who are blind. There are five disability types that are commonly considered in digital accessibility: seeing, hearing, speaking, moving and thinking.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For this article, “thinking” includes disabilities that impact emotions, problem solving, memory and other ways we use our brain.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;table class=&quot;table-primary-light&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;th&gt;Disability Type&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th&gt;Disability Examples&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th&gt;Assistive Technology Examples&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/accessibility-image-1-seeing_tcm38-403406.png&quot; alt=&quot;Symbol representing inability to see, eye with line drawn through it indicating not.&quot; style=&quot;width: 50%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessibility-image-1-seeing&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Seeing&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Blind, low vision, color blind&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Screen readers, refreshable braille display, screen magnifiers&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/accessibility-image-2-hearing-icon_tcm38-403407.png&quot; alt=&quot;Symbol to indicate spectrum of ability to hear, with ear in the center and lines of different sizes around it.&quot; style=&quot;width: 50%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessibility-image-2-hearing-icon&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Hearing&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Deaf, hard of hearing&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Captions, sign-language interpretation&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/accessibility-image-3-speaking-icon_tcm38-403408.png&quot; alt=&quot;Symbol indicating speaking, face with lines indicating sound coming from the mouth.&quot; style=&quot;width: 50%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessibility-image-3-speaking-icon&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Speaking&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Not able to speak clearly&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Keyboard, AAC device&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/accessibility-image-4-moving-icon_tcm38-403409.png&quot; alt=&quot;Symbol of index finger pointing, with a line around it indicating touching.&quot; style=&quot;width: 50%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessibility-image-4-moving-icon&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Moving&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Not able to use a keyboard or a mouse&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Speech-to-text software, on-screen keyboard, eye-gaze&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/accessibility-image-5-thinking-icon_tcm38-403410.png&quot; alt=&quot;Symbol of a brain.&quot; style=&quot;width: 50%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessibility-image-5-thinking-icon&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Thinking&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Attention, memory, time, language, math, making choices&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Text-to-speech software, augmented reality (a video overlay that shows “How To” do a task), app based pill reminder, password manager, fingerprint reader&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;hr xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some people have two or more disabilities. For example, a person may be DeafBlind. or a person may have difficulty using a computer mouse (moving), and being understood when they talk (speech) to their computer.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How can a person with a disability use a computer or a smartphone? To use technology, they must be able to:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Perceive&lt;/strong&gt; it with their mind&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Understand&lt;/strong&gt; how to use it&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Operate&lt;/strong&gt; it&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For example, a person who is deaf may enjoy a video on YouTube with captions if:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Closed Captions can be turned on
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Perceive - can see the “CC” button&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Understand - understand that clicking on the “CC” button will turn on Closed Captions&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Operate - can click the “CC” button and see the Closed Captions turn on&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Closed Captions are accurate
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Perceive - can see the Closed Captions on screen and in sync with the video&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Understand - the Closed Captions include all spoken words and important sounds&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Operate - able to turn Closed Captions on&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/accessibility-image-6-captions_tcm38-403412.png&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of a video with closed captions.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessibility-image-6-captions&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;Image used with permission from the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)*&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Why is digital accessibility so important? Imagine if you could not use your smartphone, TV or computer by yourself. According to a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2018/time-flies-us-adults-now-spend-nearly-half-a-day-interacting-with-media/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;2018 Nielsen study&lt;/a&gt;, “American adults spend over 11 hours per day listening to, watching, reading or generally interacting with [digital] media.” Technology is not just for play. We use technology every day to be successful at work, at school and in our lives. This quote from Mary Pat Radabaugh explains why digital accessibility is a human right. “For most people, technology makes things easier. But for people with disabilities, technology makes things possible.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Cognitive Disabilities and Cognitive Skills&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To make technology accessible for people with cognitive disabilities, we need to have a broad understanding of these types of disabilities. A disability is a condition that limits a major life activity. Communicating, learning and working are examples of major life activities. Some types of cognitive disabilities are aphasia, autism, attention deficit, dyslexia, dyscalculia, intellectual and memory loss.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;table class=&quot;table-primary-light&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;tbody&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;th&gt;Cognitive Disability Examples&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;th&gt;Has Significant Difficulty&lt;/th&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Aphasia&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Speaking (finding words), writing or understanding language&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Autism&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;May have difficulty understanding some communications or social interactions&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Focusing and keeping attention&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Dyslexia&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Recognizing letters and words&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Dyscalculia&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Recognizing numbers and symbols&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Intellectual&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;“intellectual functioning (such as learning, problem solving, judgement) and/or adaptive functioning (activities of daily life such as communication and independent living)”*&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;tr&gt;
&lt;td&gt;Memory Loss&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;td&gt;remembering new events or past memories or both&lt;/td&gt;
&lt;/tr&gt;
&lt;/tbody&gt;
&lt;/table&gt;
&lt;hr xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are many more types of cognitive disabilities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some webmasters, software designers and developers may not understand cognitive disabilities. They may have no experience talking to a person with cognitive disabilities. They may misunderstand how much ability a person may have. They may feel like they don’t know the right things to say. They may feel overwhelmed and unable to find solutions if the focus is on a cognitive medical diagnosis.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;But webmasters, designers and developers love to solve problems. So using simple to understand descriptions of the problems makes it easier for them to focus on the problem and start to solve it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Next, let’s talk about words and phrases you can use to describe problems or barriers you may find.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Attention&lt;/strong&gt; - able to focus and keep focused on the current task&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Processing Speed&lt;/strong&gt; - rate at which the brain handles information&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Short-Term Memory&lt;/strong&gt; - able to retain information for short periods of time&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Long-Term Memory&lt;/strong&gt; - able to store and recall information for later use&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Logic &amp;amp; Reasoning&lt;/strong&gt; - able to reason, prioritize and plan&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Language Processing&lt;/strong&gt; - able to recognize letters and words. Able to understand written or spoken language&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Math Processing&lt;/strong&gt; - able to recognize numbers and symbols. Able to understand and calculate simple math&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The first three skills (attention, processing speed and short-term memory) are part of automatic processing. The last four skills (long-term memory, logic and reasoning, language processing and math processing) are part of higher thinking. The diagram below shows how information is input into our brain, flows through automatic processing, can tap into higher thinking, and results in output (a decision).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;figure xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/accessibility-image-7-cognitive-skills_tcm38-403413.png&quot; alt=&quot;Thinking Flow Diagram. Detailed description is in the caption.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessibility-image-7-cognitive-skills&quot; /&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;Thinking Flow Diagram: Input to automatic processing group (attention, processing speed, short-term memory), leading to higher thinking group. The higher thinking skills each interact with a decision cog: long-term memory, logic and reasoning, language processing, math processing. The decision cog leads to output.)&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Let’s try out an example using the Thinking Flow Diagram above. Here is a sample task: buy the e-book you need. Imagine you are shopping online for an e-book you need for work or school. Your computer has a fingerprint reader. You log on to your favorite online bookshop using your fingerprint. You find the book you need.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here are the cognitive skills you applied:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Automatic Processing&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Attention&lt;/strong&gt; - you keep your attention on the task for buying this book (even if you get interrupted by a phone call or a text message).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Processing Speed&lt;/strong&gt; - luckily, this site does not have any time limits, so you can take all the time you need to read the information on this page.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Short-Term Memory&lt;/strong&gt; - luckily, this site didn’t make you remember anything new.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Higher Thinking&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Long-Term Memory&lt;/strong&gt; - you need to remember the name or URL of your favorite online bookshop. You need to remember the name of the book and the author. You also need to remember what book format you use.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Logic &amp;amp; Reasoning&lt;/strong&gt; - you need to consider all the different book formats.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Language Processing&lt;/strong&gt; - you need to recognize the letters and words on the page to be able to read the information about this book and find the button to buy the book. Or, to process this text, you need it to be read out loud to you by your assistive technology.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Math Processing&lt;/strong&gt; - you need to recognize the numbers that represent the price of the book and calculate if you can afford it based on how much money you have.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Decision&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Make a choice to press the “Buy Now” button (which you have set up so it will automatically charge to your credit card).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;But what if you have a reading disability where you need to be able to highlight text and have your assistive technology reads those words out loud. Because the text for the coupon code is in an image, your assistive technology will not read it aloud.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Problems&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you cannot do something on your own, some people will tell you, “Just go ask for help.” But you should be able to be independent if you want.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What if you need information presented a different way? You may prefer to read information in a quiet space. Or, maybe you learn best watching a How-To video on YouTube. For some people with cognitive disabilities, if information is not presented in the way they learn best, they cannot learn independently.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What if you take in and learn information best from videos? The first problem might be that a video with the information you need does not exist. There might be other problems.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Difficult words&lt;/strong&gt; - The words and examples in the video script might be too difficult.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Complicated directions&lt;/strong&gt; - The video may not break things down so the steps are easy to follow. Do you ever get lost when the directions are too complicated?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;No captions&lt;/strong&gt; - Many people use the captions, including some people with cognitive disabilities. If the captions are not there, some people may not be able to follow along. They may not remember the information as well. Or they may not learn the new vocabulary.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Not able to turn captions off&lt;/strong&gt; - For other people the captions can be distracting. If you are unable to turn off the captions, they may have difficulty focusing on your content.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Can’t play video&lt;/strong&gt; - And what if you can’t control the video player using your way of interacting with a computer (such as your voice)? You may not be able to use the video at all.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Being able to access your information independently is a civil right. This is very important when the information about you is personal and something you want to keep private. Let’s look at how these barriers can impact a common situation.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What if you took a medical test that you are kind of embarrassed about, and want to get the results by yourself. As an adult, you may not want to show your parents, your staff, or any other kind of helper the results. Your doctor told you the results can be checked on a computer.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;But what if:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The website does not work with your assistive technology.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;You cannot remember your login and password. And then you have trouble resetting it because the steps are not easy to follow.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Once you open the results, they are in a PDF that doesn’t work with your assistive technology.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The only way you can keep a copy of your results is to print something on paper.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;These same type of barriers can be encountered when a person may be:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Interacting with their case manager,&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Reading reports that may not be accessible PDFs,&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Reviewing the letters that may help a person track the requests they have made.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What about requesting to move out of your group home to live in a more inclusive setting? You have a lot of information to track, and may not always have the assistive technology you need on available computers. If you ever need to file an appeal of a decision, you may need to have a lot of different types of documents in accessible formats that you can review, and share, with staff, case managers, or lawyers. You might need a way you can track what you have done already, and what you need to do next. You may have many reasons why you want to access the information independently.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Technology Solutions&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Assistive Technology (Software/Hardware)&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are many solutions to help you access digital content. Several types of assistive technology can help people with cognitive disabilities. If you use PDFs, there are different types of software that make them read out loud. Need them to only read you the tricky words? Need them to read the whole PDF? Maybe you need them to help you read everything on a computer? Today there are many different ways you can be independent on a computer.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It isn’t just for reading. There is assistive technology that can help you:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Type or speak to your computer to help you write emails&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Search the internet&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Post to Facebook&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Keep records&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Make documents&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are also assistive technologies that help you:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Remember your passwords&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Organize your thoughts before writing a letter&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Keep track of where you are in a project&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;AT Programs and Services (Learn)&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you live in the United States, there are services to help you learn about different kinds of assistive technology. They can help you try them out and compare what is available. Sometimes you can borrow them to try at home, school, or work. The &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/admin/star/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Minnesota STAR Program&lt;/a&gt; is one program. Other states also have &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.at3center.net/stateprogram&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;assistive technology act programs&lt;/a&gt;. Ask at your local library too! Sometimes they have computers with different types of assistive technology on them, ready to use.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Technology Solution Example&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here’s an example of how assistive technology can help. Meet Joe. He has access to a Windows 10 computer, internet, his own email account and files with a secure password. The computer is located in his apartment. He views his email using Outlook, and PDFs using Acrobat Reader. He can independently (without AT) launch Outlook and save files.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Today, Joe wants to talk to his case manager. He thinks there is a mistake in his waiver budget because it includes something he does not use. It says “blended meals” but he makes his own meals with support from his personal care attendant. He found this out using an assistive technology software. It helps him read accessible PDFs. He is able to highlight the text in the PDF and have it read out loud to him. He is able to do this at the time that works best for his focus and attention. This did not have to be when his staff was available.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Joe copies the text from the PDF into an email. He uses the “dictate” feature built into Outlook to type for him what he wants to say. and then uses the “read aloud” feature to listen back to what is in his email. He sends the email to both the case manager and himself, so he has a copy he can file. He is able to reread this before his meeting with the case manager.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The case manager replies with an accessible PDF with the information corrected. She also sends an accessible email so Joe can review the information. On Friday, Joe has an appointment with his independent living skills worker. Instead of spending all the time reviewing the budget, they only review the amounts. Joe prefers to have someone with better math skills review the numbers with him. He can now use the rest of the time to do other tasks for which he needs help. He would like help doing some laundry, banking, and planning a visit to his brother.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Joe can review accessible information by himself, at his own speed. This makes him confident the budget included what he feels is important and that he has found any errors. And, he can use the staff time for things where he wants help.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What Kind of Rules Are There?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Governments and groups of people have worked together to create rules to make technology easier to use. It is pretty cool that there are rules in Minnesota, the United States, and the world that help people have equal access to technology.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;figure style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/accessibility-image-8-standard-types-icon_tcm38-403414.png&quot; alt=&quot;Symbols and text for WCAG (World), Olmstead (US, Minnesota), State Standard (Maybe your state).&quot; style=&quot;width: 90%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessibility-image-8-standard-types-icon&quot; /&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;
&lt;figure style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/accessibility-image-9-state-icon_tcm38-403415.png&quot; alt=&quot;Symbol with map outline of State of Minnesota.&quot; style=&quot;width: 30%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessibility-image-9-state-icon&quot; /&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;State Digital Accessibility Rules (Your State)&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Many states have decided that they need their own digital accessibility rules. They may call them different things, like standards or policies.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In Minnesota, Executive Branch agencies follow the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;State of Minnesota Accessibility Standard&lt;/a&gt;. Digital information created or used by these departments must be accessible.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;figure style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/accessibility-image-10-olmstead-icon_tcm38-403416.png&quot; alt=&quot;Symbol with map outline of United States.&quot; style=&quot;width: 30%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessibility-image-10-olmstead-icon&quot; /&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Olmstead Plan (Your State, United States)&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dhs.state.mn.us/main/idcplg?IdcService=GET_DYNAMIC_CONVERSION&amp;amp;RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased&amp;amp;dDocName=opc_home&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Minnesota’s Olmstead Plan&lt;/a&gt; helps ensure people with disabilities are living, learning, working, and enjoying life in the most integrated setting. The Plan helps “Minnesotans with disabilities have the opportunity, both now and in the future to:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Live near family and friends&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Decide the level of support they need&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Work at a job they enjoy&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Go to school where they want to&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Be a part of their community.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The goal is that “people with disabilities should have access to the same opportunities as people without disabilities. This includes the right to make everyday decisions about their lives.” (&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dhs.state.mn.us/main/idcplg?IdcService=GET_FILE&amp;amp;RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased&amp;amp;Rendition=Primary&amp;amp;allowInterrupt=1&amp;amp;noSaveAs=1&amp;amp;dDocName=dhs-309645&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;What’s in the Minnesota Olmstead Plan - PDF&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Minnesota Olmstead Plan is partially based on the federal Olmstead decision. Learn more at the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.ada.gov/olmstead/olmstead_complaints.htm&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;United States government page about the Olmstead Plan&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;figure style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/iaccessibility-mage-11-wcag-icon_tcm38-403417.png&quot; alt=&quot;Symbol of Earth.&quot; style=&quot;width: 30%; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessibility-image-11-wcag-icon&quot; /&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;International Web Accessibility Standard (World)&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Many people around the world want the web to be accessible to all people. This includes people with disabilities. A group of people at the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;W3C&lt;/a&gt; created a rule called the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)&lt;/a&gt;. This rule explains how to make the web work better for people with disabilities. Some countries have made this rule required for governments to follow. Examples are the United States, Canada and Europe.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Will These Rules Help Me?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The accessibility rules we have are good, but they need to be better. A group of people have been working on making the web more accessible for people with cognitive disabilities. The name of this group is the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/task-forces/coga/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Cognitive Accessibility Task Force&lt;/a&gt;. The nickname for this group is COGA (COGnitive Accessibility). This group is led by Lisa Seeman at the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;W3C&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Members of this group research types of cognitive disabilities as well as specific user needs. They identify where user needs are not being met and are writing a guide for “&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/coga-usable/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Making Content Usable for People with Cognitive and Learning Disabilities&lt;/a&gt;.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here is an example of three types of user needs for people with cognitive disabilities:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Easy to Use and Secure Authentication&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;I need a secure way to log in that is easy enough for me to use.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;No Distractions&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;I need to be able to read content or complete a task without distractions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Prevent Errors&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;I need help avoiding mistakes, and minimizing mistakes I might make.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As you look at these user needs, you may be thinking, everyone will benefit from these improvements. Correct! But for a person with a cognitive disability, if these user needs are not met, they may not be able to use the site at all.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This task force and their research includes people with all types of cognitive disabilities. Examples of just a few of the types of disabilities that have been included are:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Learning&lt;/strong&gt;: Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Age related&lt;/strong&gt;: Alzheimer’s, dementia, memory&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Intellectual&lt;/strong&gt;: Down Syndrome&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Accidental&lt;/strong&gt;: traumatic brain injury&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Mental health&lt;/strong&gt;: anxiety, depression, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Next Steps&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Now you know it is possible for the web to be used by people with all kinds of abilities. As our computers become smarter, we can expect even more.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Imagine you had a magic wand and could solve a problem for yourself, a friend, a family member or a student. What do you wish a computer could do to help? If we dare to dream...if we take the time to ask...we can find solutions to problems. Our questions might even inspire the next cool invention. Check out this example: this new software is helping a second grade student who was having a hard time learning to read. Karrick learns to read with &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrO-l1IKjbw&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Immersive Reader [Video]&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Do you want to be a part of the solution? Here are some ways you could help. Pick the option that is best for you:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;When you find a digital accessibility barrier, tell someone. Send an email, make a phone call, or complete a “contact us form.” You can:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tell them a quick story about the barrier. Be specific.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Include the website address, document title and location, or software name.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use one or two sentences to describe what happened.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Thank them for reviewing this issue.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ask them to contact you to learn more.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ask for the name of the person you should talk to about the problem.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Find other people you can work with to learn more, teach others, and plan ways to improve digital accessibility.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Check out the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/perspective-videos/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Web Accessibility Perspectives videos!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;In your advocacy groups, start talking about digital accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Spend even a small amount of time per month learning about assistive technology and digital accessibility. The &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/&quot;&gt;Minnesota Office of Accessibility&lt;/a&gt; has good information to get you started.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Help the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/task-forces/coga/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Cognitive Accessibility Task Force (COGA TF)&lt;/a&gt; at the W3C.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Suggest ways the web could be easier for people with cognitive disabilities&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Review learning materials&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Send feedback&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You can be a part of the solution! Know how digital accessibility helps you and those you care about. Tell someone. The digital community must be inclusive, so all our voices can be heard.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Reference List&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Copyright © 2019 W3C ® (MIT, ERCIM, Keio). Updated 23 January 2019. Retrieved from https://www.w3.org/WAI/perspective-videos/contrast/&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Parekh, Ranna. (2017). What Is Intellectual Disability? Retrieved from &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/intellectual-disability/what-is-intellectual-disability&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/intellectual-disability/what-is-intellectual-disability&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

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&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>403322</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:22Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>As Molly, MNIT&apos;s Accessibility Intern, prepares to go back to college, she reflects on her work and what this experience means for her going forward.</Description><Audience/><Title>The Accessibility Intern Experience</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Intern</Subject><Subject>testing</Subject><Subject>at</Subject><Subject>assistive technology</Subject><Subject>screen reader</Subject><Subject>web accessibility</Subject><Subject>document accessibility</Subject><Subject>accessible</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>The Accessibility Intern Experience</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Accessibility intern Molly working at her desk.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-intern-molly-001_tcm38-400031.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Accessibility intern Molly working at her desk.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-intern-molly-001_tcm38-400032.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2019-08 - The Accessibility Intern Experience</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-399918&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2019-08-21T16:08:15Z</Date><ShortDescription>As Molly, MNIT&apos;s Accessibility Intern, prepares to go back to college, she reflects on her work and what this experience means for her going forward.
</ShortDescription><Subtitle>A Day in the Life of Molly, MNIT&apos;s Accessibility Intern</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By:&lt;/strong&gt; Molly, Accessibility Intern for Minnesota IT Services&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;At the beginning of the summer, I started as the Accessibility Intern. When I started in the position I had very little idea of what an accessibility intern did and even less of an idea of what to expect out of my day to day work. Unsurprisingly, my first day was a whirlwind. But, now that the storm has calmed down, and indeed is almost over, I have the chance to reflect a little bit on what an accessibility intern does, what my day to day looked like, and importantly, what this means for me going forward.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What does an accessibility intern do? Well, I help make digital content accessible. Sorry, that’s sort of vague, isn’t it? Let me try again and take it step by step. Firstly, what do I use to do my job?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A few tools of the trade I use included Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat Pro DC, a keyboard, a screen reader, and lots of food to snack on.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I use Microsoft Word to create documents. Documents like reference guides, reports, checklists, and questionnaires. To make the documents I use headings, paragraph and list styles, alternative text with pictures, and other accessibility best practices. That way my source documents start out as accessible bases. Sometimes the documents stay in this format. Sometimes they are converted to other formats, like PDFs.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;With PDFs I move onto Acrobat. In Acrobat I run the accessibility checker and fix any errors that are found. I check the tags, adding and removing ones as needed. The most common tags I run into are paragraph tags, list tags, and link tags. I also use Acrobat to create fillable forms. Forms are common for questionnaires or surveys or other similar documents.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Another tool I use a lot of is the keyboard. Prior to this internship I used keyboard shortcuts, such as CTRL + B to create &lt;strong&gt;bolded font&lt;/strong&gt; or ALT + 0250 to create the ‘ú’, or the letter ‘u’ with an acute accent. But I never realized that those were keyboard shortcuts and I certainly didn’t realize how much more you can do with a keyboard. TAB and SHIFT + TAB were the two most important keyboard shortcuts I learned. I use them a lot during keyboard testing to navigate webpages and documents. I will say here that a full keyboard is superior to a laptop keyboard when it comes to testing. For example, keyboard testing often uses the F keys. On a laptop, you have to hold down the function key in order to use those F keys, and learn different key stroke combinations. Using a full keyboard reduces the number of keys you need to press at the same time.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The screen reader I use is called JAWS and it is one of the most commonly used screen readers in the United States. I switched my screen voice to the “David” voice, so I call my machine David. Using David, I comb through digital content, such as a web page or a PDF, and listen for errors. Common errors are text not being correctly coded or tagged and images missing alternative text. This means that screen readers won’t read what is there. When David finds errors in my documents, I go back and fix the source document and then have David check again.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;My final tool of the trade: food. The food is just a me thing. I find I tend to be more focused and less grumpy with a belly full of snacks.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;That’s what I use to work, but what do I work on? In general, the projects I work on are both large and small. One large project was checking mobile apps for accessibility. For a smaller project I worked on creating a checklist for how to make documents accessible. A third project was a card sort. Card sorts are used to determine information structure for websites or documents. During the first card sort I asked participants to group questions into categories; during the second one I asked them to sort the same questions into pre-determined categories. An important part to this card sort was the diversity of participants, some individuals used screen readers, some had accessibility experience, and some didn’t. That diversity allowed me to get the best possible feedback for my card sort.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For those projects that involve evaluating something for accessibility, there are tests upon tests to complete – and not the standardized ones taken in school. There are keyboard tests, screen reader tests, tests with switches, tests for color contrast, and many others. Testing requires time and patience. It’s smart to do the testing once, go do something else, and then come back and redo the test again to verify the results. That way my findings are more accurate. And during the break between tests I have time to go grab more food.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For those projects that involve the creation of content, there are drafts upon drafts upon drafts. With every draft there are paragraphs that get cut, sentences that are rearranged and words that are added. The end goal is to create a product that is polished, easy to understand, and informative. Sometimes it takes several days and several bags of chips to come up with a final product. But it always feels so good to turn in the final version!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;So, that’s what I do for this internship; using software like Microsoft and JAWs and the keyboard I make digital content, like PDFs and webpages, accessible!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This internship was one amazing and informative ride. I have learned a lot about accessibility in terms of what it is, what standards there are, and how to create accessible digital content. I tend to draft a lot of papers and create presentations so, some of the most practical things I learned from this internship, I can easily implement outside of this job. Finally, a very important take away from this internship is my newfound ability to advocate for digital accessibility and the benefit of diversity in teams. I have a base of knowledge with which to make suggestions to encourage the implementation and normalization of digital accessibility in any setting. And while it may seem like only one voice advocating for accessibility can’t change anything, in the words of Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” I am not the only advocate and many voices together makes an unstoppable force for change.&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>399918</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:25Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Robin Rust, a State Program Administrator for MnDOT recently attended the Assistive Technology and Accessibility Summit. Here are her thoughts.</Description><Audience/><Title>Accessibility Summit Summary: Impact of Digital Accessibility on a Team</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Assistive Technology</Subject><Subject>AT</Subject><Subject>Summit</Subject><Subject>Assistive Technology and Accessibility Summit</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Accessibility Summit Summary</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Man using a refreshable braille display.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/assistive-tech-005_tcm38-356061.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Man using a refreshable braille display</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/assistive-tech-005_tcm38-356059.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2019-08 - Accessibility Summit Summary</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-399915&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2019-08-21T15:54:43Z</Date><ShortDescription>Robin Rust, a State Program Administrator for MnDOT recently attended the Assistive Technology and Accessibility Summit. Here are her thoughts.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Impact of Digital Accessibility on a Team</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By:&lt;/strong&gt; Robin Rust, State Program Administrator, Minnesota Department of Transportation&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Editor’s Note&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Robin recently attended the Minnesota Assistive Technology and Accessibility Summit. We asked her to share about the impact of the conference on her work, her key take-aways, and how her team benefitted from the training she received. Many people ask us how best to present a request for training about digital accessibility to a supervisor or manager. We have found it helpful to include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Brief information about how the topic directly impacts your work, and the work being done on your team.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Specific learning objectives you may have.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Finally, include information about how you will share the information with your team.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;While we do not know the exact dates of next year’s Minnesota Assistive Technology and Accessibility Summit, they plan to have it again. Consider adding this and other digital accessibility training opportunities onto your training and development plan.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Robin’s Thoughts&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Thank you for all the great offerings at the Accessibility Summit! I attended knowing there are simple things I can do over the course of my work that would improve accessibility, but I didn’t know what they were or where to learn them. The Summit included ample opportunities to learn easy tips as well as providing lots of stories and stats to demonstrate their importance. The Experience Lab was invaluable showing the impact of hearing loss, activities that test cognitive function, and I was able to use my face as a mouse!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some of the things that surprised me were the low number of people who report having a disability compared to the number of people estimated to have one. Disabilities affect more people than most realize. A 2017 study quoted at the Summit estimated 30% of employees have an undisclosed disability. This means that many employees, unbeknownst to those around them, are dealing with an invisible disability that may impact their vision, hearing, or cognitive function. Some disabilities may come and go, such as concussion symptoms, others are permanent. As we age, there is a greater likelihood of developing a disability.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;After learning valuable information at the Summit, I wanted to share the highlights with my teammates so they could benefit from my new knowledge too. I requested time in an upcoming team meeting to provide an update. In preparation, I organized my notes into 3 main points and created a simple slide presentation that could be included in the meeting notes. In an effort to recreate the Experience Lab as best as I could, I found an online demo of hearing loss and examples of color blindness tests. My teammates now have a greater awareness for the value of accessibility. Sharing the key takeaways also sparked discussion around things we can do to make sure we aren’t unintentionally excluding people, especially for those joining meetings remotely.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The more we know, the better we can understand others, relate to their unique situation, and help accommodate their ability to perform. Accessible solutions frequently benefit more than just the intended audience. Contributions to advancements in accessibility today, may create a solution that helps you in the future. For those considering attending next year, I recommend it. You may learn something that will help you improve the world for those around you, or even yourself!&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>399915</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:25Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>PDFs are used to share information electronically and in print. We asked some PDF creators, about the challenges in creating accessible PDFs.</Description><Audience/><Title>Creating Accessible PDFs as a Team</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>pdf</Subject><Subject>Accessible PDF</Subject><Subject>document remediation</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>PDF Accessibility</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Person working on a computer.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/people-computer-002_tcm38-346797.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Person working on a computer.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/people-computer-002_tcm38-346800.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2019-07 - PDF Accessibility</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-394646&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2019-07-31T14:56:56Z</Date><ShortDescription>PDFs are used to share information electronically and in print. We asked some PDF creators, about the challenges in creating accessible PDFs.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Creating Accessible PDFs as a Team</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Government agencies often use PDFs to communicate information in a way that can be read online, shared electronically, and printed. They come from several different types of source documents, but the end requirement is the same: all PDFs must be accessible.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We asked some seasoned accessible PDF creators, and those that remediate documents made by others, about the challenges they or their colleagues face when creating accessible documents.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Commentary from:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Elly Pretzel&lt;/strong&gt;, Webmaster &amp;amp; Design Specialist (Health Program Representative Sr.), Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention &amp;amp; Control Division, Minnesota Department of Health&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Becky Bernauer&lt;/strong&gt;, Accessibility Coordinator for the Minnesota IT Services Partnering with the Department of Health (MDH)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chad Miller&lt;/strong&gt;, Digital Access Coordinator at the Minnesota Council.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Samantha Fischer&lt;/strong&gt;, Accessibility Coordinator at the Department of Employment and Economic Development.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;hr xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Elly:&lt;/strong&gt; “Accessibility is a factor in everything we do. We can’t communicate effectively without making the delivery tool itself both useful and accessible to everyone. In my work I frequently focus on creating products (infographics, reports, statistic packages, posters, brochures, fact sheets, maps, forms, emails, websites, etc.). Those end products are communications, they are messages and information, they are documents for humans. Documents we create need to be as useable as possible for everyone, and that needs to happen within an extremely small timeframe and budget. For us, that means the end products frequently include accessible PDF files.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Becky:&lt;/strong&gt; “The biggest challenge is probably getting all staff trained to create Microsoft Word documents that will produce accessible PDFs without the need for remediation/fixing. About 99% of PDF issues can be fixed in the originating software.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Chad Miller agreed.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chad:&lt;/strong&gt; “The greatest challenge I face is a native document containing accessibility issues that can’t be fixed in Acrobat, such as insufficient color contrast. This involves contacting the original owner, fixing the issue in the native document, and reviewing/remediating a new PDF—usually within a limited timeframe.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Elly shared a different perspective:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Elly:&lt;/strong&gt; “The biggest challenge I face when creating accessible documents is change. The software we use is constantly evolving, features in the software are frequently updated (sometimes for the better, sometimes not), and the kinds of software and hardware available to both us and the end users are constantly changing. Also, what we know about accessibility (and usability) is ever-evolving. We are extremely fortunate to have an ever-growing collection of accessibility information and resources available to us, both in the general knowledge base and in the people, who are willing and able to help educate us. We have the opportunity to be aware of the changes and open to learning more, and the responsibility to test (and re-test) our own products and adapt as things change around us.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&quot;The struggle with change also happens on a personal level. For me personally, the older I get the harder some adaptions in workflows are to implement. I have to remind myself not to follow those engrained-memory wagon trail processes, and don’t forget the new things we have learned along the way. I strive to educate, empower, and encourage others… and sometimes I have to remember to educate, empower, and encourage myself so that I can learn and adapt too.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Selecting which tool is the right tool to use in the workflow can be tricky. In Becky’s experience, some people think that if they have tables, the entire document should be created in Excel, but this is not always the case.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Becky:&lt;/strong&gt; “Sometimes that means using Word instead of Excel—setting up a good structure with headings, then bringing the tables in from Excel, instead of trying to design something in Excel. Sometimes it means using InDesign instead of Word, it really depends on what the needs are.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Samantha Fischer, shared another example involving deciding which tool to use to create a document.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Samantha:&lt;/strong&gt; &quot;A lot of people use tables in Word to create fillable forms and for those using assistive technology, it can be very confusing to understand where they need to input the information.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Complex documents may have additional considerations.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Elly:&lt;/strong&gt; “Before we get to that final PDF, any given project may have pieces gathered from multiple different software packages (often pieces created by different content experts as well). Content may start from products like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and other places… then we might create additional parts using software like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Microsoft Excel, or GIS tools (or any multitude of other tools and sources) … and for many of my projects those pieces come together in publishing software like Adobe InDesign. Regardless of the source, any PDF will go through Adobe Acrobat and I usually end my PDF workflow in CommonLook for final checks and remediation.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When making decisions about which remediation tool to use.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Samantha:&lt;/strong&gt; “I use both Adobe Acrobat Pro DC and CommonLook to remediate PDFs; the program I use depends on the document, the needs of the end user and what program was used to create the PDF. For documents with text, photos, tables and lists I typically use CommonLook. For documents that have form fields as well, I will start in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC and then move into CommonLook.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Mastering the ability to select the right tool and use it properly takes training and practice. Ever heard that it takes a village to raise a child? Well, it takes a village to create accessible documents too. Different agencies and divisions are ensuring staff have the learning opportunities and support they need. Here are some examples:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Becky:&lt;/strong&gt; “My agency supports creating accessible PDFs by providing Accessible Word training for staff, supplying Division Accessibility Coordinators throughout the agency with the knowledge and software to consult and/or help staff with issues, and by having an agency accessibility policy that helps to ensure all staff create accessible products.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chad:&lt;/strong&gt; “Within the Minnesota Council on Disability, every staff member receives training for creating accessible Word and PowerPoint documents. If any of these documents need to be converted to PDF, an assistant and I handle the conversion and remediation. If a PDF is made available to the public, I review it myself.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Becky:&lt;/strong&gt; “The state supports MDH’s effort by providing our Division Accessibility Coordinators with CommonLook software, so they can assist with remediating tougher issues and speed up the process of remediation. The Office of Accessibility also supports us with Communities of Practice work groups. These groups research issues, then create guidance documents for things like setting up your InDesign document properly, and what to consider when creating accessible maps, or how to ensure a PDF is accessible. There is also a network of Digital Accessibility Coordinators throughout the state who are experts in various pieces of accessibility. They are there to support us when we need help.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A few other tips to keep in mind:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Becky:&lt;/strong&gt; &quot;Always, always going back to the originating document to fix an accessibility issue will help workflow in the future. Staff always reuse documents, so when possible, you should always fix the original document rather than just fixing the PDF. If you fix the Word document, next time you won’t have to fix the PDF. Before trying to research and solve a problem, connect with your organization&apos;s Digital Accessibility Coordinator or check the &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/index.jsp&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessibility Landing&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility website&lt;/a&gt; to see if there is some information that will help.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Chad:&lt;/strong&gt; “I find it helpful to follow a checklist of remediation steps and refer to a set of notes covering PDF issues I’ve encountered in the past. Even after remediating hundreds of documents, it’s easy to miss a step or forget how to address a particular tagging issue.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Elly:&lt;/strong&gt; “Accessibility isn’t a novelty, it needs to be considered in everything. PDFs are only one communication tool, but that one that is readily available and has the means to be useful and accessible in multiple circumstances. When resources are limited an accessible PDF can meet a variety of needs and still be a useful communication product.”&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>394646</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:26Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>The state’s Design Leadership group and the Office of Accessibility recently discussed how to make images accessible on social media platforms and how to better reach our readers.</Description><Audience/><Title>Alt Text for Social Media</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Social Media</Subject><Subject>Alt Text</Subject><Subject>increasing readership</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Alt Text for Social Media</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A cursor hovering over the &quot;Change Alt Text&quot; option in Facebook to add alt text to a photo of Jenna Covey and Joan Redwing.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/alt-text-facebook_tcm38-340596.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A cursor hovering over the &quot;Change Alt Text&quot; option in Facebook to add alt text to a photo of Jenna Covey and Joan Redwing.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/alt-text-facebook_tcm38-340599.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2019-06 - Alt Text for Social Media</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-390816&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2019-06-27T15:55:39Z</Date><ShortDescription>The state’s Design Leadership group and the Office of Accessibility recently discussed how to make images accessible on social media platforms and how to better reach our readers.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Pump Up Your Social Media Using Pictures With Alt Text </Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The state’s Design Leadership meeting occurs every other month. Employees from across agencies who lead design for the state gather to discuss branding, projects, and share best practices. At a recent meeting attendees asked: how can I make my social media images accessible? The conversation addressed updates to social media platforms in the last year and ways to better reach all your readers. This article is an overview/summary, and you can get more details in the presentation PDF &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/presentation-social-media-alt-text_tcm38-390850.