Keeping accessibility part of everyday municipal website updates

Municipal website accessibility needs to continue after launch because staff keep adding and changing content. Include a short review when publishing a page, notice or document, and give the provider responsibility for problems in the underlying website components.

The review should fit the task. Someone correcting office hours does not need to repeat a complete audit, but an uploaded packet or a new form introduces different questions from a text correction.

What can content editors check?

Use meaningful headings, descriptive links and text that explains essential information. When an image conveys information, provide an appropriate text alternative. Avoid putting the only copy of a notice's instructions inside a picture.

W3C's writing guidance (opens in a new tab) explains these content practices. They give staff concrete habits to use while editing, rather than leaving accessibility as a separate technical task nobody owns.

Preview the page and follow its links. Check that the approved information survived the editing process and that document labels identify what residents will open. Ask for help when the editor produces a layout or heading structure staff cannot correct.

What should the provider handle?

The provider should investigate failures involving shared menus, keyboard behavior, form controls and other platform components within its responsibility. Staff should be able to report the page and the action that failed without diagnosing the code.

Agree on the division of work. Content editors can describe a meaningful image, while the provider ensures the editor stores and exposes that description appropriately. Both responsibilities matter.

Muniway's accessibility approach includes testing and content support. Its website service also includes staff training. Use that training to practice the checks employees will repeat in their actual publishing work.

How should documents be reviewed?

Treat new documents as part of the public service. Check their readability and accessibility before linking them, especially when they contain scanned pages or forms. A working download link does not establish that the file can be used.

The public PDF guide explains document priorities and relevant distinctions. Keep source files available to the staff who must correct future versions, following the organization's records procedures.

If the office uses automated upload checks, understand their limits. Automated checks catch only some issues. They can flag useful problems but cannot replace all manual review or confirm that the document's meaning is clear.

How can the office keep the routine manageable?

Attach a small set of checks to each common publishing task. For a notice, verify text, links and dates. For a form, test labels, errors and the full submission path. For a document, review the file as well as its place on the page.

W3C's accessibility management guidance (opens in a new tab) treats accessibility as ongoing work. Review responsibilities when staff change and revisit shared components after significant website updates.

Keep unresolved problems in a list with an owner and a next action. Fix barriers to important services promptly through the appropriate process. The aim is a routine that helps each new update remain usable, supported by broader testing when the website or service changes.