Digital Accessibility Plan
The Town of Estes Park values full inclusion and access to its services. We provide meaningful accommodations to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We provide reasonable accommodation including translation, interpretation, modifications, alternative formats, auxiliary aids, and services.
The goal of this plan is digital content that reasonably enables an individual with a disability to access the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services offered to other individuals, with the same privacy, independence, and ease of use as exists for individuals without a disability. This includes all information on communication technology (ICT). ICT is defined as information technology and other equipment, systems, technologies, or processes, for which the principal function is the creation, manipulation, storage, display, receipt, or transmission of electronic data and information, as well as any associated content.
We believe accessibility is one of the most important parts of creating web services. When you improve the online experience for people with disabilities, you improve usability for all. You enhance trust in government and extend service reach.
The Town of Estes Park has established a digital accessibility team to oversee and track the organization’s progress. Questions or concerns should be directed to Kate Miller at kmiller@estes.org or 970-577-3701.
Background Information
Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) established that local governments are prohibited from discriminating against individuals on the basis of a disability in spaces of public accommodation. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has interpreted this to include online technology.
Colorado House Bill 21-1110 (HB 21-1110) requires local governments to meet full digital accessibility by July 1, 2024. Colorado House Bill 24-1454 (HB24-1454) establishes a one- year grace period that extends the current deadline for full compliance to July 1, 2025, under specific conditions. Public entities and state agencies must make a good faith effort toward compliance and create a progress- to-date report with quarterly updates. We have posted a spreadsheet detailing our conformance status.
Section 508 Compliance
The Town of Estes Park recognizes the importance of ensuring that its digital platforms are accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. To this end, we are committed to complying with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, which mandates that all electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained, or used by the federal government be accessible to people with disabilities.
How is Estes Park Improving Digital Accessibility?
The Town of Estes Park is dedicated to ensuring digital accessibility for all. The Town is working toward compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA, which sets the standard for website accessibility. Our goal is to enable citizens to successfully gather information and conduct business through our digital platforms. We are committed to providing timely responses to reports of inaccessible digital content or requests for reasonable accommodation or modification.
The Town of Estes Park’s website is hosted on the Colorado.gov portal using Drupal 10. This content management system is built to be highly compliant with ADA Section 508 and WGAC 2.1 A and AA levels.
As part of our digital accessibility plan, the Town is focusing on making services as inclusive as possible. This includes taking the following steps:
- Designing digital accessibility policies, guidelines and strategies alongside partners with a diverse range of abilities and perspectives.
- Providing easy ways for people to request special accommodations and report any issues.
- Providing ongoing training, support and resources to staff.
- Improving procurement processes and supporting Town employees with procurement guidelines, training and support.
- Third party vendors will be advised that any digital content provided to the Town must be accessible or made available in an alternative format. See Vendor Accessibility Checklist at haps://oit.colorado.gov.
Technology Accessibility Statement
The Town of Estes Park will provide a timely response to reports of inaccessible ICT or requests for reasonable accommodation or modification. Questions or concerns should be directed to Kate Miller at kmiller@estes.org or 970-577-3701.
Remediation of Existing Content
The Town of Estes Park is working on both remediation of existing digital content assuring that new content meets the ADA standards. Our compliance plan aims to specify current issues and seek remediation. A checklist has been created to facilitate this process, as shown in this document. This is an evolving document which will allow website visitors to see the action steps being taken as well as track the progress.
Due to funding and staffing limitations, remediating all digital content before the July 2024 deadline would cause an undue burden to the Town of Este Park. By prioritizing content and providing paths for content to be requested in alternative formats, we ensure equal access to our programs and services. For new content, content creators are responsible for developing and publishing content that meets best practices for digital accessibility.