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;presentation-social-media-alt-text&quot;&gt;Social Media and Alt Text&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Who uses alt text (and why)?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are many reasons to use quality alt text! While most alt text users are people using assistive technologies, this is not the entire group. Some people do not download images for a variety of reasons – they read your alt text as text that appears in place of the image. &lt;a href=&quot;https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/70897&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Google indexes&lt;/a&gt; your alt text. Artificial intelligence may be learning how to improve automated alt text from your image’s alt text.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What is alt text?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Alternative text is called a variety of names, and is accessed differently depending on the social media tool and the device you’re using (see “Where, oh where is alt text?” below). You may find it called alt text, alternative text, or image descriptions, but no matter what it’s called, it means the same thing. Alt text is a text description of the image that can be used to access the information in place of the image itself.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What makes good alt text?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A concise description that communicates why the author used that image, the image’s purpose. For example, sometimes we don’t include the names of people in the image, because it is about what they are doing, or an event. But other times the names of the people in the image is important. Text in the image should be included in your alt text, unless it is included in the post. Alt text is a bit of an art – if this image wasn’t there, what might you miss?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And the typical “don’t” list for document and website alt text is the same for social media images.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Don’t include the word “graphic” or “image,” since assistive technologies already announce this.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Don’t describe absolutely every aspect of the image.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And what about automated alt text? Don’t rely on it! While we applaud the addition of this feature, it does not always add what you want it to say.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Some images we tested had descriptions such as “four people, people smiling, people standing” which was not the way we would have described the image. In that particular case, the location mattered, but the artificial intelligence did not catch the clues from the background. We would have written something like “four Minnesota IT Services staff working at the state fair booth.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If a person in the photo has an account on that platform and it identifies the account, it may add in their name, even though you did not want to identify the individual.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Where, oh where, is the alt text?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The location to add the alt text can be tricky, because each social media tool is different. And, the device you’re using when you are adding the alt text changes things too! Are you on your phone? On your computer? More on this in the next section.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How do I add it?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By the time this article goes to publication, there may be accessibility improvements in different publications. Below is what is current on the day we published this post.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;LinkedIn&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;LinkedIn has different ways to add alt text, depending on the type of post you are creating.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A short post? After adding your photo, at the bottom of the pop up is the option to “Add alt text.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Selecting this brings you to a text box with the text “Text describing what’s in the photo.” Enter your alt text, select save, then next.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For articles, your banner image now includes the option to enter a caption. Within the article, images will have an option to “Add description.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/linkedin-alt-text-001_tcm38-390821.png&quot; title=&quot;linkedin-alt-text-001&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of LinkedIn window Edit your photo. Minnesota Digital Accessibility Law Celebration post. Arrow pointing to Add alt text option.&quot; style=&quot;width: 50%;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;linkedin-alt-text-001&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Pinterest&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Not just photos any more, Pinterest is one of the most recent platforms to add alt text. The description you add when creating your pin becomes the alt text for the pin.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/pinterest-alt-text-001_tcm38-390822.png&quot; title=&quot;pinterest-alt-text-001&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of pin being added for the Accessibility support for Skype for Business.&quot; style=&quot;width: auto; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;pinterest-alt-text-001&quot; /&gt; &lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/pinterest-alt-text-002_tcm38-390823.png&quot; title=&quot;pinterest-alt-text-002&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of Accessibility support for Skype for Business pin, with html elements exposed over the pin. They include long alt which is the description for the pin included in the previous image.&quot; style=&quot;width: auto; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;pinterest-alt-text-002&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Instagram&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Adding alt text in Instagram requires noticing the light grey text at the bottom of the screen with the text “Advanced Settings.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This will bring you to a screen with an option to “Write Alt Text.” After selecting this, you are brought to a screen where you can add the alt text.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/instagram-alt-text-001_tcm38-390824.png&quot; title=&quot;instagram-alt-text-001&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of Instagram New Post dialog box. Blue and green arrow pointing to Advanced Settings.&quot; style=&quot;width: auto; height: auto&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;instagram-alt-text-001&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Social Media Scheduling Apps&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Be sure to select a social media scheduling app that has the option for adding alt text. Tweetdeck is one platform with this option, and it follows a similar process to Twitter.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Twitter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Desktop:&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Add you photo, find the “add description” option.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;In the Image description window that opens, enter your alt text in the field with the text “Describe this photo for the visually impaired.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Smartphone:&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://help.twitter.com/en/using-twitter/picture-descriptions&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Twitter provides instructions&lt;/a&gt; on how to add alt text for both Android and iOS devices.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Facebook&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You can add the alt text as you upload an image on some devices. And, if you have already added the image, right click (or Shift + F10) and select “change alt text” to read the current alt text automatically added, and choose “Override generated alt text” if helpful.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;According to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/help/www/214124458607871&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Facebook&lt;/a&gt;, at this time you can only edit the alt text on computers and iOS devices.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;But what about…?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Sometimes you will not be able to make the alt text work. You are on your phone at an event, and cannot edit the alt text for a particular type of post until later. Or you know that others may benefit from a description of the image and don’t use assistive technologies.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The phrase “Image Description:” is something you may read in posts. This is another way add the alt text directly into the post.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Stay current on each social media platform’s accessibility by following &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/search?f=tweets&amp;amp;vertical=default&amp;amp;q=%23a11y&amp;amp;src=typd&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;#a11y&lt;/a&gt; and each platform’s social media accounts. We look forward to reading your posts, and your alt text.&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>390816</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:27Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Many of us are familiar with accessibility in the physical world. What about in the digital space? Molly, an intern for the Office of Accessibility shares resources available in the digital world.</Description><Audience/><Title>Normalizing Digital Accessibility</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>digital accessibility</Subject><Subject>assistive technology</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Normalizing Digital Accessibility</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>An automatic door switch that shows a wheelchair icon with text - push to open.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/door-opener-001_tcm38-390847.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>An automatic door switch that shows a wheelchair icon with text - push to open.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/door-opener-001_tcm38-390848.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2019-06 - Normalizing Digital Accessibility</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-390811&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2019-06-27T15:55:33Z</Date><ShortDescription>Many of us are familiar with accessibility in the physical world. What about in the digital space? Molly, an intern for the Office of Accessibility shares resources available in the digital world.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Accessibility Resources for the Digital World</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By:&lt;/strong&gt; Molly, Office of Accessibility Intern&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It sits next to doors, a few feet off the ground, and usually is silver with a blue design in the center. Can you guess what the item is? An automatic door switch! An automatic door switch is a common sight in the physical world, but what resources exist to help people with disabilities in the digital world?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Hello! My name is Molly, I am an intern for the Office of Accessibility, and I can start to answer that question. Laws, regulations, and guidelines – from the state, federal, and even international level – all regulate digital accessibility. There are:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Section 508; requires that people with disabilities and those without can access technology in a comparable manner.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Americans with Disabilities Act; prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG); aims to create a single shared web standard for accessibility that meets everyone’s needs.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Digital Accessibility and Usability Law; requires the Executive branch agencies in the State of Minnesota to follow the State Accessibility Standard.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Together, these provide the rules for digital accessibility, albeit in a dry, dusty way that involves lots of big words.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;So, how do average people like me start to make digital things accessible? I found that answer in the styles pane of Microsoft Word.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You know the styles pane, right?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/word-styles-pane-001_tcm38-390820.png&quot; title=&quot;word-styles-pane-001&quot; alt=&quot;The styles pane in Microsoft Word.&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto;&quot; xlink:title=&quot;word-styles-pane-001&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you’re like me, it’s likely gathering dust at the top of every Word document. Turns out, it is actually very helpful in making a document accessible. Instead of increasing the size of your font to identify sections, use heading styles. You can use list styles Instead of manually inserting dashes or symbols for bullets.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;These (and other strategies) not only visually structure your document, they also help assistive technology (AT) users navigate documents too!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Assistive technology, or AT, as mentioned above, helps people with disabilities navigate the world. Those automatic door switches from the introduction are an example of AT. Other examples include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Speech to text software (such as Dragon Naturally Speaking)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Captions or transcripts for video/audio recordings&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Screen readers (such as JAWS)
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Screen readers are software that convey to people with low vision what is on a display, using non-sighted methods.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Assistive technologies are all jolly well and good, but why does that matter to you, if you don’t use them? Let’s circle back to the automatic door switches. Now, pretend that all the doors you’d ever need to open have handles based on someone who is seven feet tall and you are only five feet tall. You would probably never be able to open doors without the help of handy dandy automatic door switches. Now, those door switches would positively affect you, and the switches wouldn’t negatively affect the seven-foot-tall people—they might even help if they have their hands full and need to open a door.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;AT for digital media works under the same principle. It doesn’t hurt to use headings or add alternative text – it only helps all users navigate the document, regardless of how they access it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are business and economic benefits as well. I’ve heard grumbles that, “You have to install the automatic door switch and that costs time and money.” Well, an American Institute for Research report on the purchasing power of people with disabilities found that the disposable income (after-tax money at your disposal) for working-age people with disabilities is about $490 billion – which is similar to that of other important markets, such as African Americans ($501 billion) and Hispanics ($582 billion). The report also found that the discretionary income (money for nonessential items) for working-age people with disabilities is around $21 billion dollars – a larger number than the African-American and Hispanic markets combined. This means that people with disabilities have money to spend. Corporations that do not make their content accessible are missing a large market. So, if you install the automatic door opener in your café, people with disabilities that couldn’t get into your business before will now eat there, and that leads to profit. The same principal works for digital media: the more accessible you make your content, the more traffic it will receive.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You may be thinking, how does implementing digital accessibility practices help someone who doesn’t own a business or manage web content? Learning about accessibility practices and applying them gives you useful skills that translate to other jobs and other areas of life. For example, you can apply accessibility practices to slides for presentations or add your accessibility qualifications on your resume.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;On a broader scale, teaching people at a young age about accessibility, and encouraging accessibility best practices helps to normalize accessibility as a right, and makes everything a lot easier for AT users. Using accessibility practices from the beginning makes sure that individuals with disabilities do not have to work harder than people without disabilities to access the same information. It is difficult to suddenly incorporate accessibility practices into pre-existing structures that are not accessibility-friendly. That’s why it is important to teach accessibility practices to the young and upcoming workforce. Accessibility becomes integrated into the fabric of software, digital media, and the future.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When I leave this internship, I will have confidence in my ability to use accessibility best practices in all digital media that I create, from documents to slide shows. I will also know that I am contributing to the normalization of digital accessibility, in this increasingly digital world. Learn more:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;A Hidden Market: The Purchasing Power of Working-Age Adults with Disabilities&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;MNIT Office of Accessibility Electronic Documents&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

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&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>390811</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:27Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Celebration at the state Capitol marks ten years since the Digital Accessibility and Usability Law was passed. The law was passed to make digital information accessible to all Minnesotans.</Description><Audience/><Title>Digital Accessibility and Usability Law Anniversary</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Usability</Subject><Subject>Minnesota</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Digital Accessibility and Usability Law Anniversary</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Jay Wyant announcing award recipients at the Accessibility and Usability Law Anniversary Celebration in the Minnesota State Capitol.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-law-celebration-001_tcm38-383921.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Jay Wyant announcing award recipients at the Accessibility and Usability Law Anniversary Celebration in the Minnesota State Capitol.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-law-celebration-001_tcm38-383923.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>PR - 2019-04 - Digital Accessibility and Usability Law Anniversary</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-383919&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2019-06-07T19:45:57Z</Date><ShortDescription>Celebration at the state Capitol marks ten years since the Digital Accessibility and Usability Law was passed. The law was passed to make digital information accessible to all Minnesotans.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Celebrating Ten Years of Disability Inclusion as One Minnesota</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: right;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;May 7, 2019&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Contact: &lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;mailto:MN.IT_Comm@state.mn.us&quot; title=&quot;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MNIT Communications&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Celebration at the state Capitol marks ten years since the Digital Accessibility and Usability Law was passed, which defined the ways that digital information, like websites, applications, and documents, could be made accessible so all Minnesotans, disabled or not, have equal access to state services and programs.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;St. Paul, MN:&lt;/strong&gt; Accessibility advocates and State of Minnesota employees, led by Minnesota’s Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan and Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) Commissioner Tarek Tomes, gathered today in the Capitol Rotunda to celebrate 10 years since the passage of the Digital Accessibility and Usability Law. The law requires state government to develop and comply with a standard for delivering equal access to information for all Minnesotans.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Government by nature exists to serve its citizens. That’s why the 2009 law calling for a statewide digital accessibility standard was so critical,” said Lieutenant Governor, Peggy Flanagan. “It is through the building of meaningful partnerships that we have come a long way these last ten years.”&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Digital accessibility is a key benchmark for us – if something is not accessible, then some people won’t be able to do their job,” said MNIT Commissioner Tarek Tomes. “MNIT’s Office of Accessibility has been an integral part of this work, leading trainings, providing resources, and serving as problem-solvers, strategists, and leaders in shaping the accessible landscape of Minnesota’s digital services.”&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The celebration at the Capitol honored key legislators and advocates, and it provided opportunities for attendees to experience technology used by people with disabilities. The brief recognition ceremony honored advocacy champions critical in raising awareness of the need for legislation and the legislators who worked to draft and pass the law. Senator Ann Rest, Senator Torrey Westrom, Representative Bill Hilty, and Mary Hartnett, the Executive Director of the Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, Deafblind &amp;amp; Hard of Hearing, were all honored, along with key government leaders and advocates who helped to frame the way the law works.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“We wanted to take the time to honor the folks who made the law possible,” stated Jay Wyant, the state’s Chief information Accessibility Officer. “The law raised awareness of the value of accessibility and made it possible for the state to dedicate resources toward implementing accessibility and usability throughout state services and systems.”&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Following the ceremony, attendees were invited to immerse themselves in the Experience Lab, which featured interactive stations showcasing how people with disabilities use technology to read and understand information.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Honorees&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Legislative Champions&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Senator Ann Rest&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Representative Bill Hilty&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Senator Torrey Westrom&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility Champions&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;David Andrews&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Dana Badgerow&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Chuk Hamilton&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Mary Hartnett&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Kim Moccia&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Jamie Taylor&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Colleen Wieck&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Joan Willshire&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;All the honorees stressed that they were part of a larger group of individuals and organizations who worked to identify the need and ensure the law’s passage. They include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Rep. Thomas Huntley&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Rep. Jim Abeler&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Rep. Margaret Anderson Kelliher&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Rep. Phil Sterner&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Rep. Jeremy Kalin&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Rep. Melissa Hortman&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Senator Dick Day&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Senator Jim Vickerman&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Senator Rick Olseen&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Senator Tony Lourey&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Steve Jacobson&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Alicia Lane-Outlaw&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Reggie David&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Kim Peck&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Alex Bartolic&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Bruce Hodek&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Meredith Anderson&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Dan McCarthy&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Joan Breslin Larson&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Julie Dinger&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Joan Gillum&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Jo Erbes&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Troy W. Mangan&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Charlie Peterson&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Barbara Skoglund&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Margot Imdieke Cross&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Cristyn Rybak&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Nancy Erickson&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;John Sherman&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Jed Becher&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Rebecca Slininger&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ed Valencia&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;About Minnesota IT Services&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Minnesota IT Services, led by the state’s Chief Information Officer, is the Information Technology agency for Minnesota’s executive branch, providing enterprise and local IT services to over 70 agencies, boards and commissions. MNIT employs more than 2,000 people across 90 physical locations. Together, we build, maintain, and secure the State’s IT infrastructure, applications, projects and services. MNIT sets IT strategy, direction, policies and standards for enterprise IT leadership and planning. We also serve Minnesotans by connecting all 87 counties, 300 cities, and 200 public higher education campuses across the state on the MNET network. Through public-private partnerships, our team proactively protects the state’s information systems and the private data of 5.5 million Minnesotans.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;###&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>383919</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:27Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Maps are a great way of sharing complex information, but resources to make these maps accessible were not always easy to find. Until now.</Description><Audience/><Title>Maps for All</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>maps</Subject><Subject>digital maps</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Category><Description/><Title>Geospatial</Title><Id>232486</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Maps for All</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A map with a pin showing a location.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/map-pin_tcm38-318043.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A map with a pin showing a location.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/map-pin_tcm38-318042.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2019-04 - Maps for All</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-382609&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2019-04-29T16:15:01Z</Date><ShortDescription>Maps are a great way of sharing complex information, but resources to make these maps accessible were not always easy to find. Until now.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Making Maps Accessible</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It’s never been easier to create accessible content. There are abundant tools and training resources on creating accessible documents and web pages. Maps have been another story. Maps typically are loaded with lines, dots, icons, shadings, and other elements to draw the viewer’s eye. Yet the occasional map creator could not readily find resources on how to make digital maps accessible. Until now.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What’s in a map?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Several years ago, a few state employees with cartography and geographic information systems (GIS) training got together and asked themselves the question: what makes a good map? And how can we make them accessible?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The team solicited input from a wide range of map designers, creators, and accessibility experts. After much wrangling, the team decided on two broad categories of maps: static and interactive.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;First, design&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;While each category has unique considerations, the team also determined that there were basic guidelines that all map designers should follow. They combined two areas of specialized knowledge, digital accessibility and cartography, to create a set of guidelines for map design. They intended the resulting Map Design Guide document to be a “working document” as more map experts explore the concept of accessibility in maps.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This guide is particularly valuable because many map creators do not have formal map or cartography training. They may be graphic designers, GIS specialists, or administrative staff who have been asked to quickly create a map. Until now, there was no one source that combined guidance on both maps and accessibility. This design guide brings accessibility to the forefront. The static and interactive map teams referenced the Design Guide in their work.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The design guide starts by defining what makes up a map, including, at minimum:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Title&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;North Arrow&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Scalebar&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Legend&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The design guide then provides detail on how to best work with map components to make them accessible, including:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Fonts&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Color&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Objects (such as location points)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Symbology (what an image means, such as a fence, train tracks, location point)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Patterns (such as for shading an area)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Line styles&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Legend&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Learn more about accessible map design by reading the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/map-design-guide_tcm38-375673.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Map Design Guide (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Static maps&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Static maps are typically in a fixed format such as a PDF document or a web page. The static map team started by recognizing that it may not be possible to make such a map fully accessible. So, they developed a list of best practices of how to combine maps with additional information such as a data table or narrative.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;First the team provided a set of recommendations that make a map easier to understand, such as:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Organize the map’s message by arranging all the elements in a logical reading order.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use captions and alternative text.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Order unique information first in a list of repetitive text.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Then the team developed several typical design scenarios. Static map creators can then adopt the scenario that makes the best sense for their particular map:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Include map, description, and data together in the document.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provide descriptive text near the map.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Link from the map to more information.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provide a human contact.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Delve into this topic by reading the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/static-map-accessibility-guide_tcm38-375672.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Static Map Accessibility Guide (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In addition, what use is a well-designed map if the document is not accessible? Since many static maps are presented within the PDF format the static map team supplemented the static map guide with a &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/map-tagging-acrobat-professional_tcm38-382613.pdf&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Accessibility - map-tagging-acrobat-professional&quot;&gt;Quick Guide to Tagging PDFs (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Interactive Maps&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;With an interactive map, a user can interact with the map typically using a mouse and/or keyboard to select areas, enter coordinates, toggle layers, zoom in and out, and pan around the map. The team recognized that while each map has its own unique set of requirements, there are a few core recommendations when designing and developing an interactive map:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Focus on the map’s purpose and ensure the map’s primary message is conveyed.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Support keyboard accessibility, and do not allow keyboard traps.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Organize elements of the map into a logical reading order.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Make sure dynamic content changes are clear to all users.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provide good color contrast ratios and use a combination of color, texture, and shapes to distinguish map elements. Do not rely on color alone.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Recognize the technological constraints of your web mapping framework.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Follow web accessibility principles (see &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/&quot;&gt;State of Minnesota Accessibility Standard&lt;/a&gt;).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Testing is key! Use testing tools and exercises.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The team continues to refine the Interactive Map Accessibility Guide. The document covers a wide variety of information including, but not limited to: detailed best practices, live examples, accessibility features for mapping libraries (Esri JavaScript API, Leaflet, Mapbox), and evaluation tools. Their goal is to have the guide and companion quick card out by this summer. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;More Resources&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In addition to the detailed guides, the map team also created a series of Quick Cards. State of Minnesota employees can obtain from their Accessibility Coordinators laminated copies of the quick cards. Anyone can also download accessible PDF versions from the &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/maps/index.jsp&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Map Accessibility&quot;&gt;Map page&lt;/a&gt; on the Office of Accessibility website.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/quick-card-map-design_tcm38-375674.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Map Design Quick Card (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/assets/quick-card-static-map_tcm38-375675.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Static Map Quick Card (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;

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&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>382609</id><pubdate>2020-01-10T20:39:14Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>In March, eight State of Minnesota employees attended the 2019 CSUN Assistive Technology Conference. We asked them to share their experience. </Description><Audience/><Title>CSUN Recap</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>CSUN</Subject><Subject>Assistive Technology</Subject><Subject>MNIT</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>CSUN 2019 Recap</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>State of Minnesota employees at the CSUN Conference check-in.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/csun-001_tcm38-382616.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>State of Minnesota employees at the CSUN Conference check-in. Jiffy the dog, in front.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/csun-001_tcm38-382617.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2019-04 - CSUN 2019 Recap</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-382608&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2019-04-29T16:00:23Z</Date><ShortDescription>In March, eight State of Minnesota employees attended the 2019 CSUN Assistive Technology Conference. We asked them to share their experience. 

</ShortDescription><Subtitle>State of Minnesota Accessibility Staff Share Their Experiences</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pictured above from left to right:&lt;/strong&gt; Kim Wee, David Andrews, JoAnn Rautio, Kris Schulze, Jay Wyant, Lolly Lijewski, Kim Sandrock, Lois Butcher.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In March, eight State of Minnesota employees arrived at the 2019 CSUN Assistive Technology Conference. Their goal? Learn as much about digital accessibility as they could in four days, then bring back the information to Minnesota and apply it to their work.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We asked five of the attendees to share with us more about what they learned, the impact of the experience, and information they thought might help our readers. In case you missed it, &lt;a href=&quot;https://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&amp;amp;enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTkwMzI5LjM5NDYxOTEmbWVzc2FnZWlkPU1EQi1QUkQtQlVMLTIwMTkwMzI5LjM5NDYxOTEmZGF0YWJhc2VpZD0xMDAxJnNlcmlhbD0xNzM2NTI2NCZlbWFpbGlkPWplbm5pZS5kZWxpc2lAc3RhdGUubW4udXMmdXNlcmlkPWplbm5pZS5kZWxpc2lAc3RhdGUubW4udXMmZmw9JmV4dHJhPU11bHRpdmFyaWF0ZUlkPSYmJg==&amp;amp;&amp;amp;&amp;amp;100&amp;amp;&amp;amp;&amp;amp;https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/bulletins/2382361&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;March’s Office of Accessibility newsletter&lt;/a&gt; includes links to session handouts.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Lolly Lijewski&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lolly is the digital accessibility coordinator in the Minnesota Department of Human Services’ Compliance Office.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;CSUN 2019 was so chock full of excellent sessions, it was hard to choose. In any session time slot, I could find four to six sessions I wanted to attend.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I learned about:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;the value of simulations;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;tips and tricks for training;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;how several organizations built their accessibility programs;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;new developments in artificial intelligence;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;and even how to talk with software engineers from someone who is one himself.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The conference was most enjoyable and extremely valuable. As CSUN is an international conference, we were exposed to presenters from all over the world.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It was so exciting to be amongst so many people who were passionate about accessibility! #A11Y&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Lois Butcher&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lois is an administrative assistant at the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Office of Research and Innovation.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As a first-time attendee of the CSUN conference, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Starting with the keynote address, I became very aware of what a valuable experience the conference would be. There were so many takeaways, but my favorites were:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;a heightened awareness of how universal accessibility benefits everyone;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;networking and connecting with people within the accessibility community, both local to me and across the nation; and&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;education opportunities at the conference and beyond.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;My mind was buzzing with ideas by the time I got back home. I have been sharing ideas and training opportunities with anyone who will listen or has need of this information. I am so grateful that the Minnesota Department of Transportation granted me the opportunity to attend.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Kim Wee&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Kim Wee is the webmaster and accessibility coordinator for Minnesota IT Services, partnering with the Minnesota Department of Education.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A session which continues to impact my work was called &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.slideshare.net/7mary4/coaching-and-celebrating-accessibility-champions&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Coaching and Celebrating Your Accessibility Champions (Link to Slideshare handouts)&lt;/a&gt;. A key take away was that they built out three different teams or levels of champions. The presenters described how this cascaded into thousands of people. That was intriguing to me because we have accessibility coordinators at the State of Minnesota but we really want to have more accessibility champions across the state. I will keep this in mind when we talk about how we build capacity here at the state, how you get more buy-in from state employees, and how to get more people interested in becoming accessibility champions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;JoAnn Rautio&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;JoAnn is the accessibility coordinator for Minnesota IT Services partnering with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To continue to develop my expertise in accessibility testing, I attend CSUN whenever I can. I get hands-on time with new products, like Microsoft Accessibility Insights and JAWS Inspect, and information updates about axe, WAVE, JAWS and other tools I use as part of my work.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;CSUN gives me the opportunity to address bugs and issues I have with those accessibility testing products directly with the vendor and the programmers of the software. This type of access to these individuals provides better opportunities to troubleshoot together. I also have the ability to make recommendations on how to improve the tool for users like me and other State of Minnesota employees. This makes our jobs more efficient!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Kim Sandrock&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Kim Sandrock is the training coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Health’s Public Health Laboratory.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A picture I took at CSUN is of a slide from WebAIM’s presentation where they tested over a million web pages for accessibility errors. At the end of the presentation is a question, “What are you going to do about it?” I thought that was a great way to end the presentation, by calling on us to take the information we learn at the conference back home with us and to make changes that will make a difference.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I learned a lot of valuable information, a lot of which was technical accessibility information. But I think the most important thing I learned was that my job as an Accessibility Coordinator for my division is not just to meet legal requirements, but to impact our global society by making valuable information accessible for all.&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>382608</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:29Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Anne Sittner-Anderson shares practical tips on writing in plain language for the web and discusses the Executive Order which requires state agencies in Minnesota to do so. Learn more here.</Description><Audience/><Title>Do Plain Language </Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Plain Language</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Do Plain Language </Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A girl reading a digital tablet and writing in a notebook.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/tablet-reading-001_tcm38-377265.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A girl reading a digital tablet and writing in a notebook.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/tablet-reading-001_tcm38-377268.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2019-03 - Do Plain Language</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-376673&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2019-03-21T16:46:59Z</Date><ShortDescription>Anne Sittner-Anderson shares practical tips on writing in plain language for the web and discusses the Executive Order which requires state agencies in Minnesota to do so. Learn more here.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Why Fancy Talk and Shop Talk are Big Don’ts </Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By:&lt;/strong&gt; Anne Sittner-Anderson, Communications Coordinator for the Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind &amp;amp; Hard of Hearing&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“At our company, we believe that all new products should bring specific and measurable improvements to a patient&apos;s overall quality of life and access to health. We ask patients and practitioners what features and improvements they want in their medical products — then we get to work. In recent years, we have answered patient demands for better quality in all environments, simpler and faster controls and adjustments, and products that are more discreet and attractive. In the process, we&apos;ve set new standards for the industry.” &lt;cite&gt;– Anonymous Company Website&lt;/cite&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Consider the previous paragraph. What is this company trying to say? As a customer, are you confused? Could the company’s message be simplified and summed up into one sentence?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Perhaps a simple, “We listen to patient and provider feedback, then use their recommendations to create the new high-quality products they want,” would suffice. It gets to the point a lot quicker and you don’t have to pause and decode the message.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Skip the Fancy Talk&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In fact, there is a high probability that most of this company’s customers skip over this content.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;According to the Nielson Norman Group, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-long-do-users-stay-on-web-pages/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;average amount of time that a user stays on a webpage&lt;/a&gt; is less than a minute. In fact, users usually leave the page within 10-15 seconds, and they tend to take in only the title and the single, most visible message. This means you have mere seconds to make your point. Don’t confuse your reader by using too many or complicated words. Leave the fancy talk off your website if you want your users to remember your information.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;So using the example above, imagine you are holding the paragraph in one hand, and the sentence in the other hand. Which hand feels heavier and which one is lighter? Most, if not all, would say, “I remember the point of the simple sentence the best.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Shop Talk is for the Shop, Not Online&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;“specific and measurable improvements”&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;“overall quality of life and access to health”&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;“simpler and faster controls and adjustments”&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;These word choices are fine in conversations between medical professionals but do real-life patients usually talk like this?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Do you think the audience could repeat the information back to their friends or family?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;No and no.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If the audience members can read what’s on the website and are able to repeat the same information to themselves, this would be a BIG win for communication effectiveness.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Plain Language Principles for the State of Minnesota&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In 2014, then-Governor Mark Dayton signed Executive Order 14-07, which required the Office of the Governor and all state agencies to communicate with the public using plain language principles. This was a wise move as it obligated our state employees to produce content that can be more easily understood.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Plain Language is communicating so people can understand content the first time they read or hear it. Minnesotans benefit with clarity, saved time, and improved satisfaction. To achieve this, do following steps:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use everyday language;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Write in short and complete sentences;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Present information in a format that is easy-to-find and easy-to-understand; and&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Clearly state directions and deadlines to the audience.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;So How Do You Write for the Web?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Luckily, there are tons of resources for writing in plain language for the web. Here are a few.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://plainlanguage.gov/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;PlainLanguage.Gov&lt;/a&gt; is an official website of the United States Government. This site includes information on federal law and requirements, plain language guidelines, examples of plain language, training, and resources.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The University of Minnesota’s College of Continuing Education offers a “&lt;a href=&quot;https://learning.umn.edu/search/publicCourseSearchDetails.do?method=load&amp;amp;courseId=108382&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Writing for the Web&lt;/a&gt;” course, which includes information on plain language. As part of the course, you will get a book on the topic, which serves as an excellent resource. This course emphasizes what matters the most in web writing and teaches you how to be concise and precise. This will entice your audience and guarantees that your website’s content will be intuitive. There are likely other colleges that provide similar classes, so be sure to check your local college.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The Minnesota Department of Revenue produced a video on plain language, “&lt;a href=&quot;https://youtu.be/9X8RVXAskPU&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Introduction to Plain Language: Say it Simply&lt;/a&gt;.”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Special thanks to Dave Andrews and Emory David Dively for their contributions to this article.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>376673</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:31Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>When designing websites, when should you use a button or a link. What is the difference? Minnesota IT Services&apos; Kim Wee shares her thoughts on the topic. Read more here.</Description><Audience/><Title>Buttons vs. Links</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Buttons</Subject><Subject>Links</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Buttons vs. Links</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Two designers working on a web page design.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/web-design-001_tcm38-377266.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Two designers working on a web page design.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/web-design-001_tcm38-377269.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2019-03 - Buttons vs. Links</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-376674&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2019-03-21T16:46:54Z</Date><ShortDescription>When designing websites, when should you use a button or a link. What is the difference? Minnesota IT Services&apos; Kim Wee shares her thoughts on the topic. Read more here.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Learn the Difference and When to Use Them</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;By:&lt;/strong&gt; Kim Wee&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Part of my job as webmaster and accessibility coordinator for Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) partnering with the Minnesota Department of Education includes testing websites and applications for accessibility. An ongoing issue that I continue to see is styling links, spans, or div tags as buttons.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;From the designer perspective, this seems innocent enough, but is it? With Accessible Rich Internet Application (ARIA), the developer can change a link’s behavior by adding the &lt;strong&gt;role aria=button&lt;/strong&gt; so the element displays in a list of form elements when using screen reading software. If using &lt;strong&gt;role=button&lt;/strong&gt; instead of the semantic &lt;strong&gt;button&lt;/strong&gt; element, you will also need to make the element focusable and define event handlers for click and keypress events, including the Enter and Space keys.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Even if you do all this, how does this affect other assistive technology (AT) users? Will this last the test of time? Let’s take a closer look.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://marcysutton.com/links-vs-buttons-in-modern-web-applications&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Reference from Marcy Sutton&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Buttons natively:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Receive keyboard focus by default&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;“Click” with the Space key&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Submit form data to a server&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Reset a form&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Are disabled with the disabled attribute&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Inform browsers and assistive technology with the implicit button role&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Show :focus, :hover, :active, :disabled&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A button is the perfect element for:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Opening a modal window&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Triggering a popup menu&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Toggling an interface&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Playing media content&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Links:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Create hypertext&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Navigate the user to a new page or view&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Change the URL&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Support page jumps with internal href attributes&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Are focusable by default with the href attribute&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Register a click with the Enter key&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Have the implicit link role&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Can’t be disabled like buttons&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Allow opening in new window/tab&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Show :link, :visited, :focus, :hover, :active&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;More to Keep in Mind&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Device Independence&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Users must not be required to use any specific device to operate the control. In other words, users must be able to gain focus on it and activate it using a keyboard or voice commands as well as a mouse.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Color Contrast&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The design of the button must have sufficient color contrast, and the button must not disappear in high contrast mode.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Name, State, Role, Value&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The button must properly expose itself to accessibility APIs using the appropriate State, Role, and Value for the object.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;State&lt;/strong&gt; – What is it doing? Implicitly, what else can it do?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Role&lt;/strong&gt; – What type of object is it?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Value&lt;/strong&gt; – What value does it have?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How to Choose Between Link and Buttons&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Will this control be used to initiate an immediate action? Use a button!&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Is the action to navigate to another page? Use a link!&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you choose to not use the semantic &lt;strong&gt;button&lt;/strong&gt; tag and create something that looks like a button using a link, span or div tag and don’t add all the stuff to make it function as a button, you run the risk of not meeting the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/quickref/#name-role-value&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.0 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value, Level A guideline&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In closing, think about this - If a screen reader user calls tech support and gets instructions to “click the button” in your User Interface that’s really coded as a link, they may have trouble finding it. Also, consider voice interfaces: if you say a command to click a button but it’s really coded as a link, that element may not work.&lt;/p&gt;

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&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>376674</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:30Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Minnesota state agencies follow the State Accessibility Standard to make sure web content is easy to use or understand. But for people with cognitive disabilities this may not be enough. We can do more.</Description><Audience/><Title>What is COGA?</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>cognitive</Subject><Subject>disability</Subject><Subject>COGA</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>What is COGA?</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>COGA Task Force at the January meeting.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/w3c-group-001_tcm38-373683.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>COGA Task Force at the January meeting.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/w3c-group-001_tcm38-373684.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2019-02 - What is COGA?</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-373446&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2019-02-26T22:37:38Z</Date><ShortDescription>Minnesota state agencies follow the State Accessibility Standard to make sure web content is easy to use or understand. But for people with cognitive disabilities this may not be enough. We can do more.
