Hoʻokō Kānāwai

Guide ren Accessibility Compliance

Government agency ra required kopwe fori ar meeting, document, me digital service accessible ngeni aramas mi wor disability. Ei guide a cover federal me Hawaii requirement — ADA Title II, Section 508, WCAG standard, me practical step ren physical me digital accessibility.

Ei ese eu practical compliance overview. Accessibility law ese complex me mi evolving. Ren specific legal question, consult omw agency an legal counsel ika ewe ADA.gov website.

Federal requirement

ADA Title II

Title II en ewe Americans with Disabilities Act a apply ngeni meinisin state me local government entity. A require pwe aramas mi wor disability repwe wor equal access ngeni government program, service, me activity — include public meeting.

  • Meeting venue ra kana kopwe physically accessible (wheelchair access, accessible restroom, accessible parking)
  • Agency ra kana kopwe awora reasonable accommodation nge ra tingor (sign language interpreter, assistive listening device, material non alternative format)
  • Agency ra kana kopwe awora advance notice en met kopwe request accommodation
  • Website me digital service ra kana kopwe accessible ngeni aramas mi wor disability

Section 508

Section 508 en ewe Rehabilitation Act a require federal agency — me state/local agency mi ale federal funding — repwe fori ar electronic me information technology accessible. Non practice, ei echok:

  • Website ra kana kopwe meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA standard
  • Document (PDF, Word doc, spreadsheet) ra kana kopwe accessible ngeni screen reader
  • Video ra kana kopwe wor caption
  • Audio content ra kana kopwe wor transcript
  • Software me application mi use ren public ra kana kopwe accessible

WCAG 2.1 — Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

WCAG 2.1 Level AA ese ewe widely accepted standard ren digital accessibility. A organized neni aeman principle — content a kana kopwe:

  • Perceivable — user ra kana kopwe perceive ewe content (text alternative ren image, caption ren video, sufficient color contrast)
  • Operable — user ra kana kopwe navigate me interact me ewe content (keyboard navigation, esap seizure-inducing content, ngengen tien kopwe ridini)
  • Understandable — content a kana kopwe readable me predictable (clear language, consistent navigation, error prevention)
  • Robust — content a kana kopwe angang me current me future assistive technology (valid HTML, proper ARIA attribute)

Hawaii-specific requirement

Hawaii state law a reinforce me extend federal accessibility requirement:

  • HRS Chapter 489 — Hawaii an civil rights law a prohibit discrimination won ewe basis en disability non public accommodation me government service
  • Sunshine Law (HRS 92-7) — meeting notice ra kana kopwe include information usun met kopwe request accommodation ren disability
  • Hawaii State Plan — ewe state a adopt policy mi promote universal design me accessibility non government service
  • Act 172 (2023) — a require state agency repwe meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA standard ren website me digital content

Digital accessibility

Website

  • Use proper heading hierarchy (h1, h2, h3 — non order, esap skip level)
  • Awora text alternative ren meinisin image (alt text)
  • Ensure sufficient color contrast (4.5:1 ren normal text, 3:1 ren large text)
  • Fori meinisin interactive element keyboard accessible
  • Use descriptive link text (“Ridini ewe meeting agenda” esap “Click here”)
  • Ensure form ra wor label mi associated me ar input
  • Ka sap use color chok kopwe convey information
  • Awora skip navigation link
  • Test me screen reader (NVDA, VoiceOver, JAWS)

Document me PDF

  • Use structured heading non Word/Google Docs me mwen kopwe convert ngeni PDF
  • Add alt text ngeni image me chart non ewe source document
  • Use actual table me header row — esap image en table
  • Run ewe built-in accessibility checker (Word, Acrobat) me mwen kopwe publish
  • Avoid scanned-image PDF — ikkei ese completely inaccessible ngeni screen reader
  • Nge mi possible, awora eu HTML alternative neni ewe PDF

Video me multimedia

  • Awora caption ren meinisin video content (auto-generated caption ra kana kopwe review ren accuracy)
  • Awora audio description ren visual content mi esap describe non ewe audio track
  • Awora transcript ren audio-only content (podcast, recording)
  • Ensure media player ra keyboard accessible

