Auditors say city’s website needs improvement.
The Office of the City Auditor has found that although the city’s website, AustinTexas.gov, offers residents numerous online services, the website does not meet accessibility guidelines, so it is difficult for people with certain disabilities to find and use those services
The audit findings were released and accepted at Wednesday’s City Council Audit and Finance Committee meeting.In the audit, auditors cited four principles used in promoting accessibility for people with disabilities. To meet federal law, they said, websites must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust.
Auditors tested how difficult it might be to register for a Parks and Recreation Department activity, pay a utility bill and submit a 311 request, among other things, for a person with a disability.The auditors found that the city’s website does not have sufficient contrast between the text and the background, making it difficult for users with limited or no vision to interact with the website even if they are using adaptive technology.
They also found that “images containing cues or instructions viewable by sighted users may be unreadable by a screen reader.”Auditors also found that four of the web pages they tested contained text above a middle school reading level, which is a violation of the guidelines.
Source: Auditors say city’s website needs improvement – Austin MonitorAustin Monitor