</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Making Online Content Easier to Understand</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pictured above:&lt;/strong&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Back row, left to right – John Rochford, Michael Cooper, Gareth Ford Williams, Steve Lee
&lt;br /&gt;
Front row, left to right – Glenda Sims, Jamie Knight and Lion (&lt;a href=&quot;https://abilitymagazine.com/lion-autism-jamie-knight/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;more about Jamie and Lion&lt;/a&gt;), Abi James, Lisa Seeman, Janina Sajka, Jennie Delisi, and E.A. Draffan.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;People need to know about things from the government. In Minnesota, agencies put this information on the web. The agencies follow the &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/index.jsp&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessibility Policies &amp;amp; Standards&quot;&gt;State Accessibility Standard&lt;/a&gt; to make sure web content is easy to use or understand. But people with cognitive disabilities may have trouble using the web. They may not read well, or have trouble with memory. The web accessibility standard does not meet all their needs. We can do more.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative sets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). WCAG is part of the state standard. This group has a task force called the Cognitive and Learning Disabilities Accessibility Task Force, or COGA. COGA helps people understand why people have trouble using the web. Then they show people how to make it better. They also make suggestions to improve the guidelines. The task force considers many disabilities including:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Learning disabilities&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Developmental disabilities&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Autism&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Acquired cognitive disabilities such as brain injuries&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Neurologic issues such as dementia&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Mental health conditions that impact memory and/or executive functioning&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;These disabilities affect people in different ways. Some people have difficulty with memory. It may be hard to remember things from one screen to the next. They may not remember the numbers needed for a form. Some people get easily distracted. Movement or ads might make it hard to finish a task. Other people may have trouble organizing, planning, or problem solving.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here’s a simple example. Some passwords require different types of characters: numbers, lower and upper case letters, and symbols. You may get locked out of your account if you enter the wrong password too many times. What if you have trouble typing in numbers or letters correctly? You may confuse letters like b and d. What if you forget where you store your password reminders? You can try to reset your password, but what if you have trouble understanding and following the directions? These types of barriers can keep people from completing a timecard at work, logging into their bank, or paying their bills.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Thirteen &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/2000/09/dbwg/details?group=67703&amp;amp;public=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;COGA members&lt;/a&gt; and experts from around the world met in January. They reviewed the work COGA has done, and planned the work for next year. They discussed submitting new success criteria if a new guideline is published. They updated a document about the need for new technologies and techniques.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Presenters informed the group about the future of accessibility guidelines. The new rules are called AG or Silver, because they are likely to drop the “WC” from the name “WCAG.” Other presenters were from the British Broadcasting Company (BBC).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The COGA group meets weekly using remote meeting programs. There are several ways you can follow their work:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Review their &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/PF/cognitive-a11y-tf/#publications&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;publications&lt;/a&gt;. They are updating documents like the Cognitive Accessibility Roadmap and Gap Analysis. The date of each draft is included at the top of each document.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Going to a conference? Look for members of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/2000/09/dbwg/details?group=67703&amp;amp;public=1&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;COGA task force&lt;/a&gt; that may be presenting.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Follow along on social media. The hashtag #COGA is used by group members when posting research, updates, and upcoming presentations.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;note-info&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div class=&quot;note-text&quot;&gt;The COGA task force would like to thank the W3C UK and Ireland office who provided all the support for the meeting and arranged the funding to cover on-site meeting costs.&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
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&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>373446</id><pubdate>2026-04-13T18:22:36Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) staff will participate in CSUN&apos;s 34th annual Assistive Technology Conference that brings together subject matter experts on digital accessibility.</Description><Audience/><Title>CSUN, Here They Come!</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>Assistive Technology</Subject><Subject>AT</Subject><Subject>CSUN</Subject><Subject>digital accessibility</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>CSUN, Here They Come!</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Snow falling as Kim, Kris, JoAnn, and Jay stand in front of the Minnesota State Capitol Building.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-staff-001_tcm38-372422.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Snow falling as Kim, Kris, JoAnn, and Jay stand in front of the Minnesota State Capitol Building.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-staff-001_tcm38-372423.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2019-02 - CSUN, Here They Come!</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-372414&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2019-02-20T19:17:53Z</Date><ShortDescription>Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) staff will participate in CSUN&apos;s 34th annual Assistive Technology Conference that brings together subject matter experts on digital accessibility.


</ShortDescription><Subtitle>MNIT Staff Will Participate in CSUN</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Pictured above from left to right: Kim Wee, Kris Schulze, JoAnn Rautio, and Jay Wyant.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.csun.edu/cod/conference&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;CSUN&lt;/a&gt; is the place to be to learn about digital accessibility. The California State University Northridge (CSUN, pronounced see-sun) Center on Disabilities is hosting the 34th annual Assistive Technology Conference that brings together subject matter experts to discuss everything about assistive technology and digital accessibility, including:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The role of artificial intelligence in user-centered design and development.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Managing requirements and testing in an agile lifecycle.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Techniques for making accessible Office 365 documents.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Improvements to voice input options for mobile and desktop applications.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) staff will again participate in this event that attracts a nationwide audience and major industry vendors, like Microsoft and Amazon. Information learned at past conferences has influenced how the state tests for accessibility, and how we design documents and web pages. It has informed us about new assistive technologies that are providing even greater independence for individuals with disabilities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“I have learned so much while attending this conference. Many of the sessions have given me a deeper dive into the more technical aspects of accessibility that is often needed to do my job,” said Kim Wee, MNIT Webmaster and Accessibility Coordinator partnering with the Department of Education. “I also have opportunities to have one-to-one conversations about some complex issues with individuals who have a lot of knowledge and expertise. These conversations have led to some great connections and quick fixes that end up saving a lot of time and may I say…headaches!”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;MNIT and other State of Minnesota agency staff have given presentations at past conferences, and this year is no exception. Jay Wyant, Chief Information Accessibility Officer and Kris Schulze, MNIT User Experience Manager will discuss “&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.csun.edu/cod/conference/2019/sessions/index.php/public/presentations/view/1221&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Integrating Local and Remote Meeting Participants&lt;/a&gt;.” Jay shared that “with over 35,000 employees, as well as contractors and vendors scattered around the country, there’s a lot of meetings that require IT services. For example, in January the State of Minnesota executive branch had 4,629 Skype sessions that combined video and audio and 1,454,985 Skype instant messages. In addition, state employees hold over 4,000 WebEx meetings every month. Not only is that a lot of meetings, they all need to be accessible, and they all need to work for everyone regardless of whether you’re in the room, at your desk, at home, or even out of town.” Kris added “We’ll be sharing our findings from our tests of large-scale broadcast options such as Skype Meeting Broadcast and the importance of testing and practicing to figure out the best way to provide closed captions.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“The Map Accessibility Workgroup (a cross agency work group of subject matter experts) has been developing resources for good map design and accessibility so that the state’s maps are usable for the broadest audience possible” said JoAnn Rautio, MNIT Accessibility Coordinator and Business Analyst partnering with the Department of Employment &amp;amp; Economic Development. Co-presenter Kim Wee added, “our &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.csun.edu/cod/conference/2019/sessions/index.php/public/presentations/view/1208&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Map Accessibility&lt;/a&gt; session will showcase the work by introducing a framework and current best practices on map accessibility including: accessibility and cartographic best practices, static map accessibility strategies, and interactive map accessibility strategies.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The work that Minnesota state employees do while at the conference goes beyond presenting. A Texas colleague commented:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“The most important accomplishments at CSUN happen outside the presentations. In 2015, Jay Wyant and I met over lunch to share our ideas for and progress on developing training on creating accessible documents in Microsoft Office applications. Starting from that exchange, both of us have led transformative initiatives—he in his role for the State of Minnesota; me in my role as an accessibility coordinator in a 30,000-employee state agency in Texas. The State of Minnesota is now a leader in teaching employees to implement accessibility statewide. My agency is developing knock-your-socks-off videos that are making our employees’ jobs easier even as they produce documents that are highly accessible. Neither initiative would have been as successful without that conversation.&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When Minnesota showed up in force to present all they had developed, I was envious. Besides giving the state well-deserved international recognition, it was clear that the experience strengthened ties between the accessibility experts at your various agencies. They are no longer colleagues doing similar jobs. They’re professionals collaborating on a joint mission. They’re making a lasting difference, and through CSUN the world knows.” – Cliff Tyllick, Accessibility Coordinator, Texas Health and Human Services Commission&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In addition, as a first time presenter and attendee, Kris is “beyond excited to be attending CSUN on behalf of MNIT. There are so many sessions I&apos;m planning to attend about user experience, usability, and inclusive design. I can&apos;t wait to put ideas and what I&apos;ve learned to work for the MNIT Experience IT program. From a personal side, as a mom of a son with cerebral palsy who uses assistive technology, I am passionate about making sure our world and our workplace is inclusive for all. The opportunity to connect with others that have that same passion and drive will be incredible!”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Want to follow along with them as they present and learn? Follow their Twitter posts—in addition to some of the tweets that will be on the Minnesota IT Services account (&lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/MNIT_Services&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;@MNIT_Services&lt;/a&gt;) follow the conference hashtags &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/search?q=%23CSUNATC19&amp;amp;src=typd&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;#CSUNATC19&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/search?q=%23CSUN19&amp;amp;src=typd&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;#CSUN19&lt;/a&gt;. If you are at CSUN, please stop by their session and introduce yourself! And, good news! All of their presentation handouts will be posted on the &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/index.jsp&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessibility Landing&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility website&lt;/a&gt; by March 18.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>372414</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:32Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is updating their eLearning Services from Flash to HTML5 creating training opportunities that are more accessible.</Description><Audience/><Title>Accessibility in eLearning</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>eLearning</Subject><Subject>Flash</Subject><Subject>HTML5</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Accessibility in eLearning</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Person working on a computer developing a training course.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/elearning-002_tcm38-366057.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Person working on a computer developing a training course.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/elearning-002_tcm38-366056.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2019-01 - Accessibility in eLearning</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-366053&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2019-01-16T17:16:32Z</Date><ShortDescription>The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is updating their eLearning Services from Flash to HTML5, creating training opportunities that are more accessible.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Creating Accessible eLearning in HTML5</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;By Laura Lochen, Instructional Designer, MnDOT&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor’s note:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;eLearning Services within the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is undergoing a significant technical and logistical overhaul. This article shares some of their experiences. The team welcomes hearing from other groups experiencing a similar challenge, and also hopes their story will help others.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;eLearning Services within the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has been creating interactive eLearning for close to 20 years. First we worked in Authorware creating interactive CDs. Then we migrated to Flash in about 2004, which allowed us to put our courses on the web for all MnDOT learners to access. Flash was a mature and robust software at the time we started using it. It was fully programmable, so we learned how to strong-arm it into doing all the interactivity we needed. At the time we started working in Flash, we did not consider accessibility. By the time we took on the challenge of making interactive and accessible eLearning, our developers had well-honed programming skills in Flash. It became a matter of designing and coding interactivity, then testing the programming to get it to do what we wanted. Once we created an activity or action, we could keep the programming, and use it over and over. This allowed for quicker and more reliable course builds overall.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In came HTML5, and that required a full-fledged change to our whole system. This was not a slow change with a long-term sunset. This was an immediate stop that left MnDOT with well over 100 eLearning courses that would not play on browsers in two years. Our team was in a bind. How could we move forward while fixing what we had? None of the current eLearning in our LMS (learning management system) was expendable; someone was using it. Fortunately, we were able to hire two full-time temporary people to help us rebuild our library while still moving forward on current projects. So far, we’ve found HTML5 is nowhere near as mature and robust as Flash, and there are some things you simply cannot do. However, we are fully committed to accessibility, and we strive to find workarounds that let us maintain our interactivity and accessibility. We constantly weigh those two, but HTML5 has forced us into some compromises.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Currently, we are working with two course development tools, Lectora Inspire 17, and Storyline 360 version 3.23. Originally, this was in an effort to find one solution. However, due to issues with almost every software we have tried, it is likely we will move forward using both. We also use Captivate 2019 for a few projects.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Some Issues and comparisons:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Browser compatibility - Flash published a self-contained package that would run the same way on all browsers. HTML5 publishes multiple pages that often run differently on different browsers.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Screen reader compatibility - We have also found a significant difference in the way that JAWS reads the information on the page vs. NVDA. JAWS compatibility takes up easily 25 percent of our development time, and 70 percent of our accessibility work. All the other accessibility and interactivity can be built into a template. Even when we find a workaround for something, an update to the Storyline or Lectora software will make it function differently, or not at all. Sometimes it feels like a moving target.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Multiple software products instead of one - Some items were simple in Flash (scale up or scale down pictures, adding video over a stationary background, etc.), but are very complicated in HTML5. Often, it takes multiple software products to reproduce interactivity done previously only in Flash.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Software accessibility - Every eLearning software company seems to have varying degrees of skill and knowledge about what accessibility really means for usability. They vary significantly from company to company. Often a company claims to work well with screen readers, and we find it does not.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Some solutions that we use:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For browser compatibility, we are limiting the browsers we work with to Internet Explorer 11 and Chrome. That way we can create templates and reusable activities that will be consistent. As long as the learner knows what browsers are optimal, this is a workable solution.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;We still struggle daily with screen reader compatibility. There are some things a screen reader won’t currently do in HTML5. We never want to limit our designs to satisfy the software inconsistencies. We hope that compatibility will improve as HTML5 gets more use as an eLearning option. While we try to make everything work, there will be some things that will have to wait for the assistive technology (AT) software to catch up. We realize that the AT, as well as our knowledge, is still evolving.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;We use both Lectora and Storyline 360 as our main development software. They seem to give us the best options for interactivity and accessibility. We also use JavaScript and GreenSock to force the software to do what we need and want.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;We hope the larger software companies eventually pick up their game, and take a more serious look at the issues those of us in the public sector are encountering. It’s nice to have “bells and whistles,” but it’s disappointing when we can’t use them to provide our learners with the best learning experiences possible.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As for our team, we are searching for a happy medium, and creating new procedures and templates that we will be able to use going forward. While it feels like we are back at “square one,” it’s also an exciting, engaging, and frustrating task to take on. We do not want to compromise the quality of our product, and the style our customers expect. However, we do need to be as accessible as possible given the tools we have. As we learn more, we can start to build our capacity back to where it was and, hopefully, help others in the process.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>366053</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:32Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>This month, the Office of Accessibility answers your questions, everything from font size to the importance of captioning online presentations. Read more here.
</Description><Audience/><Title>Questions and Answers from the Office of Accessibility Inbox</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>font size</Subject><Subject>captions</Subject><Subject>captioning</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Accessibility Mailbag</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>An illustration of many email icons.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/email-001_tcm38-353290.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>An illustration of many email icons.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/email-001_tcm38-360653.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2018-11 - Accessibility Mailbag</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-360635&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2018-11-29T15:44:16Z</Date><ShortDescription>This month, the Office of Accessibility answers your questions, everything from font size to the importance of captioning online presentations. Read more here.
</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Questions and Answers from the Office of Accessibility Inbox</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This month, questions and answers from the Office of Accessibility staff’s inboxes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Visually Appealing Accessible Documents&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Question: Can I keep using banner images, rich graphics as part of my documents?&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I receive many documents from people (coworkers and others) that I need to remediate. They have banner images, decorative images, call out boxes, and other elements to make the document visually engaging. How can I best maintain these visual aspects while ensuring everyone can access them?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Answer: Design with accessibility in mind, know the limits of each tool.&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This person’s documents were primarily created in Microsoft Word. We suggested that her coworkers and colleagues start by taking our course on the &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/training/word-document-training.jsp&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessible Word Document Training&quot;&gt;Basics of Digital Accessibility taught through Microsoft Word&lt;/a&gt;. If they are State of Minnesota employees, this will soon be available within the Enterprise Learning Management tool (ELM).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Once you know what is possible when using Microsoft Word, you should also investigate tools specifically designed to incorporate graphics. InDesign is one, and the Department of Health’s Jessica Cavazos and the Great Lakes ADA recently archived an &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.accessibilityonline.org/ada-tech/archives/110677&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;InDesign Accessibility Webinar&lt;/a&gt;. Starting with a tool like InDesign, then exporting to PDF and remediating the PDF can produce a document that is both visually rich and accessible.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Font Size&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Question: What is the minimum font size we should use?&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I have been telling people not to use font sizes smaller than 11 the majority of the time. Is this a standard and is there something written somewhere I can cite?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Answer: There is more to text accessibility than just font size.&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are different ways that size of text is measured, depending on your format. Pt, em and others are one way of discussing font. Kerning and other spacing options plus the specific font style itself impact the perception of size, and the readability of the text.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;First, ensure that regardless of the font size selected, it can magnify clearly to 200% and that it has sufficient color contrast. Second, review concepts such as those found on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://wave.webaim.org/cognitive&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WebAIM WAVE tool’s cognitive page&lt;/a&gt;. While it recommends at least 10 point font, ensure you have considered the readability of the font style, spacing, and font size, and its potential impact on all your users. Finally, this is a great opportunity to do a quick usability review. Get feedback from a group - provide them different samples. The information you communicate is only useful if it can be read.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Coworker’s Digital Content is not Accessible&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Question: How do I best handle a coworker’s lack of digital accessibility.&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I received this (person attached the digital example – could be an email signature with colorful and difficult to read font, an inaccessible document, a webpage with accessibility barriers, or software that cannot be operated only using your keyboard) and I cannot believe they did not take the time to consider accessibility. What should I do? Report it? Email the person?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Answer: Best practices for handling inaccessible content depends on the situation.&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A coworker once gave a great analogy: you wouldn’t tell a baby learning to walk how bad they were for falling, because they are just learning. You provide them with support, encouragement, and help to learn the new task. Using this great advice, one option is to reply to the person, and:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Let them know you appreciate their effort.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Tell them the issues you have identified.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provide some resources to help them learn how to address the specific issues – we recommend the &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/index.jsp&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessibility Landing&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility website&lt;/a&gt; as a great source!&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;But there are times when you know this person has already been told, when the situation requires an immediate fix, or when this is becoming a performance issue.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Review your accessibility policy, as this may provide actions you need to take.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Follow reporting procedures provided by the organization – is there a form to complete? An email address where issues are to be sent?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Consider following up with your own manager, or the person’s manager.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Finally, consider if the issue is something that should be reported to your Chief Information Accessibility Officer, Compliance Officer, or Human Resources Department. Each of these resources can help you know appropriate actions to take based on the specific situation.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Digital accessibility is part of all of our jobs. And, it is a skill we must learn. Even small advocacy actions have a ripple effect.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Captioning Events&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Question: When do I need to caption my web presentations?&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I’m hosting a virtual training session. A co-worker told me that whenever I hold an online meeting or training I have to use captioning services. Is that true?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Answer: It depends on how you organize the program&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Whether you caption an online training or meeting depends on how you plan attendance:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If attendance is limited to specific invitees, such as a committee or workgroup, then it is sufficient to check with them as to whether they need any sort of accommodation. One way to do that is to include a note in the invitation with a specific person to contact if an accommodation is needed. Since it can take at least several days to arrange for captioning, be sure to allow enough time in the invitation.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If attendance is open to anyone – such as an agency-wide training – your best bet is to arrange for captioning (or CART – communication access real-time translation) services. In theory, you could follow the same steps outlined for an invitation-only meeting but there are several issues with that approach:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;An attendee’s schedule may change at the last minute, and, whenever possible, attendees with disabilities should be accorded the same flexibility as others.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The state accessibility standard &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/quickref/?versions=2.0&amp;amp;showtechniques=124#captions-live&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;specifically calls for live captions&lt;/a&gt;, as specified in WCAG 2.0 success criteria 1.2.4.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Note: Captioning is not the only accommodation that may be requested. So if you are already providing captions, you should note that in the invitations, along with the contact information in case any other accommodations are needed.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility Standards&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Question: Does [my product] have to comply with the accessibility standard?&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We’re buying something that isn’t an IT product, such as a pavement thickness reader, a credit card verification service, digital smoke alarm, or similar product. So do I need to ask the vendor for accessibility information?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Answer: Consider how users access the product’s information or output&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We’ve all heard about the “Internet of things” (IoT). As digital technology becomes pervasive, we have to continually ask ourselves – is the technology or service something that requires some sort of interface or information output? In the case of a pavement thickness reader, we would ask: how does the vendor plan to present the data? Is the data in a proprietary format or one that can be configured for use by a common tool such as an Excel spreadsheet? Such content needs to be accessible.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In the case of the digital smoke alarm, do all the alarms connect to a central monitoring system that an admin would view via a computer? Then we would ask the vendor to tell us how that computer interface supports the accessibility standard.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And of course, if the product has a digital display, is software or an app, or generates digital document output (such as a PDF), these need to be accessible.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>360635</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:33Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>MNIT&apos;s Experience IT Team and the Office of Accessibility helped test options to conduct large-scale accessible broadcast events for 1,000 to 10,000 attendees. Read more here.</Description><Audience/><Title>Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>User Experience</Subject><Subject>Skype Broadcast</Subject><Subject>Skype</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A person at a computer displaying a slide presentation with a video of a presenter. Text: Welcome to the Skype Broadcast Test.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/skype-broadcast-001_tcm38-360654.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A person at a computer displaying a slide presentation with a video of a presenter. Text: Welcome to the Skype Broadcast Test.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/skype-broadcast-001_tcm38-360652.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2018-11 - Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-360595&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2018-11-28T19:13:15Z</Date><ShortDescription>MNIT&apos;s Experience IT Team and the Office of Accessibility helped test options to conduct large-scale accessible broadcast events for 1,000 to 10,000 attendees. Read more here.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Large-scale Broadcast Event Usability and Accessibility </Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;By Kris Schulze, MNIT Experience IT program manager&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This past year, Experience IT and the Office of Accessibility at Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) helped test options to conduct large-scale broadcast events for 1,000 to10,000 attendees. Our question: How do we best host a broadcast event for all 2,300 MNIT staff while planning for inclusion from the start?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This issue arose in part because we discovered licensing limits with our default web presentation tools, Cisco WebEx and Microsoft Skype for Business. We needed a tool that would economically reach 2,300 attendees, and would allow captions, live video, PowerPoint content, and live Question and Answer (Q&amp;amp;A). We wanted an experience for ALL our end users that was easy to use and provided decent video and audio quality.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;During this time, Microsoft’s Skype Meeting Broadcast entered the picture as an option. We held multiple live test events to learn the technology, determine the best way to provide captioning, validate network and firewall settings at multiple locations around the state, and test for accessibility and usability.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our test audiences started off small and worked up to larger numbers of people joining the test broadcasts. The initial accessibility and usability testing helped our team work out a repeatable process for hosting accessible Skype Broadcast events. With each successive test, we enlisted more and more MNIT staff to join the broadcasts. During each test event, we crowdsourced feedback from attendees to help us identify and troubleshoot issues and improve our processes before the next test. One of the trickiest issues was working out how to minimize lag time between the live broadcast and captions that were displayed in a separate caption window (find out why this was our preferred option below). End user feedback was critical in making sure we could troubleshoot any production issues and provide better instructions for users so they would have a positive experience.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Discoveries from this feedback were exciting, especially because many of the respondents were not regular users of captions or assistive technology. For example, we had just over a 50% response rate for one of our larger tests of 360 people. Of those:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;79% responded that the closed captions were average to very good quality (with 17% responding N/A)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;83% believed they were average to very easy to view (with 14% responding N/A)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Employee comments included:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Easy to use and the ability for captions to go back and read if you missed something or didn&apos;t hear it.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“The closed captions in a separate window were nice. I liked being able to customize the font size/color/selection as well as the background color. It was also nice to be able to see the captions at the same time as the presentation.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Pacing of captioning was much improved over the first Skype Broadcast test in August. It was at most one sentence ahead of the speaker.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Glad to see the closed caption is now synced up vs. other tests we have done. I like the fact you can move that separate browser window anywhere you want. I would recommend that information is provided in a slide before each Skype Broadcast as a standard or add a link to the email invite for any meeting in case someone joins the meeting late.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;During earlier tests we also received great feedback about general usability and captions. User feedback helped us create clearer instructions for using Skype Broadcast and captions. We included these in the meeting invitation and on the information page on the employee intranet. We also developed the practice of using the first several minutes of the broadcast to provide instruction on how to navigate the Skype Broadcast attendee panel, open the caption window, and submit questions in the Q&amp;amp;A panel. The feedback also highlighted difficulties with real-time captioning, minimal lead/lag time and revealed frustrations:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“The captions are still a few seconds ahead of the audio and video feeds, which makes it really annoying to read the captions. Also, it&apos;s impossible to scroll back up in the captions window, it keeps jumping down to the bottom. Even after the session had ended I couldn&apos;t scroll back up to see a sentence I missed, which was very annoying.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“I would rather see the captions overlaying the video. Opening the captions in Chrome on Android closes the window with the video. You cannot use them if you want to see the event.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“The closed captioning did work from the start in IE but it was frustrating as I tried to scroll up to read what I missed and it would keep dropping down as each new line was added before I could even find where I left off. I fixed that by eventually seeing the checkbox to stop the auto-scroll but it was yet another frustrating thing.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our primary takeaway was that people who may not have used captions discovered they were really helpful in case they missed a word or wanted to back up and re-read something. This reinforces the belief that if you design and plan for accessibility from the start, far more people than those who use assistive technology benefit from it. The second takeaway – from resolving the issues such as those listed above – is that if you provide basic instruction on how assistive technology works and encourage people to try it out, they adopt it more readily. This familiarity builds an awareness of the importance of planning for accessibility and how it creates positive user experiences for everyone as they go about their daily work. It doesn’t matter if they’re planning for an online meeting, a website, or an email. The key is to think about accessibility and usability for all up front.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Want to know why we captioned the broadcast events the way we did? Keep reading – this was one of our biggest challenges!&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Did you know that providing live, real-time captioning for a web broadcast event can be kind of tricky? You may have come across promotions for Microsoft’s auto-captioning service as part of their cloud offerings. However, it is not yet available in our Office 365 Government Community Cloud and we required a more reliable accuracy rate than it could deliver. We found our best option was to use live real-time captioning services, often termed Communication Access Real-time Translation (CART). If you would like to learn more about CART, visit our captioning information on our &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/multimedia.jsp&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Multimedia&quot;&gt;multimedia accessibility webpage&lt;/a&gt;. We also learned that it wasn’t a simple matter to provide access to those captions. Microsoft’s Skype Meeting Broadcast did provide a “cc” button – but only for the automated captions. To provide captions in a different way required a separate link.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And, did you know there is about a 30-second lag-time for broadcasts? That meant if our caption writer was in the room transcribing real-time with the presenter, our attendees would read the captions 30 seconds before they hear them on the broadcast. We found it worked best for the caption writer to caption listening to the delayed broadcast rather than from the live event. This minimized any lag or lead-time, and synched the captions more closely with what viewers were experiencing.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The separate caption window allowed users to adjust text size, font, and colors. Users were also able to resize and move the caption window, such as below or to the side of the presentation. So, although we would have loved for the captions to be built within the Broadcast panel, the customizable features were worth the separate window.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;An alternative for the lead/lag-time issue would be to invest in video mixers or use a free open source software such as Open Broadcaster Software that would allow for adding captions as an overlay similar to TV captions. For the purposes of our testing, however, we used only the features that were available through Skype Meeting Broadcast.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/skype-broadcast-002_tcm38-360749.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Skype Broadcast Test&quot; alt=&quot;4 laptops: 1 - &quot; style=&quot;width: 75%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;skype-broadcast-002&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>360595</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:33Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Everyone should be able to interact with state government. This is why we have an accessibility law, standard, and an Office of Accessibility in Minnesota.</Description><Audience/><Title>People and Accessibility</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Minnesota</Subject><Subject>Government</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>People and Accessibility</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Group of people collaborating around a meeting table.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/people-working-005_tcm38-356060.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Group of people collaborating around a meeting table.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/people-working-005_tcm38-356058.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2018-10 - People and Accessibility</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-356011&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2018-10-18T05:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Everyone should be able to interact with state government. This is why we have an accessibility law, standard, and an Office of Accessibility in Minnesota.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>The Most Important Part of Digital Accessibility</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This year’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/ndeam/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)&lt;/a&gt; theme is “America’s Workforce: Empowering All.” People are the reason we have an accessibility &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/16E.03&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;law&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/index.jsp&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessibility Policies &amp;amp; Standards&quot;&gt;standard&lt;/a&gt;, and an &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/index.jsp&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessibility Landing&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility&lt;/a&gt; in Minnesota. Everyone should be able to participate in all that state government offers, including:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Using the services we provide (and the information about the services), and&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Joining our work force&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And, people ensure everyone is able to participate. Thank you to all the state employees who work hard to make our documents, websites, applications, and communications accessible to both our employees and the public.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To highlight the impact of this work, we asked state employees to share with us what makes digital information more accessible for them. One individual identified critical needs that are often overlooked. They said they find things more accessible that are “easy to navigate and not complicated. Pictures, colors, quotes, caption, videos, etc. are all a plus!” This response may surprise some people, because often discussions about accessibility focus on satisfying a single need. For example, the needs of people who cannot see or those who cannot hear. In the past, such perceptions have led website creators to create text-only versions of their sites as a way to “solve” accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/index.jsp&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessibility Policies &amp;amp; Standards&quot;&gt;State of Minnesota Accessibility Standard&lt;/a&gt; addresses the needs of all users, which includes those who may have learning disabilities, memory challenges, and difficulties processing information. We want to use pictures because they benefit many people. But we also want to be sure that those who cannot see them get the information through alternative text. We need to think about using color the same way. Do use color, just make sure it is not the only way the information is communicated.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Before you say “I’m never going to get this” remember: having a person in mind as you think through each of the different people that may use your document or website can be very helpful. Some call this “personas.” Imagine a person who cannot see the screen. Imagine another person who can see, but has difficulty moving a mouse. Then imagine a third person who does not hear the audio in your video. And thanks to the employee that contributed to this article, imagine the person who says:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Communication is huge! For instance, I am a visual and verbal (auditory) learner. If I can view and listen to a demonstration or lesson (without any distractions!), then I am able to retain all the information much more effectively. Although it is not always possible, it is my ideal structure conducive to effective training/learning.”&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Minnesotan” applies to all citizens, regardless of whether or not they have a disability. As we work toward empowering all, it always comes back to the most important part, the people.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>356011</id><pubdate>2026-04-13T18:22:33Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>ADA Coordinator Ken Rodgers shares his perspective on the importance of accessibility, ensuring employees have the resources they need to succeed.</Description><Audience/><Title>Accessibility and Technology Today </Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Technology</Subject><Subject>Assistive Technology</Subject><Subject>Minnesota</Subject><Subject>Government</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Accessibility and Technology Today </Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Man using a refreshable braille display.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/assistive-tech-005_tcm38-356061.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Man using a refreshable braille display</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/assistive-tech-005_tcm38-356059.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2018-10 - Accessibility and Technology Today</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-356010&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2018-10-18T05:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>ADA Coordinator Ken Rodgers shares his perspective on the importance of accessibility, ensuring employees have the resources they need to succeed.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>The Perspective of an ADA Coordinator on Current Technology</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Ken Rodgers: Disability Programs Coordinator – ADA Title I/Affirmative Action, Minnesota Department of Transportation&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The month of October brings many things, among them significant weather changes and several national commemorations and celebrations.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;One national event celebrated this month has particular importance to me personally: National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has been the leader in organizing the celebration of and highlighting gains in disability inclusion in employment for more than 70 years. The 2018 NDEAM theme is “America’s Workforce: Empowering All.” What follows is my perspective about the relationship between my job as an ADA Title I Coordinator and the current accessible technology environment.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;One of the major tasks of my job is to ensure our employees who experience significant medical conditions or disabilities that interfere with their ability to perform their job duties are able to continue to perform those duties. As I happen to be a person who is totally blind myself, I am only able to independently do my job because of the existence of accessible technology. Likewise, whatever limitations that currently exist within the accessible technologies I use daily have a tremendous effect on how effective and successful I can be.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I consider myself fortunate in several ways: to be employed at a time that major businesses have such a focus on the value of accessibility, and by the fact I work for the State of Minnesota that has declared “accessibility” as a core value.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Awareness of the Importance of Accessibility&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Like most people in today’s workforce, my workday revolves around using a computer. In order for me to do that I rely on specialized software known as a screen reader. A screen reader interacts with the coding to provide me with an audio output of the visual content on the computer. In other words, I listen to what most of you see on the screen. Sounds simple enough, right?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In many ways, it certainly does actually seem simple, but this is totally dependent whether the apps, programs, and web sites I use are aware of the need for their content to be accessible. It wasn’t too many years ago that because so few sites or programs were accessible, I was quite limited in my ability to access content. As awareness has improved, including a growing focus on the equally important aspect of USABILITY, encountering barriers is happening less and less. One contributing factor is many technology leaders, such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Apple have promoted their accessibility teams and departments who are responsible to ensure continuing awareness and accessibility of their products. Is it perfect? Absolutely not. But at least there are now places to report accessibility problems when encountered that can appropriately ensure the issue is heard and will be followed up.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Two other major technology tools I rely on heavily are the telephone and accessing documents. You might think “how difficult can it be to pick up the phone when it rings or dialing a number to make a call?” But business telephones today are used for much more than for just making and receiving calls. My phone is a small computer that contains a complex flat screen menu system that is not accessible for someone who cannot see. For the last several years I used a third-party software program that has allowed me to access my phone using my desktop computer. I was able to access all the features of my phone through my keyboard. All was great until my desktop was upgraded to Windows 10. My phone software was not compatible with Windows 10 and wouldn’t be until December 2018. Fortunately for me, the latest series of work phones had many basic accessibility features built in. I’m able to have the buttons and controls “speak” to me to help me know where I am and how to select the right function. This is another example of a major technology company that was aware of the importance of accessibility enough to make the business decision to embed accessibility as a regular phone feature.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In my work I often need to read documents, forms, and correspondence including medical documentation. These are usually electronic forms completed online or scanned paper forms. It wasn’t too long ago that PDF formatted documents existed only as ‘image-based’ versions. Screen readers cannot access images, pictures, or graphics so, in the past, when I attempted to read such a document my screen reader would say it was an empty document – it could not “see” the text. Today it is possible to convert an image-based PDF document into a “searchable” version by converting the image to text. Again, as the major technology companies become more aware of the importance of accessibility, these features are being incorporated into the products more routinely, making them tools of choice for someone like me.