Physical meeting accessibility

Venue requirement

  • Wheelchair-accessible entrance, seating area, me restroom
  • Accessible parking neni ewe entrance
  • Clear signage me wayfinding
  • Adequate lighting
  • Microphone system pwe speaker ra tongeni rongorong non meinisin room
  • Adjustable seating ika space ren wheelchair/mobility device non ewe audience area

Accommodation ren public meeting

  • Sign language interpreter — awora nge ra tingor; include request deadline non meeting notice (typically 5 business day advance notice)
  • Assistive listening device — wor available non ewe venue ren aramas mi hard of hearing
  • Material non alternative format — large print, Braille, ika electronic format nge ra tingor
  • Remote access — offer video/phone participation ren aramas mi esap tongeni attend in person
  • CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) — live captioning ren aramas mi deaf ika hard of hearing
  • Service animal — always permitted; ka sap tingor usun ewe aramas an disability

Meeting notice ra kana kopwe include accommodation information. Meinisin public meeting notice a kana kopwe state met me non nge kopwe request disability accommodation. Example: “Ika ka kana eu accommodation kopwe nom won ei meeting, contact [name] non [email/phone] at least 5 business day me mwen ewe meeting.”

Plain language

Accessibility esap chok usun physical me sensory access — a pwan echok pwe kopwe fori content understandable. Plain language ese eu accessibility practice.

  • Titi won eu 8th-grade reading level nge mi possible
  • Use tikitik sentence me common kapas
  • Define technical term me acronym won mumutan use
  • Use active voice (“Ewe board a approve ewe budget” esap “Ewe budget a approve ren ewe board”)
  • Break content ngeni clear section me descriptive heading
  • Use list me table kopwe present complex information

Ewe federal Plain Writing Act of 2010 a require federal agency repwe use plain language non public-facing document. Nge esap directly binding won state agency, a represent best practice.

Testing tool me resource

Use ekewe tool kopwe katon omw agency an digital accessibility:

Compliance checklist

Website me digital content

  • Website a meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA standard
  • Meinisin image a wor descriptive alt text
  • Color contrast a meet minimum ratio (4.5:1 ren text)
  • Meinisin functionality ese keyboard accessible
  • Video ra wor accurate caption
  • PDF ra tagged me screen-reader accessible (esap scanned image)
  • Form ra wor properly associated label
  • Link text ese descriptive (esap “click here”)

Public meeting

  • Venue ese wheelchair accessible (entrance, seating, restroom, parking)
  • Meeting notice a include accommodation request instruction me deadline
  • Sign language interpreter mi available nge ra tingor
  • Assistive listening device mi available non venue
  • Remote participation option mi available
  • Meeting material mi available non alternative format nge ra tingor
  • Microphone system mi use ren meinisin speaker

Document me communication

  • Document ra use structured heading me list
  • Plain language mi use non public-facing material
  • Technical term me acronym mi define won mumutan use
  • Alternative format mi available nge ra tingor
  • Accessibility checker mi run me mwen kopwe publish

Common mistake kopwe avoid

  • Scanned PDF. Scan eu paper document ngeni PDF a create eu image file mi screen reader resap tongeni ridini. Always create document digitally me proper structure
  • Auto-generated caption me esap review. Automatic caption ese eu tinamwon point, esap eu final product. Review me correct me mwen kopwe publish
  • Retrofit esap design accessible. A mi cheap me mi effective kopwe build accessibility in seni mumut seni kopwe fix me mwin
  • Assume pwe esap wor aramas mi kana accommodation. Aramas ra tongeni esap request accommodation ika ewe process esap clear ika welcoming. Fori pwe mi tou
  • Use color chok. “Item non red ra required” esap accessible. Use text label, icon, ika apwan indicator neni color

Resource

Tinamwon

Tinamwon me eu quick accessibility audit en omw agency an website ren WAVE ika axe. Nge review omw meeting notice template kopwe ensure a include accommodation information.

Run WAVE Audit   Sunshine Law Guide   Public Participation Guide