at a glance...

   

Accessibility Goals

Design of this website has been important to us. We have taken every effort to enable all users to get the most out of this website. We believe that enabling this site for accessibility should be seen as the right and ethical thing to do, not just because we are required by law to do so.

Section 508 in the USA means that sites run by federal agencies must comply to the accessibility legislation laid out in this law. Other countries are developing their own laws and there are even independent test cases being taken against owners of inaccessible sites.

State of Colorado Adopted ADA Standards

The American Disability Act standards were adopted by the Colorado Commission on Information Management (IMC) as required by House Bill 00-1269, approved June 1, 2000, for information technology access for individuals who are blind or visually impaired.

Website Access

Development of non-visual access standards that provide blind or visually impaired individuals with access to information stored electronically is our goal. We have made every effort to ensure this website is compatible with adaptive technology systems so that such individuals have full and equal access when needed. Our site is designed to present information, including prompts used for interactive communications, in formats intended for both visual and non-visual use. Many of these techniques are developed 'behind the scenes' in the code of a web page and may not be obvious to a person not using adaptive technology systems.

Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)

Learn more about web accessibility by visiting "Introduction to Web Accessibility" which addresses key issues of making the Web accessible, including:

* An accessible Web is essential for equal opportunities for people with disabilities
* Web accessibility benefits others, such as older people with changing abilities due to aging
* Web software has a vital role in Web accessibility (2005-09-12)

The Web is an increasingly important resource in many aspects of life: education, employment, government, commerce, health care, recreation, and more. It is essential that the Web be accessible in order to provide equal access and equal opportunity to people with disabilities. An accessible Web can also help people with disabilities more actively participate in society.

Portions of the above text Copyright � 1994-2005 W3C� (MIT, ERCIM, Keio) Permission to copy and distribute granted through the W3C® DOCUMENT LICENSE

Washington County will continuously improve the County Web site, www.co.washington.co.us, to ensure accessibility.

To report any problems in usage of the site or other accessibility, please use the "Citizen Comment Form," which has a drop down listing for "Barriers to Accessibility."