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility - A Core Value of the State of Minnesota&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;One important additional aspect contributing to my being successful at my job working for the State of Minnesota is the fact that accessibility really is a key value promulgated through Governor Mark Dayton’s leadership and our legislative body. Our state leaders realized the importance of accessibility and legislated an accessibility statute that all state agencies must adhere to. Because of the desire of our state leadership to drive the value of transparency and to be accessible to all its stakeholders, the awareness of the need to be accessible is widely adopted throughout state government. Is it perfect? Again, absolutely not! But I am thrilled that we continue to move the dial forward. Often when I encounter issues and problems, I no longer have to convince others of my right to the information.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It is clear to me I would not be able to do my job without the heavy use of accessible assistive technology. But, just as I am supported by advancements in assistive technology, I am also limited by its limitations. Thankfully for me and many, many other employees who live and work with disabilities, the accessibility and usability of assistive technology is getting better. With the continued knowledge, emphasis and understanding of the growing importance of the concepts of accessibility and usability, dare we all hold our collective breaths and expect things to continue to get better with each update? I certainly hope so!&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>356010</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:35Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Ensuring online tools meet state accessibility standards can be difficult. A scoring system can help simplify the RFP process.</Description><Audience/><Title>Scoring Accessibility: Addressing Accessibility in the RFP Process</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>RFP</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Scoring Accessibility</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A person selecting 5 out of 5 stars in a rating scale.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/rating-001_tcm38-352376.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A person selecting 5 out of 5 stars in a rating scale.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/rating-001_tcm38-352379.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2018-09 - Scoring Accessibility</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-352361&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2018-09-21T05:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Ensuring online tools meet the state accessibility standard can be difficult. A scoring system can help simplify the RFP process.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Addressing Accessibility in the RFP Process</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Margaret Klein, Director, Office for Diversity and Equality, MDVA Accessibility Coordinator&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Forming a project team to design a new software tool with wide reaching impact can be a daunting task – even before your agency’s Accessibility Coordinator does their job by asking “will this new business tool meet the state’s accessibility standard?” During this past year, one project team stepped up to this challenge, and in doing so, also created a new scoring system for their Request for Proposals (RFP) evaluation.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;At the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) a project team set out to obtain and implement a wide-reaching business tool for supervisors, employees, and payroll staff. Employees will use this new tool to retrieve their work schedule, punch in and out, be paid shift differential for night and weekend work, make leave requests, and be assigned overtime. This new software would replace outdated technologies and impact nearly 1,300 employees.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We’ve all heard that it’s more cost effective to plan for accessibility on the front end than it is to fix inaccessible systems after they’re implemented. So, if we expect a new wide-reaching business tool such as this to meet the state’s accessibility standard, how do we measure proposed solutions and make the best-informed decision we can?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Nearly all RFPs submitted through the state include this boilerplate requirement:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Completed Accessibility Compliance Voluntary Product/Service Accessibility (508 VPAT and WCAG 2.0 VPAT).*&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What does this requirement mean and how does it help an agency ensure that the product purchased meets these legal standards?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A VPAT® is a checklist that includes all the components of the accessibility standard. Vendors submitting a response to an RFP use this checklist to affirm how their product supports accessibility in accordance with each technical criteria. The state also recommends that the form be completed by a person well-versed in the technical aspects of the product’s support for accessibility. Respondents are encouraged to review the relevant guidance forms in the &quot;Products&quot; tab of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/it-procurement.jsp&quot; title=&quot;Accessible IT Procurement&quot;&gt;Accessible IT Procurement&lt;/a&gt; section of the Office of Accessibility website.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This project team went one step further by integrating accessibility requirements throughout the evaluation process. They considered the existence of a fair and consistent evaluation of accessibility within the RFP process to be as important as defining the key business requirements for the desired product. A critical first step was for the RFP selection committee to receive training on what accessibility means and what the state accessibility standard requires. People don’t know what they don’t know, making training important to a successful outcome. In addition, the project team allocated points in the initial screening phase for accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;After the proposals were evaluated according to all screening criteria, including business, technical, and accessibility requirements and points assigned, high scoring vendors were asked to demonstrate their product to the RFP selection committee. These presentations were focused on core business requirements and specific functional exercises. Before the presentations, vendors were provided with specific information on the evaluation process. They were told to be prepared to present specific functionalities, including accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The RFP selection committee was able to observe and evaluate the ability of the vendor to meet requirements such as requesting time off for an employee, clocking in and out of work, obtaining work schedules, and bidding for overtime, as well as is the accessibility of each interface.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Throughout the presentations, the RFP selection committee reminded the vendor to demonstrate key specifications, such as requiring a certain exercise be performed twice, with keyboard only and with mouse only. The RFP selection committee could see whether the vendor really understood how their product meets our accessibility standard.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To assist in the scoring of vendor demonstrations, the RFP selection committee was provided a draft evaluation sheet, or rubric, that called out specific elements to look for, such as keyboard accessibility. The reviewers used this rubric to score how the vendors performed those exercises from an accessibility perspective. In this way, real accessibility points could be attributed to each vendor’s proposal.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Project teams and RFP selection committees do important work in helping the state of Minnesota to be legally compliant, and in making state employment an option for qualified persons with disabilities. The multi-phased model used by this project team brought the agency forward by making accessibility a normal part of business.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The goal of the state’s Accessibility Standard is to improve the accessibility and usability of information technology products and services for all government end users in Minnesota. The standard incorporates the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0&quot;&gt;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://section508.gov/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;Section 508&quot;&gt;Section 508&lt;/a&gt; of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Supplementing the standard are statutes on &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=363A.42&amp;amp;year=2011&amp;amp;keyword_type=all&amp;amp;keyword=accessibility&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;public records&quot;&gt;public records&lt;/a&gt; (363A.42) and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=363A.43&amp;amp;year=2011&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;continuing education&quot;&gt;continuing education&lt;/a&gt; (363A.43) effective January 1, 2013 that can make agencies financially liable for inaccessible records and other documents and course material modified or produced after that date.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;*Editor’s note: At this time of this project, there were two VPAT documents. Since then, all content has been merged into a single VPAT document. &lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/index.jsp?id=38-352362&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;Companion blog post VPAT 2.x.&quot;&gt;See the companion blog post VPAT 2.x.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you would like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota, &lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot;&gt;subscribe to our newsletter&lt;/a&gt;. Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>352361</id><pubdate>2020-01-10T20:56:00Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>In response to the recent Section 508 refresh, the ITIC issued a new version of VPAT. Learn more about what is changing with VPAT 2.0.</Description><Audience/><Title>Understanding the Changes and Requirements of VPAT Version 2.x</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>VPAT</Subject><Subject>Voluntary Product Accessibility Template</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>VPAT Version 2.x</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A person reading the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) webpage on the Section 508 website.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-vpat-001_tcm38-352377.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A person reading the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) webpage on the Section 508 website.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-vpat-001_tcm38-352380.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2018-09 - VPAT Version 2.x</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-352362&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2018-09-21T05:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>In response to the recent Section 508 refresh, the ITIC issued a new version of VPAT. Learn more about what is changing with VPAT 2.0.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Understanding the Changes and Requirements </Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;First, What’s a VPAT?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.itic.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC)&quot;&gt;Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC)&lt;/a&gt;, a technology industry association, developed the form Voluntary Product Accessibility Template® (VPAT) as a way for corporations to attest how their products supported the federal accessibility rule &lt;a href=&quot;htthttps://section508.gov/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;Section 508&quot;&gt;Section 508&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The State of Minnesota accessibility standard, established in September 2010, incorporated Section 508 and the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/quickref/?versions=2.0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines&quot;&gt;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines&lt;/a&gt; (WCAG) 2.0. Vendors who wanted to sell to the state had to submit not only Section 508 VPATs, but also a similar document regarding their support for WCAG 2.0.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What Changed in VPAT 2.0 and 2.x?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In April, you learned about the &lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/index.jsp?id=38-336319&quot; title=&quot;update to the state accessibility standard&quot;&gt;update to the state accessibility standard&lt;/a&gt;. This update reflects the fact that Section 508 incorporated WCAG 2.0. In response to the Section 508 refresh, the ITIC issued a new version of the VPAT, which they called &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.itic.org/policy/accessibility/vpat&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;VPAT 2.0&quot;&gt;VPAT 2.0&lt;/a&gt;. This VPAT was much larger and more detailed than the original VPAT document, as it included:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ten pages of introductory/ explanatory text&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;WCAG 2.0 criteria&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Section 508 criteria outside of WCAG 2.0&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;EN 301 549 (the European accessibility standard) criteria&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In addition, within each WCAG conformance criteria, the document listed where it applied within Section 508 and EN 301 549. It also provided opportunity for the vendor to note how they supported that criteria in up to four different deliverables:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Web&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Electronic Docs&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Software&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Authoring Tool&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Since announcing the VPAT 2.0 last fall, the ITIC has published two updates: 2.1 and 2.2. 2.1 addressed minor grammatical and formatting issues. 2.2 split the document into four versions:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;WCAG 2.0 only&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Section 508 only (which contains WCAG 2.0)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;EN 301 549 only (which contains WCAG 2.0)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;International (WCAG 2.0, 508, and EN 301 549)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What does the State of Minnesota Require?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In the past, Minnesota RFPs required vendors to submit separate documents for Section 508 and WCAG 2.0. Since there was no standardized WCAG equivalent to the ITIC’s Section 508 VPAT, Minnesota created its own form for WCAG 2.0 and Section 508. Vendors typically used the Minnesota form for WCAG 2.0. If they had already completed an ITIC Section 508 VPAT they were welcome to submit that instead of the Minnesota 508 form.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The State of Minnesota is currently developing its own version of VPAT 2.0 that most accurately reflects the state accessibility standard. Until then, vendors are requested to complete an ITIC VPAT 2.0 or newer (referred to as “VPAT 2.x”) that includes the following completed sections:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;WCAG 2.0&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Section 508&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The state’s version of the VPAT will be published on the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/it-procurement.jsp&quot; title=&quot;accessible procurement page&quot;&gt;accessible procurement page&lt;/a&gt; (currently in the “Products” tab) along with guidance for vendors, RFP creators, and VPAT reviewers. Our RFPs refer vendors to the site so they have full opportunity to understand our expectations. They have the option to submit their VPAT information using either the ITIC or Minnesota version. What matters is that the information be complete and accurate.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #ECEFF3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px 20px 20px 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>352362</id><pubdate>2018-09-21T18:33:07Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>MNIT, DHS and MNsure formed a team to preform tests on PDF forms, web applications, and websites for digital accessibility.</Description><Audience/><Title>QA Testing Accessibility: Enterprise Accessibility Quality Assurance Team</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Quality Assurance</Subject><Subject>PDF forms</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>QA Testing Accessibility</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A group of people collaborating with the use of laptops.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/people-computer-003_tcm38-352378.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A group of people collaborating with the use of laptops.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/people-computer-003_tcm38-352381.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2018-09 - QA Testing Accessibility</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-352356&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2018-09-21T05:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>MNIT, DHS and MNsure formed a team to test PDF forms, web applications, and websites for digital accessibility. Learn more about their work.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>The Work of an Accessibility Quality Assurance Team</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Jean Alexander shares about her work as a supervisor with Minnesota IT Services and the team she leads on projects for the Minnesota Department of Human Services and MNsure.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You may have heard the term accessibility but wondered what it really means. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) into law, which guarantees individuals with disabilities the same opportunities as everyone else. However, since this law was written before the World Wide Web arrived, it did not detail how to apply it to web-based or digital technologies.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In support of the ADA and related laws, the State of Minnesota mandated that our digital products, such as applications, forms and documents, meet &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/quickref/?versions=2.0&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines&quot;&gt;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines&lt;/a&gt; (WCAG) 2.0 Levels A and AA, as well as the federal Section 508 rules. WCAG and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh/final-rule/text-of-the-standards-and-guidelines&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;Section 508&quot;&gt;Section 508&lt;/a&gt; criteria address the access needs of individuals with a cross-section of disabilities including visual, auditory, cognitive, and physical.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For those new to accessibility, WCAG’s organization of &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-principles/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;accessibility principles&quot;&gt;accessibility principles&lt;/a&gt; can be a great introduction to the importance of digital accessibility. Our applications and forms are improved for all end users when we learn how to make them “Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust (or POUR)” for end users with disabilities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What does accessibility mean? It means having the same capability and quality of user experiences for all users.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our Desire to Help&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Department of Human Services mission statement is: The Minnesota Department of Human Services, working with many others, helps people meet their basic needs so they can live in dignity and achieve their highest potential. It is our legal duty as employees of the State of Minnesota to ensure we consider accessibility in every document we produce, the technology we create, the contracts we sign, and products we purchase.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In 2017, Minnesota IT Services, in partnership with the Department of Human Services and MNsure, formed the Enterprise Accessibility Quality Assurance Team (EAQAT) to execute accessibility tests on various projects: PDF forms, web applications and websites for digital accessibility. This team:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Works with Business Analysts and developers to explain accessibility guidelines, and how to use them when writing accessibility requirements.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Collaborates with the technical teams to provide an understanding of how to put accessibility code into their work.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Provides services for digital accessibility testing.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our Approach&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The EAQAT took various trainings on how to use screen readers, magnifiers, and other assistive technologies. They scoured the 508 Compliance and WCAG 2.0 Levels A and AA for requirements language used by designers and developers. The team produces Quality Assurance (QA) artifacts including Test Plans, Test Cases, and Test Closures that provide visibility to stakeholders of the testing effort.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It is no small task to ensure the application has met the above and other 508 Compliance guidelines. While a development team may have certified their code as accessible, it does not mean it is without flaws. The EAQAT uses tools to execute their tests in various browsers and versions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;During the testing, discoveries are reported in the defect management tool. These items are discussed with the project stakeholders and, on occasion, the EQUAT demonstrates to the project team.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;EAQAT collaborates with the Minnesota IT Services, partnering with DHS Accessibility Coordinator, Lea Dooley. Lea helps prioritize reported defects and provides assistance with accessibility tools.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Benefits&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;By testing state products for accessibility and usability, the discoveries and their resolutions provide the following benefits to all end users:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Encourages collaboration between teams (business analysts, development and quality assurance) to implement accessibility in the state’s products.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Corrects technical gaps and areas where standards are not met before the final product is available and in use.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Helps end users successfully navigate through applications and forms.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Satisfies the state’s legal duty to include accessibility in all products we produce.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Users find our applications, forms, and other documents are more usable after EAQAT has completed their testing, reported their findings, and issues have been resolved. This helps all end users successfully use the state products in their jobs or when completing applications or other paperwork that is required or needed by various agencies.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Where We’re Going&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;EAQAT is excited to share their findings with project teams, to champion the end user, and to make a difference! The team is working on Fiscal Year19 goals, which include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Posting Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on SharePoint.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Adding accessibility in the QA Process flowchart.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Using new accessibility tools to enhance testing.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Making presentations at Program Management Division staff meetings.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Creating an Accessibility Request form on SharePoint for project teams that need accessibility testing.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you would like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota, &lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot;&gt;subscribe to our newsletter&lt;/a&gt;. Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;background-color: #ECEFF3;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;padding: 20px 20px 20px 20px;&quot;&gt;
&lt;h3 style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;Subscribe to our Newsletter&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;font-size: 1.4rem; line-height: 2rem;&quot;&gt;Would you like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota? Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot;&gt;Subscribe Today&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author>Jean Alexander, Enterprise Accessibility Quality Assurance Team Supervisor</Author><id>352356</id><pubdate>2018-09-21T18:33:07Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Minnesota IT Services&apos; Dan Oehmke, shares his experiences with Jennie Delisi on testing enterprise applications for accessibility. </Description><Audience/><Title>Experiencing Accessibility: Considerations in an Enterprise Project</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>applications</Subject><Subject>IT</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Experiencing Accessibility </Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Support staff working on a computer and wearing a headset.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/help-desk-001_tcm38-350622.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Support staff working on a computer and wearing a headset.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/help-desk-001_tcm38-350624.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2018-08 - Experiencing Accessibility</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-350614&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2018-08-24T15:09:04Z</Date><ShortDescription>Minnesota IT Services&apos; Dan Oehmke, shares his experiences with Jennie Delisi on testing enterprise applications for accessibility. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>Considerations in an Enterprise Project</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;During a conference call some time ago, my stress and frustration levels quickly maxed out. We were reporting issues with accessibility for an enterprise application to one of our software vendors.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our team set up a demo to demonstrate the accessibility issues. What started out as simple annoyances quickly led me to anger and great frustration. Even though I knew our accessibility experts had found these issues. Even though they had described them to me. This was my first direct experience watching someone use assistive technology. Something I knew was very important to those who need it, but had never experienced myself.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We were watching a colleague use a screen reader on the application. At first it was intriguing to see how the desktop and browser were configured to work with the screen reader. Soon, however, the screen reader was blaring in a jarring and irritating tone. While navigating a long list of items ending with ellipses, it kept shouting “dot, dot, dot” over and over again. “Item 1, dot, dot, dot, Item 2, dot, dot, dot, Item 3, dot, dot, dot.” I just wanted it to stop. We had hardly started and already my patience was frayed and I wanted to leave. Site focus, which I could see, didn’t match navigation by the screen reader. There were menus that didn’t read the same as they looked on the screen. I just wanted it to stop. I wanted to be done. There were navigational traps where users could not escape, without closing down the application and starting all over again. I was incredulous. Wouldn’t those who depended on these features be even more angry and frustrated? How could it be this bad? Shouldn’t this work? Are they ignoring Section 508 and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines? What if I needed this? Wouldn’t I be even more upset? How many other applications have these same issues?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;While I cannot recall all the details and issues, it was a memorable event. Very illuminating to realize how little I really understood. It was also memorable for several members of the vendor’s team. As our team finished the demo, there was a long, awkward silence. Finally, someone on the vendor’s team blurted out, “But it’s supposed to work. . . we had a third-party test it. . .” They, too, were realizing how little they understood.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;From there, we increased expectations for the vendor and ourselves. And we began assessing other options in the marketplace. That, however, is a story for another time.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Our Interview With Dan&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;After receiving Dan’s piece, we took some time to speak with him about his work with Minnesota IT Services, digital accessibility, and how the above experience has changed the way he approaches his work.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jennie Delisi, Accessibility Analyst, MN Office of Accessibility:&lt;/strong&gt; What is your current position at Minnesota IT Services?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dan:&lt;/strong&gt; I lead the Enterprise Service Desk, a large team which includes several enabling IT service functions, to include 90 agents who take calls or tickets from end users to provide IT help.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jennie:&lt;/strong&gt; You have worked for many years with the National Association of State Technology Directors (NASTD), whose purpose is “to advance and promote the effective use of information technology and services to improve the operation of state government.” How do you see accessible digital technology playing a part in improving the operation of state government?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dan:&lt;/strong&gt; One of the things I have learned working with you and Jay Wyant, [Chief Information Accessibility Officer] is a pretty straight forward concept: equal access for all users. When you think about that, it makes sense. While I was on the board of NASTD, particularly when I was the Program Chair for the annual conference, I invited Jay to do a presentation, part of which was to help increase awareness around accessibility for colleagues in other states. As IT leaders from the various state governments, we serve partners who may have employees with requirements for assistive technology. We also very possibly have prospective job applicants or existing employees who may use assistive technology. Not to mention, that as IT leaders, we ought to model and lead the way for others.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jennie:&lt;/strong&gt; As a manager, how does having more accessible technology impact your hiring practices and those you supervise?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dan:&lt;/strong&gt; It requires you to take a step back as a manager or supervisor. If you have never worked with somebody, or you don’t have family member with a disability it takes you a little bit to figure it out. I have an adult child, 30 years old now who still lives with us, who has a disability. So that gives me a little bit of a jump start, but often when we are talking assistive technology and accessibility, there are different disabilities. And so, I’ve been learning more about some of those types of needs. The challenge as a supervisor is to understand and support needs that you maybe haven’t experienced personally yourself, and haven’t been exposed to. But none the less you have a legal and moral obligation to do so. I think it doesn’t take very long for any of us to realize that we have people with a wide range of abilities, many in our personal network. Family members, friends, coworkers. And so, over time as you become more conscious and more aware of that, I think it becomes easier to understand how to adapt your hiring process to be more inclusive.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I think if we have somebody on our staff who has a similar set of requirements as some of our partners, we are going to better understand through our own personal observations and experience, what the needs are for the larger group. We are going to be better positioned to do some thinking and testing and planning. And we will be a little bit more responsive to people with similar needs and expectations. The more diverse your group of employees, the more perspectives, ideas, and opportunities you have for problem solving. Literally, thinking out of the box, and overall having a better solution.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jennie:&lt;/strong&gt; You wrote a piece for this newsletter about your experiences on a particular project. How will your experiences on that project change the way you approach future projects?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dan:&lt;/strong&gt; I went into that project thinking I had pretty good understanding of the general topic. And I think I generally did compared to some other people, maybe a lot of folks, because of our family situation with our son. It helped me put myself more in their shoes. What I described in that article: how absolutely frustrated and unsatisfied I was with the screen reader experience [with that particular application], and I thought “there are people who have to use this to do their job.” It strengthened my commitment and passion for helping people. Part of the challenge is, as they are trying to be able to do their job, trying to live productive lives, trying to get tools that will help them do that, they run into similar barriers. Advocating for themselves, a family member, for other people, for their general community, or whatever, and they are often frustrated. The frustration I saw in some of the feedback we received on our project, and the particular application we were working was pretty understandable. It didn’t feel good to get it because that certainly wasn’t our intent. But I think it is important that when you hear feedback like that to appreciate it, as hard as it may be, and try to really understand where the other people are coming from without becoming defensive avoid the temptation to turn your ears off. You’ve got to internalize the feedback and understand it. And then use it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You’ve got to find something that best fits the overall set of requirements. But, you’ve also got to rate those requirements. In our last evaluation, accessibility featured very prominently, as one of the very top criteria. The solution has to both serve the functional needs of service management AND needs to meet accessibility requirements. And because of that type of thinking, we had accessibility subject matter experts, you and Jay, at the table right out of the gate. How can we incorporate this expertise into our list of requirements? How do we evaluate that? Eventually we found a way to do that that worked pretty well. That was a pretty clear commitment on our part, and pretty good engagement by you as experts in the space.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jennie:&lt;/strong&gt; What is your perception, now, of the role of the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) in the process of procurement?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dan:&lt;/strong&gt; VPAT is interesting to me because a vendor might give you a VPAT and say they are accessible because they can provide you a VPAT. Then when you start looking at the detail inside the VPAT you might realize, well, this particular company for this particular product has a VPAT but it pretty clearly says it doesn’t work well for people who require assistive technology. In other instances they might say that it does, or they might stay silent on some of the challenges, but I did pick up that if a company has a third-party do the VPAT assessment for them, they have the opportunity to be pretty objective and pretty open, and to also tell you what a work around might be. I saw in our evaluation process fairly current VPATs and really old VPATs. When you get a really old VPAT and it doesn’t have much useful information, that seems to signal that vendor’s not very committed to meeting the requirement, potentially because they don’t understand it yet. They don’t have that insight, they haven’t had that “Aha” moment. And then you’ll see other vendors who will have a webpage that is saying “here’s our latest VPAT” and there might be different versions of the VPAT. You can see that they are updating it. You can see that they are identifying work arounds when they have something that doesn’t work.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jennie&lt;/strong&gt;: So the VPAT is really just a piece of the evaluation?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dan:&lt;/strong&gt; It is just a piece of the evaluation. In our case, in this last assessment of “where do we go, what application do we pick” we were able with the 2 finalists to do a hands-on evaluation and to involve accessibility in that hands-on evaluation. With one of the vendors they even explicitly asked us “hey, as you are doing your hands-on evaluation would you mind sending us a report of what you see every single day? Further, would you mind having a daily stand up call at 8:45 so that we can ask you questions about that? That sends a pretty clear signal that there is a degree of commitment to getting some feedback and of course, we would like to see some follow-up, which with that particular vendor, by the time we were done with the hands-on portion of the evaluation, they had already made three fixes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Jennie:&lt;/strong&gt; Thanks for your time Dan!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you would like to learn more about the accessibility work being done by Minnesota IT Services and the State of Minnesota, &lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot;&gt;subscribe to our newsletter&lt;/a&gt;. Once a month we will bring you more tips, articles, and ways to learn more about digital accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author>Dan Oehmke, Jennie Delisi</Author><id>350614</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:35Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Andre Magallanes, Office of Accessibility intern, shares his impressions of working in digital accessibility, and the projects he has been completing.</Description><Audience/><Title>Intern Update: Accessibility in Action</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>digital accessibility</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Intern Update: Accessibility in Action</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A hand press a large red button during accessibility testing.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-testing-001_tcm38-350623.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A hand press a large red button during accessibility testing.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-testing-001_tcm38-350625.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2018-08 - Intern Update: Accessibility in Action</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-348798&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2018-08-16T16:06:22Z</Date><ShortDescription>Andre Magallanes, Office of Accessibility intern, shares his impressions of working in digital accessibility, and the projects he has been completing.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Working in Digital Accessibility Can Shift Your Perspective</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Editor’s note&lt;/strong&gt;: Andre Magallanes, Office of Accessibility intern, agreed to tell us more about his impressions of working in the field of digital accessibility, a bit about the projects and tasks he has been completing, and how some of these experiences have shifted his perspective of what digital accessibility means. Want to know more about Andre? We interviewed him last month: “&lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/mnit/media/blog/index.jsp?id=38-346772&quot; title=&quot;Meet the first Office of Accessibility Intern!&quot;&gt;Meet the first Office of Accessibility Intern!&lt;/a&gt;”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Since coming to the Office of Accessibility, it’s been amazing to see the integration and fruition of accessible technology. That being said, I have also seen the aspects that still need to improve, which is exactly one aspect that I wanted to obtain. That means, in terms of accessibility, what is working and what isn’t?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;One of the projects we have is redesigning a web site to be more friendly, efficient, and accessible. When I first heard that I was getting to do this, I thought, sweet I’ll get to use some wireframe skills, then pick the best one and put it up. However, the reality is very different. First and foremost I got the run-down on the original site and all of the inaccessible nightmares on there. When you experience it for yourself, you see why accessibility needs to be a priority in the development phase.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The software tool used to build the site is supposed to be an easy collaboration tool that can be used by anyone, but the tool also limits the user’s control and some accessibility challenges cannot be resolved by the user. So as we transition into a newer version of the site, I was excited because I saw the lead developers and product managers from the company that makes the tool explaining and showing how it’s so much more accessible now…until I tested it myself and got over 25 accessibility issues on a page with two heading levels and one image. They did better with the overall information and focus flow, but it just wasn’t enough or as advertised.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Looking at this experience, I’ve seen how important it is to have communication between development, designers, and end users. As I continue to work on this I am learning that no matter how badly we want to make it 100% accessible sometimes it’s out of our hands…for now.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I have also gotten the opportunity to absorb a lot of interesting and useful information from Jennie [Delisi] and Jay [Wyant] and the experiences they’ve given me. For example, last quarter I took a class on the management of systems and creating systems while in development. My group’s project was on creating an in-class automated captioning software that students could use to follow along with.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Then for my first accessibility coordinators meeting, I got to meet an awesome CART provider and see all of her skills. Computer Assisted Real time Transcription or CART is 96% accurate with an average of around 150 words per minute! Honestly, I was so amazed at how fast and accurate she was that I started feeling bad for thinking that one of our business points was cutting down the cost of paying for people in her profession. Not only that, but the reality is that the service needed is much more than just words on a screen. I had never thought about putting who said what, being able to remediate live, or more of the “little things” that can be hugely important at times.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;All this tied together when we went on a work field trip and the captions for the company’s demonstration were out of sync, non-expandable, and didn’t have labels of who was saying what. The presenter was using software that used automated captioning live and on the spot. I was amazed. I was glancing at it every once in a while and thought, “Wow, that’s pretty much what I wanted to make and its working.” Afterward, I talked to Jay and Jennie…and they told me all of the little flaws that it included that I had overlooked. That was exactly what happened with my class project. We were advocating accessibility, but we hadn’t accurately included the perspective or needs of experts or all end users.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It made me realize that a lot of that is probably going on with various projects and products in different industries. When accessibility best practices are followed, this allows the end user to make sense of the information being given to them. Information is obscure and just data unless it has a story that gives it context and meaning. With accessibility we can make sure that everyone is able to get the same story, to ultimately provide a great end user experience. Accessibility might sometimes be thrown around as a buzzword rather than implemented in development, or at all, and there are a lot of aspects that still need to change. However, it’s humbling and eye opening to see people who are active and passionate about making this change and constant improvement take place. I hope I can continue to learn and be a part of that.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To read more about Andre’s adventures in Minnesota, and the work being done by the Office of Accessibility, &lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot;&gt;subscribe to our newsletter&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/accessibility-testing-002_tcm38-350629.jpg&quot; style=&quot;width: 90%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessibility-testing-002&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Andre standing behind a computer setting up for accessibility testing.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/accessibility-testing-003_tcm38-350630.jpg&quot; style=&quot;width: 90%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessibility-testing-003&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Andre starting his tests for accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/accessibility-testing-004_tcm38-350631.jpg&quot; style=&quot;width: 90%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessibility-testing-004&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Andre testing a webpage for accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>348798</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:36Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>This June, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) issued a recommendation that updates Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to 2.1. Learn more here.</Description><Audience/><Title>WCAG 2.1 Update</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>W3C</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>WCAG 2.1 Update</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Person navigating a website on a mobile device.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/people-computer-001_tcm38-346798.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Person navigating a website on a mobile device.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/people-computer-001_tcm38-346801.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2018-07 - WCAG 2.1 Update</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-346766&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2018-07-19T15:18:58Z</Date><ShortDescription>This June, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) issued a recommendation that updates Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to 2.1. Learn more here.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>What’s New With WCAG 2.1?</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This June, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) issued a recommendation that updates Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to 2.1.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The state of Minnesota accessibility standard references two sources: WCAG, and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Read our &lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/mnit/blog/index.jsp?id=38-336319&quot; title=&quot;blog review&quot;&gt;blog review&lt;/a&gt; about the recent Section 508 refresh and its impact on the standard.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What was wrong with WCAG 2.0?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Nothing was wrong - it was just old and needed an update. WCAG 2.0 was published in 2008, after years of work by international committees. Since then:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The internet continues to evolve.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Committee members have become more aware of other disabilities and their impact on how individuals may access digital content.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;All WCAG 2.0 criteria remain. WCAG 2.1 builds on WCAG 2.0. by adding new criteria.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What’s different about WCAG 2.1?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1 adds 17 new criteria to the guidelines. The new criteria address a range of improvements to access for people in these three groups:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Users with cognitive or learning disabilities&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Users with low vision&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Users with disabilities on mobile devices&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some of the criteria address what seems like common sense issues. However, before now there were instances where evaluators could not point to a specific criteria to express why a particular behavior was not accessible or a how a certain coding practice hindered usability.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here are some examples:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Example 1:&lt;/strong&gt; Imagine having a tablet attached to your wheelchair. A web page fixed to a particular orientation could present problems to that user. This criteria says that in most cases, any given site or page should rotate to fit the user’s view.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;New criteria: 1.3.4 Orientation (AA): Content does not restrict its view and operation to a single display orientation, such as portrait or landscape, unless a specific display orientation is essential.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Example 2:&lt;/strong&gt; Have you ever had a popup window that you can’t make go away? Imagine being a person with low vision who relies on extreme screen magnification who can’t get to the “close” link for a popup. Calling out this practice should help reduce its frequency.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;New criteria: 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus (AA): Where receiving and then removing pointer hover or keyboard focus triggers additional content to become visible and then hidden, the following are true:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Dismissable: A mechanism is available to dismiss the additional content without moving pointer hover or keyboard focus, unless the additional content communicates an input error or does not obscure or replace other content;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Hoverable: If pointer hover can trigger the additional content, then the pointer can be moved over the additional content without the additional content disappearing;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Persistent: The additional content remains visible until the hover or focus trigger is removed, the user dismisses it, or its information is no longer valid.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Example 3:&lt;/strong&gt; Imagine a button for a form that reads “Send,” but is coded “Submit.” A person speaking to the computer or phone would expect that saying “Send” should create action. Imagine that user’s frustration when nothing happens – because the program will only respond to the command “Submit.” This happens more often than you’d think, but before now, it was often considered nothing more than sloppy coding. Now this criteria specifically makes such code a failure.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;margin-left: 40px;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;New criteria: 2.5.3 Label in Name (A): For user interface components with labels that include text or images of text, the name contains the text that is presented visually.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How do I find these new criteria?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;WCAG 2.1 recommendation&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1 recommendation&lt;/a&gt; lists the 17 new criteria. In addition, while 2.0 grouped criteria within guidelines by conformance level (first A, then AA, followed by AAA), these new criteria were simply appended to the end of the guideline. For example, in WCAG 2.0, guideline 1.4 Adaptable had 9 success criteria (1.4.1 through 1.4.9), with 1.4.6 through 1.4.9 at level AAA. WCAG 2.1 adds 4 more criteria, 1.4.10 through 1.4.13. All are A or AA.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Is WCAG 2.1 now part of Minnesota’s state accessibility standard?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Not yet. On June 14, 2018 we adopted an update to the &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/Stnd_State_Accessibility_tcm38-61585.pdf&quot; title=&quot;State Accessibility Standard - 2018&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Stnd_State_Accessibility - 2018&quot;&gt;accessibility standard&lt;/a&gt; to incorporate the Section 508 refresh. Any new update proposals to the accessibility standard need to be reviewed and supported by the Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) Standards Committee, which then recommends the update to the MNIT Executive Team. We are working on several other updates to the standard in addition to WCAG 2.1 and plan to submit all the updates together for approval in the near future.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Future&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.1 was considered an incremental advance. The W3C is not stopping here. While the Silver Task Force and W3C Silver Community Group are developing the framework for a successor to the WCAG, there may be a WCAG 2.2. Who knows?&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>346766</id><pubdate>2018-08-22T09:38:50Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>&quot;Digital Accessibility&quot; means that everyone can access and navigate digital information. Find tips and resources for designing accessible digital content.</Description><Audience/><Title>Accessible Design: Usability Standards Benefit Everybody</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Digital Accessibility</Subject><Subject>UX</Subject><Subject>digital content</Subject><Subject>content creation</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Accessible Design</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Person working on a computer.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/people-computer-002_tcm38-346797.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Person working on a computer.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/people-computer-002_tcm38-346800.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2018-07 - Accessible Design</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-346773&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2018-07-19T13:18:01Z</Date><ShortDescription>&quot;Digital Accessibility&quot; means that everyone can access and navigate digital information. Find tips and resources for designing accessible digital content.
</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Usability Standards Benefit Everybody</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;From the User Experience Design team at DHS&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Lolly Lijewski sits in her third floor cubicle in the Elmer L. Andersen Human Services Building typing Word documents, sending emails and reading tables off a PDF. The assistive technology she uses helps her do her job like everyone else. Lolly, blind since birth, uses screen readers to read, navigate and interact with digital content on her cell phone, laptop, and desktop computer.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Screen readers such as JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver convert text to speech, reading text aloud and describing titles, headings, pictures, tables, and other structural elements of web pages and documents.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Through the years, I’ve developed a repertoire of skills,” she says, praising advances in digital accessibility that have enabled her to perform her job quickly and successfully.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What is Accessibility?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&quot;Digital Accessibility&quot; means that everyone, whether or not they have a disability, can perceive, understand, and navigate information contained in electronic media. An accessible document can be read using a variety of assistive technologies, such as screen readers, magnification software, or speech recognition programs. Accessible content typically features a clean, professional design that’s easy for everyone to use. Accessible video features closed captioning, audio descriptions, and transcripts. Using the term “digital accessibility” distinguishes these features from physical accessibility features such as aisles that are large enough for wheel chairs to maneuver, among other things.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It’s the Law&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Digital accessibility is also a state standard. Minnesota state agencies are committed to providing all individuals, with or without disabilities access to the information they need. The state standard requires agencies to develop programs, websites, and documents that anyone can read, including people who use common assistive technologies. The State of Minnesota&apos;s Accessibility Standard is based on &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.section508.gov/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;Section 508&quot;&gt;Section 508&lt;/a&gt; of the &lt;a href=&quot;https://section508.gov/refresh-toolkit/revised-508-standards-quick-reference-guide&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;Rehabilitation Act of 1973, (as recently amended)&quot;&gt;Rehabilitation Act of 1973, (as recently amended)&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/quickref/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0&quot;&gt;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0&lt;/a&gt;, Level AA.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The State of Minnesota takes accessibility seriously. Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) is home to the Office of Accessibility and there are accessibility trainers, testers, and coders throughout all state agencies. MNIT is also partnering with the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) to create a new User Experience Design team (UED). The team will support DHS strategic initiatives designed to improve user experience and engagement. This means optimizing the usability of software applications and working across the enterprise to increase compliance with accessibility standards.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Accessible design is inclusive design,” states UED member Lea Dooley. “Everyone benefits from content that’s more readable, scannable and has good structure.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You Too May Need Accessible Design&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“At any given time, 15-20 percent of our population has some degree of disability — whether permanent or temporary”, Dooley says. That means any one of us may need accommodation at some point during our lives.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Although we typically attribute accessibility challenges to cognitive, neurologic, or sensory impairments (i.e. hearing or vision loss, mobility challenges, physical limitations, or traumatic brain injury), software and device manufacturers are increasingly realizing that all individuals benefit from accessibility features. Technologies include:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Screen magnification.&lt;/strong&gt; People using mobile phones, smart watches, smart TVs and other devices with small screens see content differently and need the ability to zoom in on content.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Custom controls.&lt;/strong&gt; We’ve become accustomed to adjusting volume, color contrast and font size to suit our unique preferences. These capabilities become even more important when we’ve misplaced our eyeglasses, are working in difficult environments such as bright sunlight, or are simply adjusting to changes that come with age and health.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alternatives to the mouse.&lt;/strong&gt; Individuals with temporary or long-term disabilities that affect fine motor skills benefit from keyboard navigation alternatives such as keyboard shortcuts and voice-commands. These tools are especially valuable when tasks are highly repetitive.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Closed captioning.&lt;/strong&gt; People with situational limitations, such as noisy rooms or low audio, as may occur at a gym while using the treadmill, rely on closed captioning to enjoy their favorite programs.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Alternative text.&lt;/strong&gt; You may not see this if you don’t use a screen reader, but your browser does. Providing alternative (“alt”) text options for images not only describes images to screen reader users, but also improves search engine rankings. People with a slow internet connection or who have limited or expensive bandwidth also appreciate alt text, which they can read rather than take the time to download images.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Design Principles Everyone Can Use&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The MNIT UED team has crafted five simple principles to help teams build more accessible products:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Understand the problem before crafting solutions.&lt;/strong&gt; Build accessibility into the front end of your projects. Don’t consider it an after-thought or wait for testing.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Simplify.&lt;/strong&gt; Do everything you can to make things simple and intuitive.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Think all ages.&lt;/strong&gt; Produce designs that are accessible and usable for people of every age, with or without disabilities.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Align with system modernization and person-centered principles.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aim for efficient designs&lt;/strong&gt; that provide context and avoid jargon.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Educational Opportunities&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There are many opportunities to learn about accessibility. The Office of Accessibility and DHS provide information for the public and state employees via these sites&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/programs/accessibility/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;MNIT: Office of Accessibility&quot;&gt;MNIT: Office of Accessibility&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://infolink.dhs.int.state.mn.us/InfoLink/Agencywide_Activities/Accessibility/index.htm&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;DHS: Accessibility&quot;&gt;DHS: Accessibility&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;State employees can seek additional training within their agency’s learning management system. Other resources available at your local library via programs such as Lynda.com or researching screen readers, assistive technology, or empathy in design through YouTube or webinars. A good start is this &lt;a href=&quot;https://inclusivedesignprinciples.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;fact sheet on inclusive design principles&quot;&gt;fact sheet on inclusive design principles&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>346773</id><pubdate>2018-11-30T17:45:55Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>The Office of Accessibility is excited to announce that Andre Magallanes will be joining us for the summer. Learn more about Andre here!</Description><Audience/><Title>Meet the 1st Office of Accessibility Intern!</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Internship</Subject><Subject>Intern</Subject><Subject>Job</Subject><Subject>UX</Subject><Subject>infomatics</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Interning with Accessibility</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Photo of Andre Magallanes standing in front of the Minnesota IT Services sign</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/andre-magallanes-001_tcm38-346799.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Photo of Andre Magallanes standing in front of the Minnesota IT Services sign</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/andre-magallanes-001_tcm38-346802.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2018-07 - Interning with Accessibility</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-346772&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2018-07-19T13:15:10Z</Date><ShortDescription>The Office of Accessibility is excited to announce that Andre Magallanes will be joining us for the summer. Learn more about Andre here!</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Meet the 1st Office of Accessibility Intern!</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Office of Accessibility is excited to announce that Andre Magallanes will be joining us for the summer from the State of Washington. Andre is helping with many projects, such as recording and organizing data submitted by our eLearning participants and redesigning and testing our internal SharePoint site for accessibility. You are probably asking yourself: why would someone come this far to do a summer internship? We asked him!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Where do you go to school and what are you studying?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I go to the University of Washington. I want to study Informatics, a tech degree that deals with the study of information. There are things like UX, Universal Design, development – it is broader than just computer science. Informatics deals with how information is communicated to the user or between systems. The intersection of people, technology, and information.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When I got to the University of Washington I wanted to do computer science because when I was growing up my father was into computers. This is how we bonded. We built a computer together one time for fun! Something memorable. However, I took my first JAVA class and I didn’t like it. I got the worst grade I’ve received in any of my classes. I would not want to write code every day of my life for a career. I took another course that was the introduction to informatics, and I completely fell in love with the class. There was a portion on accessibility, discussing how to design for people with different abilities. My father has a disability, and I find this approach interesting because it focuses on what people can do instead of what they can’t.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What did you do just prior to starting the internship?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Three days prior I was in Peru, visiting my family. I had been in Peru for about two weeks. My grandma is 92 and I wanted to visit her before I join the military.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Why the Office of Accessibility all the way in Minnesota?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Next summer I’m going to Officer Candidate School for the Marine Corps, so this summer I had nothing to do! All my friends said it was important to do an internship. I was looking for accessibility internships and there were only 2 that I found! I thought that it was interesting that there were internships at all, because in school it was often presented like an extra thing, not that people were actually in charge solely of something like accessibility. When I looked at my own state, there was nothing there. Minnesota is one of the few states that actually has an Office of Accessibility, and that’s a model.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I feel so strongly about accessibility and its importance, I wanted to take the opportunity to work in the field itself rather than just practice it in theory. What will it look like when I enter the field? And, how is that different from now?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What are you looking forward to learning/doing?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I wanted to do a lot of hands-on stuff and I’ve been able to do that, even in the first week! It has been amazing to learn from people who are knowledgeable about accessibility. For someone to be such a professional in the field itself, it seems to be really cool. Coming here and seeing people who are so passionate about accessibility is such an eye opener because it is something that is out there and being worked on to progress.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I am looking forward to seeing the results with people with disabilities, and others that do not have disabilities, to see how it works in their daily life and work, and how I can help improve this system.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What has surprised you most about the work done by the Office of Accessibility?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I didn’t know what to expect, so everything is a surprise! I don’t want to sound like I thought you guys didn’t do anything, but I honestly had no idea what to expect. I thought about documents, for example, but to what extent I wasn’t sure. For example, I didn’t know there were accessibility coordinators, coming up with new ways to teach other people the various kinds of assistive technology.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Anything else you think our readers would like to know?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;I have this view in mind that technology is a popular sovereignty – made by people for people, and that is something we have to keep in mind when we innovate. If it is for people, then everyone should have access to that.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To read more about Andre’s adventures in Minnesota, and the work being done by the Office of Accessibility, &lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;subscribe to our newsletter&quot;&gt;subscribe to our newsletter&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>346772</id><pubdate>2018-08-22T09:38:47Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>When it comes to finding solutions, our staff tries everything – including occasionally shouting into the void and seeing if anything sticks. This method worked as TweetDeck announced its rolling out a new alt text feature.  </Description><Audience/><Title>TweetDeck Delivers on Requests for Increased Accessibility</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>tweetdeck</Subject><Subject>twitter</Subject><Subject>alt text</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Scheduling Accessibility</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A series of tweets around TweetDeck announcing a new Alt Text feature.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/twitter-alt-text-tweet-001_tcm38-345621.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A post in TweetDeck showing and image with Alt Text.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/twitter-alt-text-tweet-001_tcm38-345620.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2018-07 - Scheduling Accessibility</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-345625&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2018-07-05T21:52:28Z</Date><ShortDescription>When it comes to finding solutions, our staff tries everything – including occasionally shouting into the void and seeing if anything sticks. This method worked as TweetDeck announced its rolling out a new alt text feature.  </ShortDescription><Subtitle>TweetDeck Delivers on Requests for Increased Accessibility</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Unstoppable! When it comes to finding solutions, our staff tries everything – including, when it comes down to it, occasionally shouting into the void and seeing if anything sticks.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When she can, Emily Shimkus, MNIT’s Communications and Public Affairs Liaison, likes to schedule posts from MNIT’s official Twitter account using TweetDeck (Twitter’s account managing tool), but “I couldn’t schedule tweets with images because TweetDeck didn’t allow me to apply alternative text to the images in scheduled posts,” she explained. “Tweets that included images would not have been accessible if I used TweetDeck to schedule them.” On April 25, Emily used social media to call attention to this accessibility issue.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/twitter-alt-text-tweet-001_tcm38-345622.png&quot; title=&quot;tweetdeck-alt-text-001&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of Emily’s tweet: When #tweetdeck allows me to schedule tweets that include alt text with images, I will be UNSTOPPABLE!&quot; style=&quot;width: 70%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;tweetdeck-alt-text-001&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Emily wasn’t alone in her frustration. Advocates for digital accessibility have been asking Twitter to look into this issue for a long time. She was surprised, however, when that tweet from April received a response on the 4th of July:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/twitter-alt-text-tweet-002_tcm38-345623.png&quot; title=&quot;tweetdeck-alt-text-002&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of reply to Emily’s tweet saying she’s now officially UNSTOPPABLE, includes link to announcement about alt text on TweetDeck.&quot; style=&quot;width: 70%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;tweetdeck-alt-text-002&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Early in the morning, her social media feed became “all a-twitter” over this fantastic new digital development.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“MNIT Communications has been a great partner. Whenever we encounter accessibility issues with communications tools, they jump in and work with us to solve it. Emily clearly caught their attention with her “UNSTOPPABLE” tweet. Thanks to her, we all benefit,”
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;cite&gt;Jay Wyant, Minnesota’s Chief Information Accessibility Officer.&lt;/cite&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you’re interested in using TweetDeck to schedule posts and would like to include an image, now all you need to do is add an image to your post and select the text at the bottom of the image that says “Add description.” You can apply alt text to the photo and schedule the tweet to post whenever you want it to.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/twitter-alt-text-tweet-003_tcm38-345624.png&quot; title=&quot;tweetdeck-alt-text-003&quot; alt=&quot;Screenshot of showing the MNIT Twitter account using TweetDeck to schedule a post with alt text.&quot; style=&quot;width: 50%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;tweetdeck-alt-text-003&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>345625</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:37Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>MNIT&apos;s Office of Accessibility participated in the M-Enabling Conference and the Assistive Technology and Accessibility Summit. Here’s a quick summary of the two events.</Description><Audience/><Title>Gathering Together on Accessibility</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Assistive Technology</Subject><Subject>M-Enabling</Subject><Subject>Minnesota</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Gathering Together on Accessibility</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>View of main ballroom at M-Enabling, showing two full-size captioning screens alongside separate slide screens.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-conference-001_tcm38-343299.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>View of main ballroom at M-Enabling, showing two full-size captioning screens alongside separate slide screens.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/accessibility-conference-001_tcm38-343297.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2018-06 - Gathering Together on Accessibility</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-343278&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2018-06-20T21:08:40Z</Date><ShortDescription>MNIT&apos;s Office of Accessibility participated in the M-Enabling Conference and the Assistive Technology and Accessibility Summit. Here’s a quick summary of the two events.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>MNIT&apos;s Office of Accessibility Participated in Two Recent Conferences</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The week of June 11-15, 2018 saw two major accessibility-focused events. While both had “Summit” in their titles, they were very different events. The state’s Chief Information Accessibility Officer (CIAO) traveled to Washington, D.C. to participate in the M-Enabling conference before returning to join Minnesota state employees at the Assistive Technology and Accessibility Summit in Minneapolis. Here’s a quick summary of the two events.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;M-Enabling Summit: Networking with Eyes on the Future&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The M-Enabling conference typically gathers leaders from major corporations and accessibility service providers. This year was no exception. The CIAO, Jay Wyant, had conversations with the accessibility leads from Microsoft, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), G3ict, Amazon, Sprint, and others.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Panels discussed the impact of the latest technological developments on accessibility and speculated on the impact of future technology from self-driving cars to artificial intelligence (AI). In between, Federal Communication Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai spoke on the commission’s support for people with disabilities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/at-summit-m-enabling-future-tech_tcm38-343255.jpg&quot; title=&quot;at-summit-m-enabling-future-tech&quot; alt=&quot;Key technologies to watch: 5G, AI, Vehicle Tech Smart Cities, AR/VR, Robotics.&quot; style=&quot;width: 75%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;at-summit-m-enabling-future-tech&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Caption: Slide from Consumer Technology Association (CTA) on future technology to watch.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Wyant served on a panel with others on the role of accessibility certification in various markets, from academia to government to private enterprise.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The conference was fully inclusive, with speakers describing their slides and captioning provided in every presentation.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/at-summit-m-enabling-2018_tcm38-343254.jpg&quot; title=&quot;at-summit-m-enabling-2018&quot; alt=&quot;View of main ballroom at M-Enabling, showing two full-size captioning screens alongside separate slide screens.&quot; style=&quot;width: 75%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;at-summit-m-enabling-2018&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Caption: View of main ballroom at M-Enabling, showing two full-size captioning screens alongside separate slide screens.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Assistive Technology and Accessibility Summit: Training and Awareness&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/at-summit-kim-david-kris_tcm38-343252.jpg&quot; title=&quot;at-summit-kim-david-kris&quot; alt=&quot;Speakers stand in front of audience with large screen. Kris Schulze is speaking into microphone.&quot; style=&quot;width: 75%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;at-summit-kim-david-kris&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Caption: MNIT employees Kim Wee, David Miller and Kris Schulze introduce themselves to the audience at the start of their Keynote presentation.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Office of Accessibility, Minnesota IT Services (MNIT), and the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) planned the two-day Assistive Technology and Accessibility Summit at Augsburg University in Minneapolis. K-12 and post-secondary educators, and state employees came together to learn more about assistive technology and accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/at-summit-janet_tcm38-343251.jpg&quot; title=&quot;at-summit-janet&quot; alt=&quot;Peters gesturing next to the presentation monitor.&quot; style=&quot;width: 75%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;at-summit-janet&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Caption: Janet Peters of the Great Lakes ADA presenting on media accessibility. Note the ASL interpreter in the foreground as well as CART captions on the slide screen.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Day 2 of the Summit focused on accessibility of digital technology and how users of assistive technology are impacted by the designs and structure of websites, documents, and multimedia. Speakers represented a wide range of backgrounds, including state of Minnesota employees, Keith Bundy and Kevin Rydberg from Siteimprove, Janet Peters from the Great Lakes ADA, and Rachel Kruzel from Augsburg University. The speakers shared their accessibility tips, tricks, and design considerations. Minnesota IT Services, Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota Management and Budget, and Minnesota Department of Education staff shared best practices on accessible online meetings, graphics, PDFs and PowerPoints.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/at-summit-kursten_tcm38-343253.jpg&quot; title=&quot;at-summit-kursten&quot; alt=&quot;Kursten Dubbels at podium next to large screen showing images of PowerPoint and Slides.&quot; style=&quot;width: 75%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;at-summit-kursten&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Caption: Kursten Dubbels (MDE) presenting on the accessibility of Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Key take-aways from the event:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;“I was surprised (as a state employee) to hear about some of the struggles educators continue to face when advocating for accessible digital content for their students, but was amazed by their passion, dedication and commitment. This conference is a great way to come together, share the needs, but also educate each other (state employees and educators) and share resources.” – Jessica Cavazos, Minnesota Department of Health&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;“The accessibility quick cards from the Office of Accessibility are my new best friend! They are informative, easy to follow, to make things accessible. Everything I create from now on will be more accessible.” – Educator attendee&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;“I just keep learning and learning from this accessibility community.” - Attendee&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Couldn’t make it this year? Check out the handouts and consider attending next year!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Thanks to everyone who planned, presented and attended this event!&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>343278</id><pubdate>2018-08-22T09:38:40Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Learn how Minnesota&apos;s Legislative Networking Group (LNET) is working to make Minnesota&apos;s legislative website more accessible.</Description><Audience/><Title>Accessibility in Government: Legislative staff work toward a more accessible website</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Minnesota Government</Subject><Subject>web design</Subject><Subject>web accessibility</Subject><Subject>Legislature</Subject><Subject>mnleg</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Accessibility in Government</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Minnesota State Capitol Building.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/capitol-002_tcm38-343298.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Minnesota State Capitol Building.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/capitol-002_tcm38-343296.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2018-06 - Accessibility in Government</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-343304&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2018-06-20T20:55:57Z</Date><ShortDescription>Learn how Minnesota&apos;s Legislative Networking Group (LNET) is working to make Minnesota&apos;s legislative website more accessible.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Working Toward a More Accessible Legislative Website</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Editor’s note: Elaine, a librarian at the Legislative Reference Library and the Accessibility Coordinator for LNET (Legislative Networking Group), wrote this post about recent activities toward making the legislative branch’s content more accessible.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.leg.state.mn.us/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;Minnesota Legislature’s website&quot;&gt;Minnesota Legislature’s website&lt;/a&gt; is the unified effort of staff from the House and Senate and several joint legislative offices including the Revisor of Statutes, the Legislative Reference Library, the Legislative Auditor, and other offices within the Legislative Coordinating Commission. Legislative staff from the various offices collaboratively manage the website through the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/about&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;LNET (Legislative Networking Group)&quot;&gt;LNET (Legislative Networking Group)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;LNET manages the content and design of the Legislature’s website and acts as a forum for all legislative offices to share and discuss issues. The group meets year-round to continuously improve usability and content on the legislative web pages. LNET members act as consultants for one another on issues of technology.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;While each body and office manage distinct websites, many legislative website activities are collaborative. Offices share data to make pages that include information from multiple offices, such as the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.leg.state.mn.us/cal&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;combined calendar&quot;&gt;combined calendar&lt;/a&gt;, the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/cc/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;conference committee page&quot;&gt;conference committee page&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.leg.state.mn.us/mybills/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;MyBills&quot;&gt;MyBills&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Much of the Legislature’s website, which consists of web pages and PDF documents for download, is compliant with the state accessibility standards and many of its documents posted from 2017 to the present are accessible, or the information is provided in an alternative accessible format such as HTML. Like many organizations, large amounts of older materials may not meet accessibility standards and may require a large dedication of resources if the older material is to be remediated. Legislative staff continue to work toward increasing the accessible online presence of the Minnesota Legislature’s website.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The website is coded so that it is usable by keyboard and with a screen reader, which includes use of jump navigation, alt text, heading tags, and meaningful link language. The Legislature uses popular tools such as WebAIM’s WAVE to test for accessibility. IT staff from the legislative offices are currently coordinating to transition the website to Bootstrap, a web interface framework, that will improve the way it works on diverse screen sizes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Many materials, such as bills, session laws, statutes, and rules, are available in HTML as an alternative to PDF. Several legislative offices publish reports and use CommonLook software to remediate PDFs, when applicable. Tagged PDFs are offered when possible. Because the nature of legislative work is complex, fluid, and fast-paced, tagged PDFs may not be immediately possible. An additional accessibility challenge for the Legislature is that some documents that are submitted for posting come from public citizens or non-legislative entities and are not electronically accessible. For specific documents that may not be accessible, the Legislative Coordinating Commission facilitates requests for remediation to make the documents accessible.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Audio and video archives are continually expanding on the Legislative website. Streaming video programming is captioned in both the House and Senate. Recent Senate video files have searchable captions. In addition, the House is exploring ways to possibly make transcripts of audio files available.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If you have comments or questions, please fill out the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/comments&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;Ask a Legislative Librarian form&quot;&gt;Ask a Legislative Librarian form&lt;/a&gt; at the Legislature’s website.&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>343304</id><pubdate>2018-08-22T09:38:38Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>The Minnesota Department of Education and MNIT are sponsoring a conference on assistive technology and accessibility June 14 and 15, 2018 at Augsburg University.</Description><Audience/><Title>MNIT and MDE Share Insight on Assistive Technology and Accessibility</Title><Publisher/><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>AT &amp; Accessibility Summit</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A panel of presenters speaking to a large group</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/presentation-001_tcm38-330876.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A panel of presenters speaking to a large group</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/presentation-001_tcm38-330878.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2018-06 - AT &amp; Accessibility Summit</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-342447&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2018-06-13T18:43:10Z</Date><ShortDescription>The Minnesota Department of Education and MNIT are sponsoring a conference on assistive technology and accessibility June 14 and 15, 2018 at Augsburg University.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>MNIT and MDE Share Insight on Assistive Technology and Accessibility</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Minnesota Department of Education and Minnesota IT Services are sponsoring a great conference on assistive technology and accessibility June 14 and 15, 2018 at Augsburg University. The Office of Accessibility is proud to host the conference handouts and serve on the executive planning committee for the event. Wishing all attendees well as you work together to make digital technology accessible to all.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/at-summit-agenda_tcm38-342415.pdf&quot; title=&quot;at-summit-agenda&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; class=&quot;button-brand-secondary&quot; xlink:title=&quot;at-summit-agenda&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;View the Agenda&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Resources:&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/at-summit-5-minute-website-test_tcm38-342406.pdf&quot; title=&quot;at-summit-5-minute-website-test&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xlink:title=&quot;at-summit-5-minute-website-test&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;5-Minute Website A11y Testing (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Speaker: David Miller&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/at-summit-accessibility-action_tcm38-342408.pdf&quot; title=&quot;at-summit-accessibility-action&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xlink:title=&quot;at-summit-accessibility-action&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/at-summit-accessibility-action_tcm38-342408.pdf&quot; title=&quot;at-summit-accessibility-action&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xlink:title=&quot;at-summit-accessibility-action&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;Accessible Classrooms, Flipped Classrooms, and Accessible Meetings (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Speaker: Kris Schulze&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/at-summit-accessible-presentations_tcm38-342411.pdf&quot; title=&quot;at-summit-accessible-presentations&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xlink:title=&quot;at-summit-accessible-presentations&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;Accessible Presentation Slides &amp;amp; PowerPoint (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Speaker: Kursten Dubbels&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/at-summit-hierarchy-digital-needs_tcm38-342417.pdf&quot; title=&quot;at-summit-hierarchy-digital-needs&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xlink:title=&quot;at-summit-hierarchy-digital-needs&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;Bundy’s Hierarchy of Digital Accessibility Needs (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Speakers: Keith Bundy and Kevin Rydberg&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/at-summit-accessible-documents_tcm38-342409.pdf&quot; title=&quot;at-summit-accessible-documents&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xlink:title=&quot;at-summit-accessible-documents&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;Creating Documents Accessible to Everyone (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Speaker: Rachel Kruzel&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/at-summit-keynote-handout_tcm38-342418.pdf&quot; title=&quot;at-summit-keynote-handout&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xlink:title=&quot;at-summit-keynote-handout&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;Heuristic Approach to Accessibility Design (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Speakers: David Miller, Kris Schulze, and Kim Wee&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/at-summit-digital-community_tcm38-342416.pdf&quot; title=&quot;at-summit-digital-community&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xlink:title=&quot;at-summit-digital-community&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;Including Everyone in Your Digital Community: Social Media Accessibility (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Speaker: Jennie Delisi&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/at-summit-accessibility-101_tcm38-342407.pdf&quot; title=&quot;at-summit-accessibility-101&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xlink:title=&quot;at-summit-accessibility-101&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;PDF Accessibility 101 (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Speaker: Tamara Sawyer&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/at-summit-accessible-graphics_tcm38-342410.pdf&quot; title=&quot;at-summit-accessible-graphics&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xlink:title=&quot;at-summit-accessible-graphics&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;The Art of Making Graphics Accessible (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Speaker: Jessica Cavazos&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/at-summit-reading-barriers-tools_tcm38-342474.pdf&quot; title=&quot;at-summit-reading-barriers-tools&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xlink:title=&quot;at-summit-reading-barriers-tools&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;Tools for Fast, Easy Reading for Students with Reading Barriers (Breakout Session PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Speaker: Christine Jones&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/at-summit-accessible-videos-presentation_tcm38-342412.pdf&quot; title=&quot;at-summit-accessible-videos-presentation&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xlink:title=&quot;at-summit-accessible-videos-presentation&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;Using and Creating Accessible Videos in Your School (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Speaker: Janet Peters&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/at-summit-accessible-videos-resources_tcm38-342414.pdf&quot; title=&quot;at-summit-accessible-videos-resources&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xlink:title=&quot;at-summit-accessible-videos-resources&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;Resources from Slide Presentation (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>342447</id><Tag><Description/><Title>Events</Title><Id>337918</Id><Key/></Tag><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:39Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>The third Thursday of May is Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). Every year, the Office of Accessibility works with agency accessibility coordinators to organize activities on that day to promote the value of accessibility. This year, we expanded the celebration to the entire week – hosting presentations at a different state location each day over the lunch hour.</Description><Audience/><Title>Minnesota Celebrated Global Accessibility Awareness Day All Week</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Global Accessibility Awareness Day</Subject><Subject>GAAD</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Global Accessibility Awareness Day Recap</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Kris Schulze presenting to a large group.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/gaad-001_tcm38-340597.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Kris Schulze presenting to a large group.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/gaad-001_tcm38-340598.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2018-05 - Global Accessibility Awareness Day Recap</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-340615&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2018-05-23T12:53:54Z</Date><ShortDescription>MNIT celebrated Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) by hosting presentations at a different state locations. Find a recap of the the week&apos;s events here.
</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The third Thursday of May is &lt;a href=&quot;http://globalaccessibilityawarenessday.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;Global Accessibility Awareness Day&quot;&gt;Global Accessibility Awareness Day&lt;/a&gt; (GAAD). Every year, the Office of Accessibility works with agency accessibility coordinators to organize activities on that day to promote the value of accessibility. A popular activity is the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/programs/accessibility/nomousechallenge.jsp&quot; title=&quot;No-Mouse Challenge&quot;&gt;No-Mouse Challenge&lt;/a&gt;, which encourages employees to do their job for fifteen minutes without touching their computer mouse or trackpad.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This year, we expanded the celebration to the entire week – hosting presentations at a different state location each day over the lunch hour. The topics were:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Monday:&lt;/strong&gt; How an enterprise software app, Siteimprove, crawls designated websites for broken links, misspellings, and accessibility issues.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tuesday:&lt;/strong&gt; A case study on how accessibility was “baked into” the planning, design, and development process of Workforce One, a key case worker and services management tool for the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Wednesday:&lt;/strong&gt; Guidance on how business analysts (BAs) can integrate accessibility into their processes.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Thursday:&lt;/strong&gt; Review of free web page testing tools and how to use them.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Friday:&lt;/strong&gt; How to work with updated Microsoft SharePoint templates, called “Modern Pages” to best ensure accessibility&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Employees attended in person as well as through webcast. In-person attendees picked up copies of &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/programs/accessibility/index.jsp&quot; title=&quot;accessibility quick cards (PDF)&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;accessibility quick cards (PDF)&lt;/a&gt; and phone stands and got to meet the presenters.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;An interesting challenge was ensuring full inclusivity at each event. Since they were at different locations, we had to rely on accessibility coordinators and their network and facilities teams to ensure:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Good quality audio for both the room and webcast&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Reliable internet connection for both the webcast computer and the onsite captioner&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Caption display on both the room screen and webcast view&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ability to manage slides in room and via webcast&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Each of these elements sound simple enough, but collectively they create a situation fraught with numerous pitfalls. No matter how early we started setup, every day preparation continued to the last minute and sometimes past the start time. Fortunately, we were successful every day thanks to the collective efforts of numerous participants!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/gaad-siteimprove-presentation_tcm38-340577.jpg&quot; style=&quot;width: 90%; height: auto;&quot; xlink:title=&quot;gaad-siteimprove-presentation&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Travis Vermeulen of Siteimprove talks about the tool behind a view of the slides and captions on a laptop.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/gaad-deed-presenters_tcm38-340581.jpg&quot; style=&quot;width: 90%; height: auto;&quot; xlink:title=&quot;gaad-deed-presenters&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Heidi Dolan and Cathy Russell summarize their presentation on integrating accessibility into Workforce One development in front of the projector screen displaying captions under the concluding slide.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/gaad-jay-presentation_tcm38-340579.jpg&quot; style=&quot;width: 90%; height: auto;&quot; xlink:title=&quot;gaad-jay-presentation&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Chief Information Accessibility Officer Jay Wyant talks about how business analysts can present a case for integrating accessibility into their processes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/gaad-kris-presentation_tcm38-340580.jpg&quot; style=&quot;width: 90%; height: auto;&quot; xlink:title=&quot;gaad-kris-presentation&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Packed house listened intently as Kris Schulze discussed the changes to SharePoint with the addition of Modern pages and libraries.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/gaad-becky-jay-booth_tcm38-340582.jpg&quot; style=&quot;width: 90%; height: auto;&quot; xlink:title=&quot;gaad-becky-jay-booth&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
MNIT/Health Accessibility Coordinator and Chief Information Accessibility Officer (CIAO) Jay Wyant show off the GAAD information table at the Department of Health’s Freeman Building prior to the Friday presentation.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/gaad-kim-jennie-outfits_tcm38-340578.jpg&quot; style=&quot;width: 90%; height: auto;&quot; xlink:title=&quot;gaad-kim-jennie-outfits&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Accessibility Analyst Jennie Delisi and Accessibility Coordinator Kim Wee wore GAAD appropriate clothing for Thursday’s talk!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>340615</id><pubdate>2018-08-22T09:38:35Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Facebook is working hard at increasing its accessibility through “automatic alternative (alt) text”, a feature that uses object recognition technology to create a description of a photo. Here are some things to consider before automatically generating your alt text.</Description><Audience/><Title>Facebook Accessibility – Image Descriptions</Title><Publisher/><Subject>accessibility</Subject><Subject>alt text</Subject><Subject>alternative text</Subject><Subject>Facebook</Subject><Subject>Image Descriptions</Subject><Subject>object recognition technology</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Facebook Accessibility</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A cursor hovering over the &quot;Change Alt Text&quot; option in Facebook to add alt text to a photo of Jenna Covey and Joan Redwing.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/alt-text-facebook_tcm38-340596.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A cursor hovering over the &quot;Change Alt Text&quot; option in Facebook to add alt text to a photo of Jenna Covey and Joan Redwing.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/alt-text-facebook_tcm38-340599.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2018-05 - Facebook Accessibility</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-340576&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2018-05-23T12:42:14Z</Date><ShortDescription>Facebook&apos;s “automatic alt text” uses object recognition technology to create a description of a photo. Here are some things to consider before generating alt text automatically.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Image Descriptions</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A discussion about Facebook accessibility, specifically image descriptions, started in our Minnesota accessibility coordinator group, so the Office of Accessibility provided some testing.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What’s the Issue?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Facebook is working hard at increasing the accessibility of their product. Recently they added “&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/help/216219865403298?helpref=faq_content&quot; title=&quot;automatic alternative (alt) text&quot;&gt;automatic alternative (alt) text&lt;/a&gt;” which is “a feature that uses object recognition technology to create a description of a photo.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For a photo of two people, the automatic alt text might say “2 people, people smiling, people standing.” The alt text included in the image below demonstrates how sometimes Facebook gets it wrong! Because there is a poster behind the two people and the poster includes images of people, the automatic alt text indicates there are “4 people, people smiling, people standing.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/alt-text-photo-001_tcm38-340586.jpg&quot; style=&quot;width: 90%; height: auto;&quot; xlink:title=&quot;alt-text-photo-001&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;So there are some things to consider, should you decide to let Facebook create your alt text for you!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If Facebook knows any people in the image (they have an account), Facebook will name them in the alt text. Do you want to share that person’s identity, or have their permission to share it with everyone that may encounter that photo?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The automatic alt text is very automatic and literal. Does the automatic description convey what you were trying to communicate to those who read your post? For example, if you were on the phone telling a friend or co-worker about the photo, is that how you would describe the image?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;And, sometimes, the automatic alt text will provide the wrong information—it is just learning! What if it says something is in the image, but it isn’t? You may be communicating something you don’t want to say.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Because some assistive technology users listen to a “list of links” when reviewing a webpage, it is important to know that whatever the alt text is becomes the name of the link for that image (most images on Facebook also function as links). If your links all start with “Image may contain” (the beginning of the alt text added by Facebook) then in a list of links sorted alphabetically, there is no way to easily navigate this list. Want to understand more about link lists? Our February article “&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/blog/#/detail/appId/1/id/326600&quot; title=&quot;Descriptive Hyperlinks for All&quot;&gt;Descriptive Hyperlinks for All&lt;/a&gt;” may help.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What Can I Do?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It is really easy to &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/help/214124458607871&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;add/edit alt text&quot;&gt;add/edit alt text&lt;/a&gt; for your images, and Facebook has a handy article on how to do this. Go back and review the alt text for images you have already posted and check what is there. Get in the habit of adding alt text yourself each time you post a photo. At this time, the desktop interface works best, so when posting from a mobile device you may need to go in at a later date to update.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/alt-text-photo-003_tcm38-340585.jpg&quot; style=&quot;width: 90%; height: auto;&quot; xlink:title=&quot;alt-text-photo-003&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/alt-text-photo-002_tcm38-340583.jpg&quot; style=&quot;width: 90%; height: auto;&quot; xlink:title=&quot;alt-text-photo-002&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Some accessibility best practices are to:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Always check the alt text for images being posted to be sure they say what you want it to, and that they haven&apos;t identified anyone you do not have permission to identify.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Delete the text “Image may contain.” This helps assure viewers the alt text has been edited and is likely accurate.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use unique descriptors. Avoid starting every alt text with statements such as “Picture of…” Remember that the beginning of the alt text also is the beginning of the link name if someone is listening to a list of links. Imagine all the links from a page in a list, with sorting options (order they appear, alphabetical). While most people will not navigate Facebook this way, it’s just something to consider.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Finally, the alt text is only heard by individuals using screen readers but they may not be the only people that would benefit from a description of the image. When entering text to accompany the image, describe the image as part of the post (“Commissioner Clyborne chats about data security with...”)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;When posting multiple images, it gets a little trickier. After posting, select a single image. Facebook will invite you to “add a description.” This description will help viewers identify who or what is in the picture as well the activity. Then right-select the image to add the alt text.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Thanks to all the State of Minnesota accessibility coordinators who participated in the discussion, notably Chad Miller of Minnesota Council on Disability, and David Miller, Minnesota IT Services Partnering with the Department of Corrections. Interested in keeping up with the latest in social media accessibility? Sign up for the &lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_273&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;Office of Accessibility updates&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility updates on Social Media, eLearning and Multimedia Accessibility&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>340576</id><pubdate>2018-08-22T09:38:32Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>The goal of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is to increase the number of people that understand accessibility and why it matters.
</Description><Audience/><Title>Global Accessibility Awareness Day</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>gaad</Subject><Subject>Global Accessibility Awareness Day</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Global Accessibility Awareness Day</Title><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Illustration of a computer mouse covered by a circle with a line through it.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/No-Mouse-Challenge--thumbnail_tcm38-232066.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2018-05 - Global Accessibility Awareness Day</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-327943&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2018-05-17T21:47:05Z</Date><ShortDescription>The goal of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is to increase the number of people that understand accessibility and why it matters.
</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Mark Your Calendars for May 17th!  </Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;May 17th, 2018 is a great day for celebrating achievements, educating people, and having conversations about what needs to happen next in the world of digital accessibility. Why? It is Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). The Office of Accessibility will be sponsoring and coordinating events for state employees, but this day is not just for state employees. It is for anyone who writes emails, creates documents, codes webpages, purchases software, posts on Facebook…&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Why?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The world increasingly depends on technology to communicate and do business. We can all participate, including individuals with disabilities, when digital technology is accessible. The goal of GAAD is to increase the number of people that understand the basics of accessibility and why it matters.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;How can I get involved?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Easy!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Do something small: can you add an &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.interactiveaccessibility.com/blog/welcome-global-accessibility-awareness-day-trivia#.WnSJ6vmnEb8&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;accessibility trivia question&quot;&gt;accessibility trivia question&lt;/a&gt; to a meeting agenda?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Follow along on social media: #GAAD is the search term used on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media accounts. The &lt;a href=&quot;https://twitter.com/MNIT_Services&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;Minnesota IT Services Twitter account&quot;&gt;Minnesota IT Services Twitter account&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/MNITServices/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;Minnesota IT Services Facebook page&quot;&gt;Facebook page&lt;/a&gt; will feature accessibility tips, resources and more.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Share with friends: our &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/index.jsp&quot; title=&quot;Accessibility&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessibility Landing&quot;&gt;accessibility quick cards&lt;/a&gt; are accessible PDFs that can be emailed or printed.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Attend an event: the Global Accessibility Awareness Day site has an &lt;a href=&quot;http://globalaccessibilityawarenessday.org/events.php&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;Global Accessibility Awareness Day Event Page&quot;&gt;event page&lt;/a&gt; which lists many events, including some in Minnesota.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Host your own event: a table with information, a presentation or a training.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Are you a state employee? If so, check your agency&apos;s intranet page for more information, and reach out to your accessibility coordinator if you would like to help.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We will be on the lookout for #GAAD #Minnesota shares on social media. Spread the word!&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>327943</id><pubdate>2018-08-22T09:38:34Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Find out about recent updates to Section 508 and from the WCAG to make information technology and web content more accessible.</Description><Audience/><Title>Accessibility Standard Updated</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Section 508</Subject><Subject>WCAG</Subject><Subject>Web Content Accessibility Guidelines</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Accessibility Standard Updated</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A cellphone and electronic tablet laying on top of a laptop.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/electronic-devices-001_tcm38-336348.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A cellphone and electronic tablet laying on top of a laptop.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/electronic-devices-001_tcm38-336351.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2018-04 - Accessibility Standard Updated</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-336319&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2018-04-19T05:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Find out about recent updates to Section 508 and from the WCAG to make information technology and web content more accessible.
</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Section 508 Refresh and the WCAG</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Section 508 Refresh&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;On January 18, 2017, the United States Access Board published an updated &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh/final-rule/text-of-the-standards-and-guidelines&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;Section 508 rule&quot;&gt;Section 508&lt;/a&gt; rule. In the making for nearly a decade, the rule updated the federal procurement requirements designed to ensure that all information and communications technology (ICT) is accessible.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A year later, on January 18, 2018, that rule became enforceable. Federal agencies who failed to appropriately apply it in their purchasing decisions could be held liable.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/index.jsp&quot; title=&quot;Accessibility Policies &amp;amp; Standards&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessibility Policies &amp;amp; Standards&quot;&gt;State of Minnesota accessibility standard&lt;/a&gt; was designed to automatically update whenever Section 508 refreshed. A work group took a close look at the refresh and recommended formally updating the standard with some specific references to Section 508. For example, Section 508 itemized what types of documents constituted “official business” and were therefore covered under the rule. The work group felt the list was more confusing than helpful. The updated state standard omits that itemization and simply references official business.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For more information on the standard and how to apply it to your work, review the &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/accessibility-guidelines-2018_tcm38-336072.pdf&quot; title=&quot;Accessibility Guidelines 2018&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessibility-guidelines-2018&quot;&gt;accompanying guidelines&lt;/a&gt; (PDF). The guidelines, unlike the standard, will update regularly with feedback from agencies and employees. To review the latest version, look for it on the same web page as the standard.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What about WCAG?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The state accessibility standard comprises two sources, Section 508 and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/quickref/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), 2.0&quot;&gt;Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), 2.0&lt;/a&gt;. Section 508 has refreshed, so what about WCAG? The Word Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has submitted a &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;candidate recommendation for version 2.1&quot;&gt;“candidate recommendation” for version 2.1&lt;/a&gt;. Public comments closed March 30. Committee members hope to release it as an approved version later this summer.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A key challenge to creating an update is that some of the success criteria are aspirational – criteria they think technology should follow but for which there are currently no known implementations. In order to make these criteria qualify for the guidelines, the writers had to prove that such criteria were feasible and possible with current tools and resources (such as current browsers).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Before Minnesota formally enforces 2.1, the Office of Accessibility will work with its agency partners to develop guidelines and recommendations on how to best support the new criteria.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Future of WCAG&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The W3C is not stopping there. There’s a new version of WCAG, code-named “Silver.” But instead of creating an updated group of success criteria to add to the existing set, Silver is an attempt to reimagine accessibility guidelines from the ground up. The current guidelines were written with a focus on accessing information through a browser. Today, many people access information on the internet without a browser – such as through mobile apps or computer programs. So the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/task-forces/silver/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;Silver Task Force&quot;&gt;Silver Task Force&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/community/silver/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;W3C Silver Community Group&quot;&gt;W3C Silver Community Group&lt;/a&gt; are developing the framework for a successor to the WCAG.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The W3C welcomes anyone who wants to be involved. If you’re interested, check out the above links and join the community group!&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>336319</id><pubdate>2026-04-13T18:22:29Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Whether you are an accessibility coordinator, a content creator, a quality assurance professional, webmaster, or a user of the document or website, the art of sending quality feedback packaged within a thoughtfully crafted communication is a skill we can all improve. Find tips on providing accessibility feedback here.</Description><Audience/><Title>Accessibility Feedback</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>communication</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Accessibility Feedback</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Two talk bubbles.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/feedback-002_tcm38-336347.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Two talk bubbles.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/feedback-002_tcm38-336352.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2018-04 - Accessibility Feedback</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-336318&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2018-04-19T05:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>Whether you are an accessibility coordinator, a content creator, a quality assurance professional, webmaster, or a user of the document or website, the art of sending quality feedback packaged within a thoughtfully crafted communication is a skill we can all improve. Find tips on providing accessibility feedback here.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>What Makes Accessibility Feedback More Effective?</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Have you heard the phrase “feedback is a gift?” While this can be true, how it is communicated can make the difference between it feeling like a slap in the face, a “gotcha!” or encouragement. Whether you are an accessibility coordinator, a content creator, a quality assurance professional, webmaster, or a user of the document or website, the art of sending quality feedback packaged within a thoughtfully crafted communication is a skill we can all improve.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The main content of accessibility feedback typically includes:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Defining the issue: where was it found (software, webpage, document) and the challenge or barrier (e.g., “missing” content, improperly structured headings, poor color contrast, navigation difficulties).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Some type of further information: information about the State Accessibility Standard, resources to learn how to fix the issue, or even testing results if that is how the issue was determined.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Words We Choose Have Impact&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;While providing feedback on an accessibility issue is the reason for the communication, it is often not the most important part. Many times the communications go to people who may be less familiar with accessibility standards and techniques for addressing the issues. In addition, the recipients may have a fear about what the communications mean and what happens next.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tamara Sawyer, Accessibility Coordinator for Minnesota Management and Budget says “I start out with positive feedback. It sets a good tone and lets them know I saw/recognized the effort they put into it.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“We find offering our help usually wins people over and they are grateful for the assistance. It’s the carrot not the stick” says Lolly Lijewski, Communications Specialist at Minnesota Department of Human Services. “We try to encourage our [team] members to coach, and not do the work for staff. We always leave them with tip cards and ideas about how to get training.” The importance of providing or offering coaching, advice, and resources was mentioned in some way by all of the accessibility coordinators we reached out to when writing this article.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;But, sometimes the person that wants to provide feedback doesn’t have the knowledge or experience to also provide coaching-type information. When possible, some accessibility coordinators will address this situation by reaching out to subject matter experts and connecting them to the person that needs the training or more resources. Especially for highly specialized situations, organizing a meeting with experts to determine a potential solution can help everyone on the team. Anne Sittner Anderson, communications coordinator for the Commission of Deaf, Deaf Blind &amp;amp; Hard of Hearing Minnesotans, experienced this in a particular situation. In response, she assembled a small group of advisors “and added a new process to my video production based on their feedback.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The tone and the information shared works best when it is supportive, provides at least some type of further information, and lets the person know where they can go should they need further assistance with the issue.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Feedback You Receive From Others and Need to Forward&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If your job involves being the go-between, someone to whom accessibility issues are reported but then turns around and provides the feedback to someone else, there is some information that you can gather as a first step. Bridget Anderson, Supervisor of the Communications Division at the Minnesota Department of Revenue, reaches out “to the customer or employee directly to better understand their issue or needs.” That way, “when we reach out to our employees who created the original content, we [can] explain the issue and offer advice on how to correct the issue.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When the issue has been raised by a customer/citizen, Lijewski says “we offer our services as a way to resolve the issue, and we act as the communicator with the citizen until the issue is resolved if possible.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Lijewski also fields accessibility challenges brought forward by employees regarding internally used software or documents. “Usually one of us (Accessibility Standards and Design Team, or ASDT) talks with the person who has the issue. Who the ASDT member is depends on their skills and expertise. We triage issues based on who the best person is to handle the issue. For example, if it’s PDFs it’s one person, if it’s a screen reader issue, it’s me. Then we work with the person until it’s resolved if possible.” Sawyer will sometimes try to replicate the issue. If the person reporting the issue uses a screen reader, for example, she may open the document or webpage and use the screen reader to listen for the issue. She then calls “the person who sent in the complaint” and discusses the issue “to make sure I fully understood…and didn’t miss anything else” before forwarding the information to the group that created the content.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Even though David Miller, Lead Quality Analyst for Minnesota IT Services Partnering with the Department of Corrections, typically receives issues identified by quality analysts and reports them to developers and/or business analysts, he still emphasizes the need to “explain in plain language what the issue is and why it is an issue” because “most people are still new to the concept of accessibility.” When possible, he will “include screenshots and/or code snippets that illustrate the issue.” After doing some research, he may also include “an example of what the HTML might look like when fixed” as well as links to web articles on how others have resolved similar issues. Communicating about accessibility issues ultimately develop relationships. While providing factual information about the issue to the content or application creator, we should also have a goal of opening or maintaining a dialogue with that individual. When providing the description of the issue, consider how the message will be received, even if it is someone you know well. Most individuals are doing their best and want to do the right thing. Using the strategies of positive feedback and offering help (through resources, future interactions, or doing research) can go a long way.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Bonus strategy from Rick Newquist, business analyst supervisor with Minnesota IT Services partnering with Minnesota Department of Human Services and MNsure: communicate when you find something good! He says that “us software people mostly hear about bugs, the need for enhancements, mistakes, etc.” You can also contact people to say “fantastic job” when you find they have done a great job making something accessible, or have improved the accessibility of a software, website or document.&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>336318</id><pubdate>2018-08-22T09:38:18Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Alternative text (alt text) is a valuable tool that ensures non-visual readers and other users of assistive technology (AT) get information from pictures, graphics, and other images. Learn how to incorporate alt text in your content.</Description><Audience/><Title>Best Practices for Alternative Text</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Alternative Text</Subject><Subject>alt text</Subject><Subject>assistive technology</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Best Practices for Alternative Text</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Screenshot of alt text in html</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/alt-text-001_tcm38-330875.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Screenshot of alt text in html</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/alt-text-001_tcm38-330877.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2018-03 - Best Practices for Alternative Text</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-330880&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2018-03-21T21:28:52Z</Date><ShortDescription>Alternative text (alt text) is a valuable tool that ensures non-visual readers and other users of assistive technology (AT) get information from pictures, graphics, and other images. Learn how to incorporate alt text in your content.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>How to add Alt Text to Your Content</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;By Becky Bernauer, Web and Accessibility Coordinator, Minnesota IT Services Partnering with Minnesota Department of Health&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Alternative text (alt text) is a valuable tool that ensures non-visual readers and other users of assistive technology (AT) get information from pictures, graphics, and other images. Good alt text also provides other benefits depending on the document type.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Instructions for Adding Alt Text in Microsoft Office&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This process works for all Microsoft content creation programs, such as Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Right-click (Shift + F10) the image and choose Format Picture.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;In the Format Picture pane, select the Layout &amp;amp; Properties icon.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select Alt Text.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;In the Description field enter a description of the image.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Leave the Title field blank. Best practice: Limit alt text to 150 characters or less.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Must Do&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Keep it short and meaningful.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Example: &quot;Hmong children fishing&quot;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;This example lets the reader know specific, such as that the children are Hmong and they are fishing.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If the image has text on it, include the text in the alt text description.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Things to Think About&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Avoid using symbols as part of your alt text. Some symbols will not be read.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Do not provide a URL as part of the alt text. Assistive technology user cannot follow a link that is in the alt text.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Stay away from images of text. Text cannot be easily copied and used by the audience.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Decorative Images&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If you have an image that does not provide information and is purely decorative in nature, the alt text for the image in Word, PowerPoint and emails should be the word &quot;decorative.&quot;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For PDFs, remove the alt text for decorative images, then mark as background (an artifact) in the PDF.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Use Alt Text When a Short Summary is Not Possible&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If a chart or graph cannot be easily summarized, you should:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;provide an explanation of the graphic in the surrounding text, and/or&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;provide a table of the data that created the chart or graph directly below the graphic when possible, and/or&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;provide a link to a long description directly below the image.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A long description is a link to detailed information, such as a webpage that contains a table of the data that created a chart or graph that was too big to include in the document.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A chart with many data points might have a data table that can be provided in one of these ways:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;below the graphic&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;in the appendices of the document&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;via a link to a web page containing the data table.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The alt text should provide the location of the data/long description. Examples of alt text (for the chart) when providing a data table:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Chart X, the data for this chart can be found in Table X below.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Chart X, the data table for this chart can be found in Appendix X of this document.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Chart X, the data for this chart can be found by following the link provided below this chart.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In some cases, such as an organizational chart that was created in Visio with objects that cannot be properly tagged or organized, you may need to provide the same information with text in a Word document or Web page. This allows the person using assistive technology to get the information in a manner that is understandable, similar to giving an explanation over the telephone.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Other Resources&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Visit the links below for more information:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://webaim.org/techniques/alttext/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;WebAIM article on alternative text (https://webaim.org/techniques/alttext/)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/programs/accessibility/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Minnesota&apos;s Office of Accessibility Website (https://mn.gov/mnit/programs/accessibility/)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>330880</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:38Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Jennie Delisi, Kim Wee, and Jay Wyant represent the state of Minnesota at the 33rd CSUN Assistive Technology Conference. Industry leaders attend as presenters, sponsors, exhibitors, and attendees at what has been recognized as the largest conference on digital accessibility and assistive technology (AT) held in the world.</Description><Audience/><Title>MNIT&apos;s Office of Accessibility Presents at the Assistive Technology Conference</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>assistive technology</Subject><Subject>CSUN</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Minnesota at CSUN</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A panel of presenters speaking to a large group</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/presentation-001_tcm38-330876.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A panel of presenters speaking to a large group</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/presentation-001_tcm38-330878.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2018-03 - Minnesota Presents at CSUN</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-330597&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2018-03-21T18:16:05Z</Date><ShortDescription>Jennie Delisi, Kim Wee, and Jay Wyant represent the state of Minnesota at the 33rd CSUN Assistive Technology Conference. Industry leaders attend as presenters, sponsors, exhibitors, and attendees at what has been recognized as the largest conference on digital accessibility and assistive technology (AT) held in the world.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>MNIT&apos;s Office of Accessibility Presents at the Assistive Technology Conference</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The 33rd &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.csun.edu/cod/conference/2018/sessions/index.php/public/conf_sessions/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;CSUN Assistive Technology Conference&lt;/a&gt; will take place March 21-23. It has long been recognized as the largest conference on digital accessibility and assistive technology (AT) held in the world. Industry leaders in accessibility and AT attend as presenters, sponsors, exhibitors, and attendees. Top technology providers, from Microsoft and Google to Adobe and Facebook, will present on their latest developments in accessible technology.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;State of Minnesota staff are also participating in two presentations:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.csun.edu/cod/conference/2018/sessions/index.php/public/presentations/view/140&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Develop, Test, Deploy: Accessible Templates for an Entire State&lt;/a&gt;. Jennie Delisi, Kim Wee, and Jay Wyant tell the story of how state agencies collaborated to create accessible email and Word templates, then made them readily available to all state employees. We have posted the &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/csun-presentation-develop-test-deploy-2018_tcm38-330871.pdf&quot; title=&quot;csun-presentation-develop-test-deploy-2018&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;csun-presentation-develop-test-deploy-2018&quot;&gt;presentation slides&lt;/a&gt; (PDF), the &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/document-template-accessibility-testing-instructions_tcm38-330873.pdf&quot; title=&quot;document-template-accessibility-testing-instructions&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;document-template-accessibility-testing-instructions&quot;&gt;document template accessibility testing instructions&lt;/a&gt; (PDF), a &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/document-accessibility-testing-report_tcm38-330872.docx&quot; title=&quot;document-accessibility-testing-report&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;document-accessibility-testing-report&quot;&gt;sample report you can use&lt;/a&gt; (Word), and the &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/assets/template-deployment-instructions_tcm38-330874.pdf&quot; title=&quot;template-deployment-instructions&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;template-deployment-instructions&quot;&gt;IT template deployment instructions&lt;/a&gt; (PDF).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.csun.edu/cod/conference/2018/sessions/index.php/public/presentations/view/265&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Strategic Approaches for Buying Accessible Technology&lt;/a&gt;. The US Department of Labor&apos;s &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.peatworks.org/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Partnership on Employment &amp;amp; Accessible Technology&lt;/a&gt;, Texas, and Minnesota jointly present on a framework for buying accessible technology and services. This &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.peatworks.org/content/csun-assistive-technology-conference&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;presentation&lt;/a&gt; will be available here.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Want to follow the conference? Check out the twitter hashtag &lt;strong&gt;#CSUNATC18&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A note about the name. CSUN is the conference host&apos;s acronym, California State University at Northridge. The conference was previously named the &quot;International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference,&quot; but everyone, including its organizers always referred to it as &quot;CSUN.&quot; The new name reflects that reality and puts a lens on the conference&apos;s focus on removing &quot;the barriers that prevent the full participation of persons with disabilities in educational, workplace and social settings.&quot; In addition to over 100 sessions each day on accessibility, visitors to its exhibit hall have the rare opportunity to check out a wide range of assistive technology and other accessibility tools. And, this is the place you should hang out if you want to run into Stevie Wonder!&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>330597</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:39Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>MNIT&apos;s Office of Accessibility is a resource for all state agencies, to help fulfill their obligations to make their communications and information technologies accessible to all.</Description><Audience/><Title>What is the Office of Accessibility, and what does &quot;accessibility&quot; mean?</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Office of Accessibility</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A diverse group of people.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/people-diverse-001-1200x400_tcm38-327953.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A diverse group of people.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/people-diverse-300x300_tcm38-327952.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2018-02 - Office of Accessibility</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-327944&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2018-02-27T22:33:50Z</Date><ShortDescription>MNIT&apos;s Office of Accessibility is a resource for all state agencies, to help fulfill their obligations to make their communications and information technologies accessible to all.
</ShortDescription><Subtitle>What is the Office of Accessibility, and what does &quot;accessibility&quot; mean?</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In 2009, the state legislature charged the State Chief Information Officer /CIO, also known as the Minnesota IT Services Commissioner to create state accessibility and usability standards (&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=16E.03&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;state accessibility and usability standards (16E.03, subd. 9)&quot;&gt;16E.03, subd. 9&lt;/a&gt;) for information technology, software, and hardware. The same statute charged the State CIO to &quot;require state agencies to adhere to the standards developed under this subdivision.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A related statute created the Technology Accessibility Advisory Committee (TAAC), with representatives from multiple state agencies. While the TAAC mandate ended in 2013, Minnesota IT Services incorporated the same committee within its permanent governance structure.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Starting in 2011, the legislature appropriated funds for use by &quot;the chief information officer for the purpose of coordinating technology accessibility and usability.&quot; (Chapter 94 - S.F. 1456) Those funds set up the Office of Accessibility, headed by the Chief Information Accessibility Officer (CIAO).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What we do&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/index.jsp&quot; title=&quot;Accessibility Policies &amp;amp; Standards&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessibility Policies &amp;amp; Standards&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;state accessibility standard&lt;/a&gt; and the Office of Accessibility were intended by the legislature to be a resource for all state agencies, to help agencies fulfill their obligations to make their communications and information technologies accessible to all state citizens and employees.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Since those beginnings, we&apos;ve:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Added an Accessibility Analyst, Jennie Delisi, to the staff&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Partnered with agencies to create a vibrant network of Accessibility Coordinators (45 at last count) interspersed throughout agencies&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Developed a &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/index.jsp&quot; title=&quot;Accessibility Section&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessibility Landing&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;website (mn.gov/mnit/accessibility)&lt;/a&gt; chock full of resources, best practices, and toolkits for state employees and the public&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Developed training programs and presented brown bags throughout the state&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Implemented free statewide tools for testing and accessible PDF remediation&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Consulted on projects large, such as statewide systems, and small throughout the state&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;And now, we&apos;re publishing a newsletter, designed to share our information and resources with you.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Whether you are a person that writes social media posts, codes in HTML5, or creates Microsoft Word documents, we will have information for you. And, when you subscribe to our newsletter, you will be able to indicate which topics are most of interest to you. Here&apos;s how to sign up:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;visit our &lt;a href=&quot;https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNIT/subscriber/new?topic_id=MNIT_270&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;Accessibility Newsletter Subscription Page&quot;&gt;subscription page&lt;/a&gt;,&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;enter your email address,&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;select submit.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;What is &quot;accessibility&quot;?&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&quot;Access&quot; is defined in various dictionaries as both a noun and a verb-approaching or entering a place, or in computing terms, to obtain, examine, or retrieve data or a file. Given these terms, what would you say is the definition of &quot;accessibility?&quot;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=16E.015&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;16E.015&quot;&gt;16E.015&lt;/a&gt;, the legislature declared that &quot;&apos;Accessibility&apos; and &apos;accessible&apos; are defined by the accessibility standards developed and required under section 16E.03.&quot; In other words, the legislature asked the State CIO to develop a statewide accessibility standard, and further declared that standard to be the resource for how to define what is accessible.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;So we look at accessibility, not so much as a definition, but as a means to the goal that any individual, including those with disabilities, is able to use all information technology such as websites and applications and obtain any needed information.&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>327944</id><pubdate>2026-04-13T18:22:26Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Hyperlinks are an incredibly useful tool for digital communication but can frustrating for people who rely on assistive technology if they are not descriptive. Descriptive hyperlinks inform users about where they will land once they select a link, and it’s the preferred method for accessibly sharing digital content.</Description><Audience/><Title>Descriptive Hyperlinks for All</Title><Publisher/><Subject>acessibility</Subject><Subject>descriptive hyperlinks </Subject><Subject>hyperlinks </Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Descriptive Hyperlinks for All</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A cursor hovering over a hyperlink that reads &quot;make your hyperlinks descriptive&quot;</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/hyperlinks-descriptive-001_tcm38-326629.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A cursor hovering over a hyperlink that reads &quot;make your hyperlinks descriptive&quot;</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/hyperlinks-descriptive-001_tcm38-326630.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2018-02 - Descriptive Hyperlinks for All</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-326600&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2018-02-13T17:43:58Z</Date><ShortDescription>Hyperlinks are an incredibly useful tool for digital communication but can frustrating for people who rely on assistive technology if they are not descriptive. Descriptive hyperlinks inform users about where they will land once they select a link, and it’s the preferred method for accessibly sharing digital content.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Making Digital Content More Accessible</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Hyperlinks are a common and incredibly useful tool for communicating on tech platforms. Using a hyperlink in a document is a convenient way to cite a source or direct a reader to relevant online content.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The challenge? Simply pasting a hyperlink into a web page, word document, email, or social media post can be messy. The text in hyperlinks is typically long, cumbersome, and – perhaps the most frustrating for people who rely on assistive technology to navigate digital resources – undescriptive.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Descriptive hyperlinks inform users about where they will land once they select a link, and it’s the preferred method for accessibly sharing digital content.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Confused about what, exactly, a descriptive hyperlink is and when you would use it?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Example:&lt;/em&gt; You would like to link to Minnesota IT Services’ tips for Social Media use and outreach in a document.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Instead of writing something like “If you’d like to read more about posting to social media in an effective, accessible manner, go to: &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/programs/accessibility/social-media.jsp&quot; title=&quot;MNIT’s Accessible Social Media Tips&quot;&gt;https://mn.gov/mnit/programs/accessibility/social-media.jsp&lt;/a&gt;,” you could write, “If you’d like to read more about posting to social media in an effective, accessible manner, check out MNIT’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/programs/accessibility/social-media.jsp&quot; title=&quot;MNIT’s Accessible Social Media Tips&quot;&gt;Accessible Social Media Tips&lt;/a&gt;.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why does that work best?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The purpose of the link is described in the link text.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If someone using a screen reader is listening to a “list of links” on a web page or in a document (a common way to navigate content), it is easy for them to understand where that link will take them.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/accessibility-links-list_tcm38-326652.jpg&quot; title=&quot;JAWS Links List for this blog post (3 links)&quot; alt=&quot;JAWS Links List for this blog post (3 links)&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto; border: 5px solid #003865;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;accessibility-links-list&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What if you expect the reader to print out your document?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In that case, you might consider including the link in parentheses, like this: “If you’d like to read more about posting to social media in an effective, accessible manner, check out MNIT’s &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/programs/accessibility/social-media.jsp&quot; title=&quot;MNIT’s Accessible Social Media Tips&quot;&gt;Accessible Social Media Tips (https://mn.gov/mnit/programs/accessiblity/social-media.jsp)&lt;/a&gt;.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why does that work in this situation?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If printed, the URL is available
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;caution: when there is an underscore (_) in the URL it may cause some confusion because of the line that prints indicating this is a link.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If read online, the link will directly take you to that location.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If using a screen reader and listening to a “list of links” the name “Accessible Social Media Tips” continues to inform the individual of where the link will take them.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Adding a descriptive hyperlink is an easy win for accessible content. Be sure to keep these tips in mind when you’re using hyperlinks!&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>326600</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:40Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>We are pleased to announce a new accessibility toolkit geared towards creating accessible content for Facebook Live! The toolkit is meant to be a best-practices guide for agencies and organizations that would like to use Facebook Live to engage their social media audiences in new and fun ways.</Description><Audience/><Title>Accessibility Toolkit for Facebook Live</Title><Publisher/><Subject>CART</Subject><Subject>captions</Subject><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Facebook</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Accessibility Toolkit for Facebook Live</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Person holding a mobile phone that is playing a captioned facebook live video. </AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Facebook-Live_1200x500_tcm38-310021.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Person holding a mobile phone that is playing a captioned facebook live video. </AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Facebook-Live_300x300_tcm38-310023.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2017-09 - Accessibility Toolkit for Facebook Live</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-310440&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2017-09-07T09:16:27Z</Date><ShortDescription>We are pleased to announce a new accessibility toolkit geared towards creating accessible content for Facebook Live! The toolkit is meant to be a best-practices guide for agencies and organizations that would like to use Facebook Live to engage their social media audiences in new and fun ways.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Create your own accessible Facebook Live videos using our new toolkit!</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Last week, MNIT shared a Blog Post about how the MNIT Communications Team and the Office of Accessibility worked together to create a Facebook Live experience that we could share with everyone. Today, we are pleased to announce a new accessibility toolkit geared towards creating accessible content for Facebook Live! The toolkit is meant to be a best-practices guide for agencies and organizations that would like to use Facebook Live to engage their social media audiences in new and fun ways.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Overview&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Live events include Facebook Live Streams, YouTube live events…any live event which includes audio and video.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;These steps are specific to Facebook Live. The general planning involved applies to any live video streaming event. Other containers, such as YouTube, present their own unique requirements.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Key things to know prior to attempting Facebook Live:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Captioning the event helps ensure your audience can access the information presented.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;There continue to be some issues getting captions to display overtop of your live video event, such as video source restrictions, for some types of social media. In these cases, your caption service provider should be able to use a third-party service like StreamText to provide the captions in a separate window.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Live streaming captions in the separate window will work while the event is in progress, but will not remain visible once the event is completed.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt; The captioner needs good quality audio to hear the event.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Consider your internet connections and phone capabilities at the event site as part of your planning process. Connectivity can be a real challenge when off site.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Planning&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Budget/Staffing&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For outdoor events, ensure your microphone will capture well despite environmental noises, competing sounds, etc. Budget for equipment if you do not currently have what you need.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Caption services:
&lt;ol style=&quot;list-style-type: lower-alpha;&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt; Rehearsals – recommend two sessions if you have not done this before; at least one if you have held a successful event previously (with captions).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Schedule caption services (State of MN agencies can use this CART contract service) for the event, including setup time prior to the event starting. Specify that you would like a text (txt) file as soon as possible after the event. (Typically you’d request a text file as part of the contract, but those files may be delivered between anywhere between a day to a week after the event. In this case, it is critical to request the writer send it immediately following the event.)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Your agency may already have a master contract or open PO for captioning services. Check with your purchasing agent or affirmative action officer.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Include info here for state employees that need to use a contract vendor?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Assign a staff person back at the office to caption the posted video file – easier to do back at the office if you may have spotty internet on location.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;At the event, split tasks among multiple people: one to manage the video, another the CART phone call (if you use a phone), and a third to respond to comments on the feed during the event (while this person could be anywhere, on location ensures an awareness of potential issues and facts).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Rehearsal&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use a non-public account to run your testing.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Mimic the environment as much as possible.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Rehearse how you will alert the captioner that the event is starting and ending.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Have staff monitoring the caption link on one device and the Facebook live feed on a different device to ensure everything is working during the test.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Review the video for sound and video quality. Review the CART file and discuss with the captioner items that impacted the captions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Plan what the post will say and who will edit the post:
&lt;ol style=&quot;list-style-type: lower-alpha;&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;As the event is beginning (include the link to captions)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Once the event has concluded (include timeline of when the video will be captioned)&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Once the video has been captioned&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ensure staff are trained on how to operate the equipment, and how to add the caption file. See &quot;Loading CART to Facebook&quot; below if you are planning to use the CART provider’s text file to load into Facebook (file attached, could be downloadable link, I can make a PDF once Jay and Jeremy approve steps – Jeremy followed the instructions once and can tell us if they made sense to him).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Day of Event&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Connect with the captioner – we chose to use a separate cell telephone as it had less delay than having the captioner waiting for the video.
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Test all equipment prior to event start, being aware of competing sounds in the area.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ensure person at the office receives the email from the CART provider once the event has concluded (with the TXT file).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Load caption file to video and update the post text. Be sure to test the video to ensure captions are displaying properly.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;hr xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;

&lt;br xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Converting Txt File from CART Provider to SRT for Video Upload&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Prepared by: Jennie Delisi, Accessibility Analyst (MNIT) and Jeremy DePew, Marketing Communications Specialist (MNIT)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Txt File from CART Provider&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;The CART provider will email a txt file. Open with Notepad. You can edit this file and keep the emailed version as a backup, or open and save a backup copy prior to editing.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If the file added extra blank spaces at the end of the text, remove those. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Edit the Txt File &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Go to the top of the file (CTRL + Home). &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Remove any &amp;gt;&amp;gt; and the extra line between text; while also correcting misspellings and chunking information into up to 2 line groupings. As much as possible, try to keep phrases and sentences together. Follow good captioning practices such as those included in Captioning Key. Add a line break between groupings using the ENTER key. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;At the top of the file, add the following:
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;1    00:00:00,000 --&amp;gt; 00:00:00,000&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Adding the Timing&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Copy the 1 and time stamping from the top of your file. You will paste this into your file at the beginning of each grouping, keeping a space between each grouping.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Using a digital stop watch, start the video and watch the first sentence. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Pause the stop watch and the video once your first text grouping is done.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Record the time of the start and end of that grouping. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For the next grouping, paste what is in your clipboard (number and time) remembering to keep a space between this and the last text group. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Resume the movie and the stop watch, pausing once the next grouping is done.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Repeat steps 4-6 until you have all the timings added into your txt file. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h5 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Example of Groupings with Time Stamp&lt;/h5&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;00:00:00,000 --&amp;gt; 00:00:04,440 (Jenna) Hello to everyone tuning in to MNIT’s first-ever Facebook Live text.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;00:00:04,440 --&amp;gt; 00:00:06,570 My name is Jenna Covey, the Chief Digital Officer and Assistant Commissioner at MNIT Services. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;h5 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Save a Copy of Your Txt File as a Txt File! &lt;/h5&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In case you need to go back and edit your text file later, be sure to keep a copy as a txt file. &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Save a Copy as an SRT File&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;SRT is the file type accepted by Facebook for loading captions. To do this: &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Go to File – Save.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Under “File Name,” type the name of your transcript using “.en_US.srt” at the end.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Under “Save as type:” select “All Files.” &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select Save. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Upload SRT File to Facebook &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;h5 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For Videos on a Person’s Page (adapted from 3Play Media instructions online) &lt;/h5&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;In your timeline, go to your videos. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For the specific video, hover with the mouse and select the pencil, or tab to the “edit or remove” option inside the thumbnail for that video, and select edit or remove – edit this video. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If the description for the post is specific to the Live event, update the post. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;In the Captions grouping, select Choose File, and upload your SRT file. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select Save. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h5 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For Videos on a Business Page &lt;/h5&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Go to your video library. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For the specific video, select the pencil / “edit video”. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select 2nd tab “captions.” &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If the description for the post is specific to the Live event, update the post.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select Choose File, and upload your SRT file. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select Save. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Test! &lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Go to your feed, and if the captions are not automatically displaying when the video is playing, go to the gear/tools in the video player and select captions. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If the captions are displaying, watch to verify the captions are correctly timed and there are no spelling errors.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Troubleshoot if the captions are not displaying or they are not displaying correctly.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Example: if you are seeing strange timings in your captions, go back to your TXT file and verify you have a start and end time for each grouping and that they are correct.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>310440</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:40Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>This year, Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) tried something brand new to make our presence at the Minnesota State Fair extra special: we worked on sharing a small part of STEM Day at the Fair with our online audience through Facebook Live. </Description><Audience/><Title>Accessible Facebook Live at the Minnesota State Fair</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Facebook</Subject><Subject>live stream</Subject><Subject>state fair</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Accessible Facebook Live</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Person holding a mobile phone that is playing a captioned facebook live video. </AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Facebook-Live_1200x500_tcm38-310021.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Person holding a mobile phone that is playing a captioned facebook live video. </AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Facebook-Live_300x300_tcm38-310023.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2017-08 - Accessible Facebook Live at the Minnesota State Fair</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-309756&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2017-08-30T11:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>This year, Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) tried something brand new to make our presence at the Minnesota State Fair extra special: we worked on sharing a small part of STEM Day at the Fair with our online audience through Facebook Live. </ShortDescription><Subtitle>MNIT reaches audience from the Minnesota State Fair with accessible Facebook Live video.</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This year, Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) tried something brand new to make our presence at the Minnesota State Fair extra special: we worked on sharing a small part of STEM Day at the Fair with our online audience through Facebook Live.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Facebook initially launched its live streaming service on April 6, 2016. While it has a demonstrated success in engaging online audiences in live discussions, performances, and presentations, it is not in itself a fully accessible platform. Facebook has only recently (as of June 6, 2017) launched an effort to work compatibly with third-party closed captioning services on Facebook Live videos.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Wading into uncharted territory, the MNIT Communications Team partnered with the Office of Accessibility to give everyone in our online audience a Facebook Live experience. We coordinated with the Office of Governor Mark Dayton to issue a Proclamation for STEM Day at the Fair, and we planned to broadcast Facebook Live complete with real-time captioning as Assistant Commissioner Jenna Covey presented the Proclamation on the Dan Patch Park Stage at the State Fair around 11:45am on August 24, 2017.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We learned a lot along the way, and though the process was not simple, we succeeded in producing a &lt;a title=&quot;short live video of the proclamation presentation&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/MN.ITServices/videos/vb.204817712873013/1564250210263083/?type=2&amp;amp;theater&amp;amp;notif_t=like&amp;amp;notif_id=1503593212712521&quot;&gt;short live video of the proclamation presentation&lt;/a&gt; with real-time captions. When connectivity issues cut our livestream short, we took &lt;a title=&quot;video to upload, and added captions afterwards&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://www.facebook.com/MN.ITServices/videos/vb.204817712873013/1564318030256301/?type=2&amp;amp;theater&amp;amp;notif_t=like&amp;amp;notif_id=1503597919799316&quot;&gt;video to upload, and added captions afterwards&lt;/a&gt;. Below is a short description of some of the work we did to prepare for our Facebook Live event. If this piques your interest, please check back in to our blog post next week! We plan to publish a toolkit to help you plan your Facebook Live event and make sure the broadcast is accessible and successful.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Planning Ahead:&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Captioning&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To ensure that everyone could enjoy the live experience, we needed to make captioning a priority. Although there are ways to caption Facebook Live events, they all require streaming from a desktop-generated feed. Currently, there is no solution to captioning a video generated from a phone. Because we intended to use a phone to capture video for this particular event, we needed to find workaround solutions that, while not optimal, ensured access. We worked with a captioning services company to provide captions as the event was occurring. The caption writer worked remotely – viewing the video on her personal Facebook Page and keeping in touch via email and cellphone during the entire process.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The captioning company provided us with a URL that we could paste into the Facebook Live post. The link would open up a separate webpage that would show real-time captions. The user would view the webpage showing the Facebook Live broadcast and the webpage with the captions side-by-side in two separate browser windows. Though this was not ideal, this is how we resolved some of the captioning limitations of streaming video from an iPhone.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To assist our caption writer for the event, we sent her some of the language we planned to use a day before the Facebook Live event. When she had a hard time hearing, she was able to follow along with some of the text and fill in any gaps that she missed while she was listening for the audio.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h4 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Sound Control&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We knew that we would run into challenges streaming live video from the Minnesota State Fair, a location that is crowded, loud, and outdoors. Although those presenting the proclamation would be speaking into a microphone, we were unsure how clear the sound would come through an iPhone 6s’s audio input (we planned to use an iPhone 6s to capture the video), and we were unsure how any weather conditions (wind, etc.) would affect the audio.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Ideally, we hoped to connect the iPhone to an external microphone in order to input direct audio into the stream. We wanted our online audience and our caption writer to be able to hear what was happening clearly in the live video. We hoped to find a Bluetooth wireless microphone that we could use to input audio, but as we did more research, we learned that Facebook Live was incompatible with Bluetooth microphone audio input.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We did further research to find cables that would connect the iPhone to an external microphone, which we could station near the speakers for the Proclamation Presentation. We tried several different adapters and cables, but unfortunately, none of them were able to input external audio into the iPhone’s headphone jack, and we began to run out of time to keep looking for more solutions. After doing a Facebook Live test outside with the iPhone’s built in microphone, we decided to simply shoot the live video with the iPhone’s microphone. We knew the quality would not be perfect, but we were satisfied that the sound system on stage at Dan Patch Park would amplify the presenter’s voices to rise above some of the State Fair noise.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To ensure that our caption writer could hear and accurately capture the words being said on stage in a timely manner, we took an extra step. We used a cellphone to call her during the event, and we placed the cellphone near the stage speakers so she could reliably hear what was happening during the planned video stream. She could watch the video on our Facebook Page and add captions to what she heard on the phone.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Testing&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We did several tests in the weeks leading up to the Minnesota State Fair to ensure that the Facebook Live camera operator could smoothly set up the Facebook Live broadcast from her iPhone, the captioning services would work well with live video, and the sound we had would be good quality.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Test #1: &lt;/strong&gt;Test with captioning service and Facebook Live broadcast. MNIT’s Communications and Public Affairs Liaison, Emily Shimkus, attempted to make a Facebook Live broadcast featuring Jay Wyant from the Office of Accessibility. Emily Shimkus stood about 12 feet away from Jay Wyant to take the video, and he spoke to our caption writer with his cellphone. The caption writer picked up audio from him directly, rather than from the livestream to avoid big delays in streaming. While the captioning successfully appeared in the captioning web link, a third party who was trying to view the Facebook Live broadcast remotely did not receive a notification of the live broadcast from Facebook and could not locate the live broadcast in her newsfeed or on Emily Shimkus’s personal Facebook Page (where the test was being broadcast with a limited audience).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Test #2: &lt;/strong&gt;Short private test without captioning services, to ensure that the Facebook Live video would stream independently of captioning services. Emily Shimkus shot a personal Facebook Live broadcast from her cellphone around an indoor office in MNIT Central to check on video quality. After this test, we were confident in the steps to take to set up the Facebook Live broadcast on Emily Shimkus’ iPhone.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Test #3: &lt;/strong&gt;Final test with the captioning service. We chose to broadcast directly from MNIT’s official Facebook Page, making it clear that the broadcast was a test. We shot the live broadcast outside, in similar conditions to what we anticipated we might have at the State Fair. Assistant Commissioner Jenna Covey stood outside the Capitol and announced that MNIT would be doing a special live broadcast from the Minnesota State Fair the following week. Our caption writer received her audio input from a cellphone near Assistant Commissioner Covey and was able to type the captions in real-time. After this test, we discovered that the captions did not stay up on the captioning web link after the broadcast was over. We realized that in order to make sure our Facebook Live videos had captions even after the broadcasts had finished, we needed to manually input a text file into the video through Facebook afterwards. We requested the text file from our caption writer and learned how to input the captions into the Facebook Live video after the broadcast was completed.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Streaming the Facebook Live Broadcast&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;At the Fair, Emily Shimkus placed herself near the stage to take video with her iPhone, and Jennie Delisi from the Office of Accessibility called our caption writer and placed her cellphone near one of the stage speakers.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Knowing the Minnesota State Fair Wi-Fi would be spotty, we planned to use cellphone data to stream the live video. Although Emily Shimkus had LTE data available, the amount of fairgoers in the vicinity using data made the connection unreliable. Around 15 -20 seconds after Cambray Crozier, MNIT’s Director of Communications, and Assistant Commissioner Jenna Covey took to the stage to present the Governor’s STEM Day at the Fair Proclamation, the live streamed video dropped. We posted the live video that we had captured, and because Emily Shimkus could not get a new live stream to start, she captured additional video on her cellphone to share later.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We asked Jeremy DePew, another member of MNIT’s communications team, to upload captions to the Facebook Live videos from his office at MNIT Central, which he did right after the live captions disappeared. We edited the original post to delete the captioning web URL (where the captions had disappeared) and we added language indicating that captions were coming soon. Once the captions were inputted directly into the videos already uploaded on to Facebook, we edited the posts again to remove the language about captions coming.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Had our Wi-Fi signal been strong and steady, the entire Facebook Live broadcast would have streamed successfully and accessibly.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Lessons Learned along the Way: What to do for a Successful, Captioned Facebook Live Video&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Planning to livestream an event to social media is a lot of work, but by trying out several different options and ideas to enhance video quality and accessibility on social media, we’ve learned about the questions we need to ask to provide even better videos in the future. Below are some of the things that took our team by surprise as we made our first attempt at a fully accessible Facebook Live broadcast:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Live Captioning does not archive the captions – they disappear right after the event/video/recording is over. You will need to ask the caption writer for a text file to upload captions after the video has gone live, and you will need to upload the captions manually to the videos if you choose to post them. We suggest that you make the text file request in advance when setting up the contract with the captioning services company.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;iPhones do not play well with other sound systems. If you want to use an external microphone for producing video, you might wish to consider streaming video from a computer, tablet, or other device that will easily input audio from an external microphone.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;While Facebook is supposed to notify your followers as you go live, it cannot be counted on to do so. The best way to ensure that people see your live video as it is happening is to give your audience a heads up the week before the live event takes place.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Ensure that you are streaming in an area where you have access to trusty Wi-Fi. While there was Wi-Fi available at the Minnesota State Fair, the sheer volume of cellphone users on that system made it unreliable to use. Data was not much more reliable – there were simply too many people using their phones and using data at the State Fair for us to capture live video without it dropping.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;If you wish to broadcast Facebook Live from an organization’s Facebook Page, the organization’s Facebook Page must be verified.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Facebook Live is not a spontaneous event – to use Facebook Live in an accessible way requires significant planning. Testing the video, sound, and streaming services is key to a successful broadcast.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>309756</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:42Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>MNIT Services’ Communications division worked closely with Minnesota&apos;s Office of Accessibility to create nineteen brand new document templates. The templates were created using accessibility best practices and are expected to save time and money. 
</Description><Audience/><Title>Raising Minnesota’s “Accessibility Quotient”</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Microsoft Word</Subject><Subject>Minnesota</Subject><Subject>PowerPoint</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Creating Accessibility</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Man typing on a computer keyboard.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/New-Career-2017_1200x500_tcm38-269778.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Man typing on a computer keyboard.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/New-Career-2017_300x300_tcm38-269777.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2017-04 - Creating Accessibility</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-291784&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2017-04-28T20:06:25Z</Date><ShortDescription>MNIT Services’ Communications division worked closely with Minnesota&apos;s Office of Accessibility to create nineteen brand new document templates. The templates were created using accessibility best practices and are expected to save time and money. 
</ShortDescription><Subtitle/><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How accessibility, design and IT are working together to make accessible document templates broadly available at the state.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessibility matters. This is the driving principle behind the Minnesota Statute 16E.03, subd. 9 that calls for all state agencies to comply with the &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/government/policies/accessibility/index.jsp&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessibility Policies &amp;amp; Standards&quot;&gt;state accessibility standard&lt;/a&gt;. An outcome is the expectation that every document created in state government be usable by all Minnesotans including those who rely on assistive technology. This could be a blind state employee using screen reader software to access a departmental regulation. Or, an older adult with declining eyesight trying to read information about a government service.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Ensuring consistent, accessible document preparation across a large, geographically distributed organization can be a daunting task when you consider the sheer number of state employees (over 35,000), as well as the learning curve involved in mastering alternative text, reading order and document structure. Ask any of the state’s accessibility coordinators and they’ll tell you how busy they are in testing and remediating the huge flow of documents created daily by state employees.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To make matters worse, the quality of document templates varied among agencies, and even within departments. Accessibility coordinators had long talked about the need for a consistent baseline level of documents that didn’t require employees to be accessibility experts to comply with state law.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Enter the accessible document template&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;A few years ago, Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) Communications created a suite of accessible Microsoft Word and PowerPoint templates for its staff, which were available via download from an intranet site. This enabled employees to create accessible documents using pre-existing styles and components such as headings, tables, bullets, and lists. By using the templates’ built-in features, the content creator could reasonably expect documents to be accessible – and fulfill agency branding requirements.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Fast forward to 2017. The governor’s office, MNIT Services, and Minnesota Management and Budget teamed together to lead a &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/portal/brand/style-guide/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;statewide rebranding effort&lt;/a&gt;. This has led to exciting opportunities to share materials across organizational lines in a way that was never possible when each state agency had unique, disconnected brands.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In the time leading up to Minnesota’s brand launch, the Minnesota Office of Accessibility (housed in MNIT) and Accessibility Coordinators from agencies across state government had developed a more sophisticated knowledge of what it took to create accessible documents. Jeremy DePew, a graphic designer at MNIT, had become experienced in designing for accessibility.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Creation and Testing&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;MNIT Services’ Communications division created nineteen brand new Word templates and one robust PowerPoint template with many slide layout options – all using accessibility best practices. Because these templates are so critical – a simple mistake could easily be magnified hundreds of times over – each template underwent extensive manual testing. Accessibility Coordinators from multiple agencies across state government volunteered for the job. Accessibility Analyst Jennie Delisi created a set of testing instructions to evaluate properties such as:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Color contrast
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Layout conventions
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Table properties
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;PDF conversion
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Screen reader usability&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tests were assigned to ensure that each document had at least two testers for every property group on a particular template.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Even though the templates were created using known best practices, the testers uncovered many accessibility and usability nuances present in Microsoft Office programs, such as Word and PowerPoint.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;10 lessons we learned from this process:&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Place the logo in the document body, rather than the header. This enables screen reader users to identify, via alternative text, which agency the document is from. Document headers and footers are not generally read by screen reader software. Ensure the carriage return character immediately following the logo is styled as body text, and not as a heading. Select the “Show/Hide Hidden Characters” (Control + *) option to see the return character if it’s hidden.
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Set up your quick styles menu so that users can quickly and easily select heading styles, which not only look good, but more importantly introduce document structure. If users simply make body text bigger whenever they want prominent text (rather than using a heading style) screen reader users will not be able to scan a document’s headings as a sighted user would do visually.
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use a color contrast analyzer to ensure that your document’s text styles are high contrast and easily read by uses with low vision. A good one we recommend is the Paciello Group’s Colour Contrast Analyser.
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Set up your table properties so that a header row is defined for your table, and ensure that that the header row is set to repeat across pages (make sure the cursor is in the first row only). Also, after selecting the entire table, deselect the option in the Row tab to ensure “allow row to break across pages” is deselected.
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Using English filler text is much easier for screen reader users to find, select and delete in a template than Lorem Ipsum (Latin) filler text that has commonly been used in typesetting since the 1500’s. The old way isn’t always the right way. Lorem Ipsum filler text can also cause problems with Word’s language auto-detection features, which can cascade into problems with how your spell checker functions.
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Be cautious of how you host your files. Network hosting (such as SharePoint) can cause changes to document properties, such as disabling the ability to save advanced properties.
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Avoid heading styles that use underlines. These could be confused with hyperlinks.
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Include a document version and date (such as “v1.2, released 4-21-2017”) in the document properties. Being able to identify a template version will allow staff to know when they are using the latest and greatest iteration.
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Include instructions in your document templates. Never assume it’s clear to your users how to apply styles to text, structure a document, etc.
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Fill out your document’s advanced properties every time (Title, Subject, Author, Company, keywords, and so on). This information is used by screen reader users, and is also a document management best practice.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;hr xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Distribution (i.e. “pushing out” the Templates)&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;While the previous practice of posting the templates on SharePoint made it possible for all MNIT employees to use the templates, the individual employee needed to:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;know the templates were there,
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;make the effort to download and use the documents, and
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;set up an alert for notifications in the event a template was updated.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;MNIT employees at Education (MDE) had successfully set up templates for MDE staff in such a way that when opening a blank Word document, the MDE templates were available as the default. Previously, MNIT could only consider doing that for MNIT Central – the templates would not be available to MNIT employees working at agency offices (such as Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Management and Budget, etc.)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;This past fall, MNIT created a process to automatically deploy new, branded – and accessible – email signatures across organizational lines at the state. Successfully completing this technical process (which was called “pushing out” email signatures) established a framework for similar projects – such as branded, accessible, document templates.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Slava Portnov of the Enterprise Endpoint Systems Management team researched how to not only make the templates available for MNIT employees in the Central location – but also at agency facilities. He wrote a guide for technical staff on how to copy the templates and install them in the MNIT partner locations.
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Doc-Template-Start-Screen_tcm38-291785.png&quot; title=&quot;Microsoft Word Start Screen with MNIT Branded Accessible Document Templates&quot; alt=&quot;Microsoft Word Start Screen with MNIT Branded Accessible Document Templates&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Doc-Template-Start-Screen&quot; /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Document templates are now integrated into Office applications such as Word and PowerPoint.&lt;/em&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;hr xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Value&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Thanks to the combined efforts of Accessibility Coordinators, Enterprise Endpoint Systems Management, MNIT Communications, and the Office of Accessibility, now all MNIT employees have easy, intuitive access to accessible templates that reflect a unified brand.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;MNIT partner staff now have the experience and knowledge to help their partner agencies install their templates if desired.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The push for greater accessibility and unified branding is also generating a cost value. The state of Minnesota has around 35,000 state employees. Those employees generate a lot of documents. To provide a very conservative estimate of cost savings potential for this project, let’s assume that only 10,000 of those state employees create documents at a rate of 50 per year (less than 5 per month). It’s reasonable to estimate that an average of 10 minutes is spent looking for a correct document template, formatting the layout and styles, and then remediating the document for accessibility afterward.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;That’s a total of 5,000,000 minutes, or over 83,000 staff hours.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If those employees were being paid an average of $20 per hour, making accessible document templates readily available in Office applications saves the state around &lt;strong&gt;$1,666,667 per year&lt;/strong&gt; in labor.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Cost savings aside, we’ve taken steps in making the right thing to do (creating accessible documents) the easy thing to do as well.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot; /&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Celebrating Accessibility&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Thursday, May 18 is Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). Keep an eye out for updates re activities for that day, and start celebrating early with accessible document templates!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For tips on how to create accessible documents, visit the &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/index.jsp&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessibility Landing&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility website&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>291784</id><pubdate>2026-04-13T18:22:23Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>Currently, the State of Minnesota is upgrading their Outlook software to “Office 365.” MNIT&apos;s Office of Accessibility is always looking for ways to keep accessibility top of mind and now there is a feature built right in to the web app version of Outlook (OWA). You can choose to add a simple reminder asking people to send you accessible emails!</Description><Audience/><Title>Office 365 Accessibility Upgrade</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Minnesota</Subject><Subject>Microsoft</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Office 365 Accessibility Upgrade</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Close up of a cell phone screen showing a Minnesota IT Services email signature.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Email-Accessibility_1200x400_tcm38-284309.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Close up of a cell phone screen showing a Minnesota IT Services email signature.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Email-Accessibility_300x300_tcm38-284308.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2017-03 - Office 365 Accessibility Upgrade</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-284310&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2017-03-15T21:33:50Z</Date><ShortDescription>Currently, the State of Minnesota is upgrading their Outlook software to “Office 365.” MNIT&apos;s Office of Accessibility is always looking for ways to keep accessibility top of mind and now there is a feature built right in to the web app version of Outlook (OWA). You can choose to add a simple reminder asking people to send you accessible emails!


</ShortDescription><Subtitle/><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Between February and April 2017 State of Minnesota employees will have their Outlook software updated to “Office 365.” The Office of Accessibility is always looking for ways to keep accessibility top of mind, and now there is a feature built right in to the web app version of Outlook (OWA). You can choose to add a simple reminder asking people to send you accessible emails!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Why is this important even if you don’t currently need your emails to be accessible? Because 1 in 4 of today&apos;s 20 year olds will have a disability by the time they retire. And... we do not always know which of our colleagues has a disability.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/O365-Accessibility_tcm38-284297.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Office 365 Accessibility&quot; alt=&quot;Screen shot of Office 365 Outlook web app, settings, general expanded, accessibility settings selected. Checkbox selected for &quot; ask=&quot;&quot; senders=&quot;&quot; to=&quot;&quot; send=&quot;&quot; content=&quot;&quot; style=&quot;width: 100%; height: auto;&quot; xlink:title=&quot;O365-Accessibility&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To add this message to your web app:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Open the Outlook web app an go to your settings via the gear icon.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select mail.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;In the options, above mail you will find “general”. Expand this menu. (keyboard only: you may need to use Shift-Tab to move to the options menu).&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select Accessibility Settings.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select the checkbox for “Ask senders to send content that’s accessible”&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Select save.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In the grand scheme of potential improvements, this is minor, as few state employees use the web version of Outlook as their primary method for sending emails, but it demonstrates Microsoft’s ongoing efforts to improve the usability of their products. However, here’s a few simple steps you can do today.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;To make your emails accessible:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Adding a photo, image or screen shot? If so, add &quot;alt text&quot; - a text description found in the format picture area.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Writing a longer email? Use heading styles, just like in Microsoft Word. Don&apos;t just change the font size or color.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Instead of links with text like &quot;click here&quot; or &quot;link,&quot;, add a short meaningful description that describes where the link goes (e.g. Office of Accessibility webpage) by right clicking to find &quot;hyperlink&quot; or using the keyboard shortcut Control + K. Change the &quot;text to display&quot; field. &lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;More information about writing accessible emails is available from the &lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/mnit/programs/accessibility/social-media.jsp#7&quot; title=&quot;Office of Accessibility webpage&quot;&gt;Office of Accessibility webpage&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>284310</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:42Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>How does a graphic designer ensure that documents are both attractive and accessible, while minimizing accessibility mitigation time? Typically InDesign is used for complex, graphic-intensive documents which can lead to equally complex accessibility issues.</Description><Audience/><Title>Accessible InDesign Documents</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Design</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Accessible InDesign Documents</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A person working with design on a computer with bright color swatches next to them.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/InDesign-Accessibility_1200x500_tcm38-272683.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A person working with design on a computer with bright color swatches next to them.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/InDesign-Accessibility_300x300_tcm38-272681.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2017-01 - Accessible InDesign Documents</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-272686&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2017-01-11T18:57:16Z</Date><ShortDescription>How does a graphic designer ensure that documents are both attractive and accessible, while minimizing accessibility mitigation time? Typically InDesign is used for complex, graphic-intensive documents which can lead to equally complex accessibility issues.</ShortDescription><Subtitle/><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Adobe InDesign is an industry-standard application that is used broadly across Minnesota state government. Communications staff and graphic designers commonly use the program to create visual materials to communicate with the public. These materials range from internal documents, to publicly consumable graphics, legislative reports and more.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to creating an effective and usable document or report. Designers must not only consider the visual appeal of their piece, but also ensure that the document is accessible to all Minnesotans, some of whom rely on assistive technology — such as screen readers — to access information. The State of Minnesota’s accessibility standards requires that all documents meet &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.section508.gov/&quot;&gt;Section 508&lt;/a&gt; of the Workforce Rehabilitation Act and &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/&quot; title=&quot;WCAG 2.0&quot;&gt;WCAG 2.0&lt;/a&gt;. These standards outline requirements for document structure, bookmarks, alternative (alt) text, and other accessibility features are present in every document. These features are critical for non-sighted users to navigate a document using screen reading software such as JAWS or NVDA, but also add functionality for sighted users.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As content creators and designers typically use InDesign for complex, graphic-intensive documents (e.g., infographics) which can lead to equally complex accessibility issues once the document is exported from InDesign to PDF. Some of the issues encountered include tagging errors or a myriad of other problems that can be difficult and time-intensive to fix in applications such &lt;a href=&quot;https://acrobat.adobe.com/us/en/acrobat/acrobat-pro.html&quot; title=&quot;Adobe Acrobat Pro&quot;&gt;Adobe Acrobat Pro&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://commonlook.com/&quot; title=&quot;CommonLook&quot;&gt;CommonLook&lt;/a&gt;. Further compounding and complicating the creation of accessible documents, training materials that are adequate for private-sector use often do not meet the state’s stringent accessibility requirements.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;So how does a graphic designer working for the state ensure that documents are both attractive and accessible, while minimizing accessibility mitigation time?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The answer: Optimize the InDesign document for accessibility in order to reduce the time spent adjusting tags, reading order, and alt text in Acrobat Pro.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Below are a few basic tips for optimizing documents for accessibility in Adobe InDesign.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For information about the accessibility of earlier versions, in addition to a variety of other helpful resources, visit &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.adobe.com/accessibility/products/indesign.html&quot; title=&quot;Adobe’s InDesign Accessibility site&quot;&gt;Adobe’s InDesign Accessibility site&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;h3 xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Tips for Optimizing Accessibility in Adobe InDesign CC&lt;/h3&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use Paragraph Styles to assign heading/tag structures like H1, H2, P, etc. Assign heading levels to a particular paragraph style under “Export Tagging” in the paragraph style options.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Add alt text to images and other objects that need it by selecting the object and selecting Object &amp;gt; Object Export Options from the menu bar. Select “Custom” from the “Alt Text Source” dropdown menu and enter the desired alt text.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Best Practice: Ensure the Alt Text accurately describes the image or graphic so that the user understands the information it is trying to convey or its importance in the document.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Acrobat Pro’s tag tree will name tags after the InDesign Paragraph Styles, not the heading structure assigned to those styles. To check whether the correct heading level is applied, view the Class Roles in Acrobat Pro.
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Best Practice: Every InDesign document should have at least 3 layers: text, images, and background artifacts. In the layer reserved specifically for text, arrange each text element from bottom to top (the reverse of typical reading order). This approach is helpful in reducing tagging errors upon export from InDesign.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Use the Articles panel in InDesign to assign document reading order. Select multiple objects by holding the shift key and selecting objects in the order in which you want them to appear in the Articles panel (and subsequent reading order). These objects can then be added as a group to the articles panel. &lt;strong&gt;Important step&lt;/strong&gt;: In the Articles panel options, make sure to check the “Use for Reading Order in Tagged PDF” option.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Create bookmarks in Acrobat Pro instead of using InDesign.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For more helpful tips on optimizing your documents, websites, and emails for accessibility, visit the &lt;a href=&quot;https://mn.gov/mnit/programs/accessibility/&quot; title=&quot;Minnesota Office of Accessibility’s website&quot;&gt;Minnesota Office of Accessibility’s website&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Please note: These above tips apply specifically to InDesign Creative Cloud (CC), which includes significant improvements in the area of accessibility over previous versions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div id=&quot;hc_extension_bkgnd&quot; style=&quot;position: fixed; left: 0px; top: 0px; right: 0px; bottom: 0px; z-index: -1999999999; display: block; background: none 0% 0% / auto repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgb(255, 255, 255);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;span id=&quot;hc_extension_svg_filters&quot; hidden=&quot;&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>272686</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:44Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>In March, Twitter announced that users would be able to add an “image description” (also known as alt text) to photos uploaded to tweets. This feature allows people who require image descriptions, such as users of assistive technology (AT) to participate more fully in the Twitter experience.
</Description><Audience/><Title>Twitter&apos;s New Photo Captioning Feature</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Twitter</Subject><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Photo Captioning</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Twitter Photo Captioning</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A person captioning a photo on Twitter.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Twitter-API_1200x500_tcm38-265738.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>A person captioning a photo on Twitter.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Twitter-API_300x300_tcm38-265737.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2016-12 - Twitter Photo Captioning</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-265743&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2016-12-13T21:57:34Z</Date><ShortDescription>In March, Twitter announced that users would be able to add an “image description” (also known as alt text) to photos uploaded to tweets. This feature allows people who require image descriptions, such as users of assistive technology (AT) to participate more fully in the Twitter experience.
</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Making Twitter More Accessible</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In March, &lt;a href=&quot;https://blog.twitter.com/2016/accessible-images-for-everyone&quot; title=&quot;Twitter announces image captioning feature&quot;&gt;Twitter announced&lt;/a&gt; that users would be able to add an “image description” (also known as alt text) to photos uploaded to tweets. This feature allows people who require image descriptions, such as users of &lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/admin/star/resources/understanding-at/&quot; title=&quot;assistive technology&quot;&gt;assistive technology (AT)&lt;/a&gt; to participate more fully in the Twitter experience.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Specifically, this user-enabled feature allows the tweeter to add a description to the image; enabling AT users (e.g., screen reader, text-to-speech) to appreciate the tweets’ images. &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-networks/twitter-adds-alt-text-image-descriptions-extend-tweet-accessibility&quot; title=&quot;Twitter’s CEO on the image captioning feature&quot;&gt;According to Twitter’s CEO&lt;/a&gt;, this was the fourth most requested feature from the developer community.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Twitter-Captioning-2_tcm38-265745.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Twitter&apos;s New Image Captioning Feature&quot; alt=&quot;Twitter&apos;s New Image Captioning Feature&quot; style=&quot;vertical-align: middle; width: 50%; height: auto&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Twitter-Captioning-2&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;While this feature provides more access to the content shared, a user must first &lt;a href=&quot;https://support.twitter.com/articles/20174660&quot; title=&quot;Enable Twitter&apos;s image captioning feature&quot;&gt;enable&lt;/a&gt; it in settings.  It is also important to note that this feature is currently available only via Twitter’s phone apps and the Twitter web page.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Visit the Office of Accessibility site for more information about &lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/mnit/programs/accessibility/social-media.jsp&quot; title=&quot;social media accessibility&quot;&gt;social media accessibility&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>265743</id><pubdate>2018-08-22T09:37:14Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>We’ve all done it: accidentally deleted a voicemail or email which included important information which would help us to complete a task at home or a work assignment. That feeling of not having access to something so important, and not being able to obtain the information, is real for many Minnesotans who use assistive technology to do everyday business.</Description><Audience/><Title>Creating Accessible Email Signatures</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>Email Signature</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><Title>Creating Accessible Email Signatures</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Computer screen showing the testing of accessible email signatures.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Accessible-Email-Signature_1200%20x%20500_tcm38-256484.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Computer screen showing the testing of accessible email signatures.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Accessible-Email-Signature_300%20x%20300_tcm38-256482.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2016-09 - Creating Accessible Email Signatures</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-256402&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2016-09-21T20:00:00Z</Date><ShortDescription>We’ve all done it: accidentally deleted a voicemail or email which included important information to help us complete a task at home or a work assignment. That feeling of not having access to something so important, and not being able to obtain the information, is real for many Minnesotans who use assistive technology to do everyday business.</ShortDescription><Subtitle/><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;We’ve all done it: accidentally deleted a voicemail or email which included important information to help us complete a task at home or a work assignment. That feeling of not having access to something so important, and not being able to obtain the information, is real for many Minnesotans who use assistive technology to do everyday business.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The average Minnesotan does not think about their email signature, such as the type and size of the font, the color choices, and where the logo is placed, or understand the implications to not making this vital information accessible to all. However, the information included in an email signature is equally as important as the information included in the email itself.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As state employees, it is vital that all information shared with the public, either digital or print, is accessible to all Minnesotans. It is equally as important that such information be accessible to state employees, in accordance with Executive Order 14-14, &lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/gov-stat/images/EO-14-14-tagged.pdf&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;Increased State Employment of Individuals with Disabilities&quot;&gt;Providing for Increased State Employment of Individuals with Disabilities&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Dave Andrews, Chief Technology Officer with the Minnesota State Services for the Blind, told us that “inaccessible signatures often include graphics that contain text,” adding that since he is “not able to read text in graphics, the information in the signature is lost to me.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When asked about creating an accessible signature, Jay Wyant, Chief Information Accessibility Officer for the State of Minnesota, added, “Why would we create something that not everyone can use?” Thus, in a collaborative effort to help ensure that all State of Minnesota employee email signatures are accessible, Jennie Delisi from the Office of Accessibility, and Jeremy DePew with the MNIT Communications Team, worked in partnership to develop a new accessible email signature for state employees.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Jennie and Jeremy found that there was no clear guidance on how to create accessible signatures. They had to do a lot of research and perform extensive tests in order to develop a reliably accessible template. They paid careful attention to every aspect of a signature, from the type of fonts and graphics, the use of case type in the text, and how to ensure the image has a description that a screen reader is able to relay to the user.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;When sending an email, we want to convey both our individuality and professionalism, including the organization in which we belong. During their research, Jennie and Jeremy found that many people use a script style font (handwritten signature) to emulate a handwritten signature to provide a personal touch. But such fonts may make it difficult for some individuals, such as those with dyslexia, to decipher who sent the email. The new template created for state employees includes a font with letters that are more easily identifiable.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Another common personalization is to change the signature’s font or background color. However, many people choose colors with low-contrast (such as using light shades of gray against a white background), which may make it difficult for some with low-vision to read. The new state signature was put through a series of tests to ensure that it would be accessible to people using assistive technology tools such as screen readers, text to speech tools, and software used by people with low vision.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: center;&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Accessible-Email-Signature-Testing-1_tcm38-256480.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Jeremy and Jennie testing email signatures&quot; alt=&quot;Jeremy and Jennie testing email signatures&quot; style=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;width-50-pct&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Accessible-Email-Signature-Testing-1&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Accessible-Email-Signature-Testing-2_tcm38-256481.jpg&quot; title=&quot;Color testing email signatures&quot; alt=&quot;Color testing email signatures&quot; style=&quot;&quot; class=&quot;width-50-pct&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Accessible-Email-Signature-Testing-2&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Here’s an example of an &lt;strong&gt;accessible signature&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;/mnit/assets/Accessible-Email-Signature-Large_tcm38-256947.png&quot; title=&quot;Example of an accessible email signature&quot; alt=&quot;Example of an accessible email signature&quot; style=&quot;width: 85%; height: auto;&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Accessible Email Signature (Large)&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; /&gt; 
&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Want more tips on how to craft an accessible email? Check out MNIT’s &lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/mnit/programs/accessibility/social-media.jsp#6&quot; title=&quot;MNIT’s accessibility resources &quot;&gt;accessibility resources&lt;/a&gt; online.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div id=&quot;hc_extension_bkgnd&quot; style=&quot;position: fixed; left: 0px; top: 0px; right: 0px; bottom: 0px; z-index: -1999999999; display: block; background: none 0% 0% / auto repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgb(255, 255, 255);&quot; xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;span hidden=&quot;&quot; id=&quot;hc_extension_svg_filters&quot; /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>256402</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:45Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description>If your computer mouse suddenly stopped functioning, would you be able to continue working? What if you had a deadline and couldn’t wait for a replacement? For some Minnesotans, using a mouse is not an option. This may drastically limit their ability to use a website, web application, or even navigate operating systems. We encourage you to take the No Mouse Challenge as we raise awareness about the importance of accessibility and it&apos;s impact across the state of Minnesota.</Description><Audience/><Title>No mouse challenge</Title><Publisher/><Subject>Accessibility</Subject><Subject>GAAD</Subject><Subject>No Mouse Challenge</Subject><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><metadata_type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></metadata_type><Title>Take the No Mouse Challenge!</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>No Mouse Challenge. Illustration of a computer mouse covered by a circle with a line through it.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/No-Mouse-Challenge-Blog_tcm38-232068.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Illustration of a computer mouse covered by a circle with a line through it.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/No-Mouse-Challenge--thumbnail_tcm38-232066.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2016-05 - No Mouse Challenge</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-232094&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2016-05-16T18:31:16Z</Date><ShortDescription>If your computer mouse suddenly stopped functioning, would you be able to continue working? For some, using a mouse is not an option. This may drastically limit their ability to use a website, web application, or navigate operating systems. We encourage you to take the No Mouse Challenge as we raise awareness of accessibility across the state of Minnesota.
</ShortDescription><Subtitle>Try Doing Your Job Without Using a Mouse</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;If your computer mouse suddenly stopped functioning, would you be able to continue working? What if you had a deadline and couldn’t wait for a replacement?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For some Minnesotans, using a mouse is not an option. This may drastically limit their ability to use a website, web application, or even navigate operating systems.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Have you ever counted the number of times you “click” your mouse button in a minute?&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You’ve probably  been stuck on a site or app that wouldn’t accept your commands. This frustration is often a daily experience for keyboard-only users. Perhaps a popup window won’t close without a mouse click. Or a form field is skipped by the tab sequence. These situations are tough to navigate without a mouse, which can jeopardize the user’s ability to perform their tasks effectively.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (#GAAD), we encourage you to spend at least 15 minutes doing your job without touching your mouse by taking the No Mouse Challenge. We understand that this will be challenging, so we’re providing some hints in the form of handy keyboard shortcuts.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Once you’ve completed the “No Mouse Challenge,”  share your story and pick up some quick cards at one of the GAAD events near you on May 19th.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Take what you’ve learned to the next level! Help make a difference by remembering these simple guidelines:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ul xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Make sure all your documents are formatted for accessibility.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;When writing requirements, include accessibility for all deliverables, from interface to training materials.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Include keyboard shortcuts in your instructions.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Require vendors to incorporate accessibility in their deliverables.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Talk about accessibility with your co-workers.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Learn more about the Office of Accessibility, and the many resources available to you by visiting our website.&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>232094</id><pubdate>2020-04-30T13:36:20Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description/><Audience/><Title>MNIT Co-Authors National Report</Title><Publisher/><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><metadata_type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></metadata_type><Title>MNIT Co-Authors National Report</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Digital tablet with statistics coming out of the screen.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Report%20Data%201200%20x%20500_tcm38-242615.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Digital tablet with statistics coming out of the screen.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Report%20Data%20300%20x%20300_tcm38-242616.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2015-09 - MNIT Co-Authors National Report</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-81675&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2015-09-01T15:14:43Z</Date><ShortDescription>The Office of Accessibility, a program of MNIT Services, recently lent its expertise to a nationwide report published by the National Association of Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) about accessibility requirements in IT procurement. Jay Wyant, the State’s Chief Information Accessibility Officer, co-wrote the report, Accessibility in IT Procurement, with representatives from Massachusetts and Texas.</ShortDescription><Subtitle/><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Office of Accessibility, a program of MNIT Services, recently lent its expertise to a nationwide report published by the National Association of Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) about accessibility requirements in IT procurement. Jay Wyant, the State’s Chief Information Accessibility Officer, co-wrote the report, &lt;em&gt;Accessibility in IT Procurement&lt;/em&gt;, with representatives from Massachusetts and Texas.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The two-part report outlines a new framework for measuring vendor support for accessibility, termed Policy Driven Adoption for Accessibility (PDAA). Part one introduces a new, policy-driven approach to information and communications technology (ICT) accessibility for state CIOs, procurement organizations, and vendors. Currently, government buyers can ask product manufacturers to submit voluntary product accessibility templates (VPATs); however, VPATs only work for existing products – not for services such as websites, application development, or integration/customization. PDAA seeks to drive accessibility accountability upstream to the policy level to include all the elements impacting product development, including policies, training, awareness outreach, and hiring. Part two of the report provides more detail on the framework, as well as adoption information for states.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;“Changing the way state buyers and vendors do business is a tremendous challenge. This report is the start of a long road toward effecting that change, said Jay. “I’m excited to be a part of it, and hope we can engage more people within MN government as well as other states and vendors to make it happen.”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You also can download the full report of &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://www.nascio.org/resource-center/resources/accessibility-in-it-procurement-part-1/&quot;&gt;Accessibility in IT Procurement&lt;/a&gt;, from the NASCIO website.  &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For more information about the Office of Accessibility and accessible content, &lt;a href=&quot;/mnit/about-mnit/accessibility/index.jsp&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - Accessibility Landing&quot;&gt;visit the MNIT website&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>81675</id><pubdate>2020-01-10T21:11:20Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description/><Audience/><Title>Celebrating 25 years of ADA</Title><Publisher/><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><metadata_type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></metadata_type><Title>Celebrating 25 years of ADA</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Tiny wheelchair on top of a keyboard.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Digital-Accessibility%201200%20x%20500_tcm38-242395.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Tiny wheelchair on top of a keyboard.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/Digital-Accessibility%20300%20x%20300_tcm38-242394.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2015-07 - Celebrating 25 years of ADA</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-62059&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2015-07-21T15:14:43Z</Date><ShortDescription>2015 marks the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. As part of the celebration, The Office of Accessibility, a program of MN.IT Services, has created an infographic that looks at key milestones that impact Minnesotans and accessible information technology.</ShortDescription><Subtitle/><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;2015 marks the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. On July 26, 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed the law which prohibits discrimination based on disability. To mark this important day, The Minnesota State Council on Disability is hosting a Family Fun day at the Minnesota History Center, Sunday, July 26, from noon 4 p.m. There will be interactive exhibits and live entertainment.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;As part of the celebration, The Office of Accessibility, a program of MNIT Services, &lt;a title=&quot;Employment and Disability in Minnesota Infographic (final tagged graphics added).pdf&quot; href=&quot;/mnit/assets/Employment%20and%20Disability%20in%20Minnesota%20Infographic%20%28final%20tagged%20graphics%20added%29.pdf_tcm38-61699.pdf&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Accessibility - Employment and Disability in Minnesota Infographic (final tagged graphics added).pdf&quot;&gt;has created an infographic&lt;/a&gt; that looks at key milestones that impact Minnesotans and accessible information technology. Some of the highlights include when Minnesota passed its accessibility legislation requiring all websites and technologies be accessible (2009); and when YouTube first began supporting captions (2006).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;You can see the infographic &lt;a title=&quot;000 ## Page Intro ## Page Introduction&quot; href=&quot;&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-61624&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot; xlink:title=&quot;Intro - ADA 25th Anniversary&quot;&gt;posted on the MN.IT website&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.disability.state.mn.us/ada/&quot;&gt;Learn more about the Minnesota State Council on Disability and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>62059</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:48Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description/><Audience/><Title>Accessibility Awareness Day</Title><Publisher/><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><metadata_type><Description/><Title>Press Release</Title><Id>60500</Id><Key/></metadata_type><Title>Accessibility Awareness Day</Title><Image><Metadata1><AlternativeText>No Mouse Challenge. Illustration of a computer mouse covered by a circle with a line through it.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/No-Mouse-Challenge-Blog_tcm38-232068.jpg</Url></Image><Thumbnail><Metadata1><AlternativeText>Illustration of a computer mouse covered by a circle with a line through it.</AlternativeText></Metadata1><Url>/mnit/assets/No-Mouse-Challenge--thumbnail_tcm38-232066.jpg</Url></Thumbnail><title>Blog - 2015-05 - Accessibility Awareness Day</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-81681&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2015-05-21T15:14:43Z</Date><ShortDescription>Every citizen has the right to an accessible government. With this, the State of Minnesota joins a worldwide effort in celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), a day to get people thinking and talking about digital (web, software, mobile) accessibility and users with different disabilities.</ShortDescription><Subtitle/><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Every citizen has the right to an accessible government. With this, the State of Minnesota joins a worldwide effort in celebrating &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.globalaccessibilityawarenessday.org/&quot;&gt;Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD)&lt;/a&gt;, a day to get people thinking and talking about digital (web, software, mobile) accessibility and users with different disabilities.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Today the Office of Accessibility, a program of MN.IT Services, is sponsoring an effort to help government employees become aware and take ownership of their role in creating accessible content. Experts will be available throughout various state agencies to show how to produce information that anyone can understand and use. This is important because about 10 percent of Minnesotans have a disability, which can make it difficult for them to access content on the internet.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;One way the Office is promoting awareness is through the &lt;a href=&quot;http://bit.ly/no_mouse_challenge&quot;&gt;No Mouse Challenge&lt;/a&gt;, which encourages workers to perform their jobs for 15 minutes on the computer without using a mouse. Using keyboard-only commands is a good, quick accessibility test. If a document, application or system cannot support mouseless operation, it may not support assistive technology or accessibility tools.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Accessible content is not just useful for those with disabilities. For example, a captioned video may allow an employee to watch without disturbing co-workers, printing graphs in black and white helps those who are colorblind and saves money, and accessible web content loads faster on mobile devices.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;For more information about the Office of Accessibility and accessible content, visit the MN.IT Services website at &lt;a href=&quot;http://mn.gov/mnit/accessibility/&quot;&gt;http://mn.gov/mnit/accessibility/&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>81681</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:46Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description/><Audience/><Title>Accessible Government</Title><Publisher/><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><metadata_type><Description/><Title>Press Release</Title><Id>60500</Id><Key/></metadata_type><Title>Accessible Government</Title><title>Blog - 2015-03 - Accessible Government</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-81682&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2015-03-26T15:14:43Z</Date><ShortDescription>Can everyone navigate your website? Nearly 20 percent of the population has a disability, which can make it difficult for them to access the internet. Using accessibility guidelines when developing your website helps make it possible for anyone – regardless of ability – to use it.</ShortDescription><Subtitle>The State of Minnesota is making government more accessible</Subtitle><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Can everyone navigate your website? Nearly 20 percent of the population has a disability, which can make it difficult for them to access the internet. Using accessibility guidelines when developing your website helps make it possible for anyone regardless of ability to use it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The Office of Accessibility, a program of MN.IT Services, recently sponsored web accessibility training by nationally-recognized WebAIM expert Jared Smith. Smith presented to State of Minnesota website managers, project managers and content creators on strategies, tools and resources to create and maintain accessible websites and content.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Creating accessible websites is not only the right thing to do; it is the law. In 2009, the State of Minnesota passed a law requiring web accessibility standards for all state government websites to follow. In addition, the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) is considering a similar rule regulating all state and local government websites under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This ruling, in effect, will give the DoJ more authority to enforce accessibility and impose penalties for noncompliance.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The State of Minnesota believes in accessible government for all, said Jay Wyant, Chief Information Accessibility Officer, MN.IT Services. Jared&apos;s expertise will help us improve the States ability to make information available to anyone who needs it.&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>81682</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:46Z</pubdate></list><list><metadata><Type><Description/><Title>Blog</Title><Id>33555</Id><Key/></Type><Type><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>327936</Id><Key/></Type><DublinCore><Description/><Audience/><Title>MN IT s CIAO interviewed</Title><Publisher/><Source/><Rights/><Identifier/><Format/><Language>eng</Language><SubjectControlled/></DublinCore></metadata><Category><Description/><Title>Accessibility</Title><Id>232083</Id><Key/></Category><metadata_type><Description>News</Description><Title>News</Title><Id>640</Id><Key>News</Key></metadata_type><Title>MNIT&apos;s CIAO Interviewed</Title><title>Blog - 2013-11 - MNIT s CIAO interviewed</title><url>&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-61683&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;</url><Date>2013-11-27T16:14:43Z</Date><ShortDescription>“The long-term goal is a fully accessible state government, in which all our information and applications - whether for the public or for employees - are fully accessible.” ~ Jay Wyant, Minnesota’s Chief Information Accessibility Officer</ShortDescription><Subtitle/><publication>38</publication><BodyText>&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;The long-term goal is a fully accessible state government, in which all our information and applications - whether for the public or for employees - are fully accessible. ~ Jay Wyant, Minnesota’s Chief Information Accessibility Officer&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Minnesota’s Chief Information Accessibility Officer Jay Wyant was recently featured in the Great Lakes ADA Centers Accessible Technology Bulletin discussing improved accessibility for those in need of information from our state. While Minnesota isn’t the only state with an accessibility initiative, it is the only state to have a Chief Information Accessibility Officer (CIAO).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;In 2009, the Minnesota Legislature passed a law requiring the State CIO to develop and implement a standard to make information from state websites, applications and systems more accessible. Jay leads this process by creating awareness and training to guide agencies on accessibility best practices, policies and procedures.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;According to Wyant, while creating more accessible information is the right thing to do, other important benefits also come as a result.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;It’s also a more cost-effective approach: If you apply the necessary thought and care to ensure that everyone can use your technology. You will have better, more effective technology that has a much longer shelf life before it needs to be updated or replaced.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p xmlns=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml&quot;&gt;Visit the &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.adagreatlakes.org/Publications/ATBulletin/&quot; title=&quot;ADA Great Lakes Accessible Technology Bulletin&quot;&gt;ADA Great Lakes Accessible Technology Bulletin&lt;/a&gt; to read Jays full interview, and be sure to check out &lt;a title=&quot;000 ## Page Intro ## Page Introduction&quot; href=&quot;&lt;custom:Link urlOnly=&quot;true&quot; type=&quot;Component&quot; destination=&quot;tcm:38-61626&quot; templateURI=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot; origin=&quot;tcm:0-0-0&quot;  /&gt;&quot; xlink:title=&quot;000 Accessibility Intro (old)&quot; xmlns:xlink=&quot;http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink&quot;&gt;MNIT&apos;s accessibility resources&lt;/a&gt; for more information about making your work accessible.&lt;/p&gt;</BodyText><Author/><id>61683</id><pubdate>2019-12-06T19:20:48Z</pubdate></list></results>