Hoʻokō Kānāwai

Guide ñan Accessibility Compliance

Government agency ko rej aikuj koman bwe aer meeting ko, document ko, im digital service ko ren accessible nan armij ro rewor disability. Guide in ej cover federal im Hawaii requirement ko — ADA Title II, Section 508, WCAG standard ko, im practical step ko nan physical im digital accessibility.

Men in ej juon practical compliance overview. Accessibility law ej complex im ej evolve. Nan specific legal question ko, consult-i am agency eo an legal counsel ak ADA.gov website.

Federal requirement ko

ADA Title II

Title II an Americans with Disabilities Act ej apply nan aolep state im local government entity ko. Ej require bwe armij ro rewor disability ren ewor equal access nan government program ko, service ko, im activity ko — including public meeting ko.

  • Meeting venue ko rej aikuj physically accessible (wheelchair access, accessible restroom ko, accessible parking)
  • Agency ko rej aikuj lewoj reasonable accommodation ko naat ej request (sign language interpreter ro, assistive listening device ko, material ko ilo alternative format ko)
  • Agency ko rej aikuj lewoj advance notice kin ewi wawein request-i accommodation ko
  • Website ko im digital service ko rej aikuj accessible nan armij ro rewor disability

Section 508

Section 508 an Rehabilitation Act ej require federal agency ko — im state/local agency ko rej boki federal funding — ren koman aer electronic im information technology ren accessible. Ilo practice, men in ej mean:

  • Website ko rej aikuj meet-i WCAG 2.1 Level AA standard ko
  • Document ko (PDF ko, Word doc ko, spreadsheet ko) rej aikuj accessible nan screen reader ro
  • Video ko rej aikuj ewor caption ko
  • Audio content rej aikuj ewor transcript ko
  • Software im application ko rej koba jen public rej aikuj accessible

WCAG 2.1 — Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

WCAG 2.1 Level AA ej widely accepted standard nan digital accessibility. Ej organize iturin emaan principle ko — content ej aikuj:

  • Perceivable — user ro rej aikuj maaron perceive-i content eo (text alternative ko nan image ko, caption ko nan video, sufficient color contrast)
  • Operable — user ro rej aikuj maaron navigate im interact kab content eo (keyboard navigation, ejjelok seizure-inducing content, enough iien nan riiti)
  • Understandable — content ej aikuj readable im predictable (clear language, consistent navigation, error prevention)
  • Robust — content ej aikuj jerbal kab current im future assistive technology ko (valid HTML, proper ARIA attribute ko)

Hawaii-specific requirement ko

Hawaii state law ej reinforce im extend federal accessibility requirement ko:

  • HRS Chapter 489 — Hawaii eo an civil right law ej prohibit discrimination ilo basis an disability ilo public accommodation ko im government service ko
  • Sunshine Law (HRS 92-7) — meeting notice ko rej aikuj include information kin ewi wawein request-i accommodation ko nan disability ko
  • Hawaii State Plan — state eo ear adopt-i policy ko rej promote universal design im accessibility ilo government service ko
  • Act 172 (2023) — ej require state agency ko ren meet-i WCAG 2.1 Level AA standard ko nan website ko im digital content

Digital accessibility

Website ko

  • Koba proper heading hierarchy (h1, h2, h3 — ilo order, jab skip level ko)
  • Lewoj text alternative ko nan aolep image ko (alt text)
  • Ensure-i sufficient color contrast (4.5:1 nan normal text, 3:1 nan large text)
  • Koman aolep interactive element ko keyboard accessible
  • Koba descriptive link text (“Riiti meeting agenda eo” jab “Click ije”)
  • Ensure-i form ko ewor label ko rej associate kab aer input ko
  • Jab koba color alone nan convey-i information
  • Lewoj skip navigation link ko
  • Test-i kab screen reader ko (NVDA, VoiceOver, JAWS)

Document ko im PDF ko

  • Koba structured heading ko ilo Word/Google Docs mokta jen kwoj convert nan PDF
  • Add-i alt text nan image ko im chart ko ilo source document eo
  • Koba actual table ko kab header row ko — jab image ko an table ko
  • Run-i built-in accessibility checker eo (Word, Acrobat) mokta jen kwoj publish
  • Avoid-i scanned-image PDF ko — men ko rein rej completely inaccessible nan screen reader ro
  • Naat emaaron, lewoj juon HTML alternative iturin PDF eo

Video ko im multimedia

  • Lewoj caption ko nan aolep video content (auto-generated caption ko rej aikuj review nan accuracy)
  • Lewoj audio description ko nan visual content eo ejab describe ilo audio track eo
  • Lewoj transcript ko nan audio-only content (podcast ko, recording ko)
  • Ensure-i media player ko rej keyboard accessible

Physical meeting accessibility

Venue requirement ko

  • Wheelchair-accessible entrance, seating area, im restroom ko
  • Accessible parking iturin entrance eo
  • Clear signage im wayfinding
  • Adequate lighting
  • Microphone system bwe speaker ro ren rongorong ilo aolep room eo
  • Adjustable seating ak space nan wheelchair/mobility device ko ilo audience area eo

Accommodation ko nan public meeting ko

  • Sign language interpreter ro — lewoj naat ej request; include-i request deadline ilo meeting notice (usually 5 raan in jerbal mokta)
  • Assistive listening device ko — ewor available ilo venue eo nan armij ro rej hard of hearing
  • Material ko ilo alternative format ko — large print, Braille, ak electronic format ko naat ej request
  • Remote access — offer-i video/phone participation nan armij ro rej jab maaron attend in person
  • CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) — live captioning nan armij ro rej deaf ak hard of hearing
  • Service animal ko — always permitted; jab kajjitok kin armij eo an disability

Meeting notice ko rej aikuj include accommodation information. Kajojo public meeting notice ej aikuj state ewi wawein im naat nan request-i disability accommodation ko. Waanjonak: “Elane kwoj aikuj juon accommodation nan participate ilo meeting in, jouj im contact-i [eta] ilo [email/phone] at least 5 raan in jerbal mokta jen meeting eo.”

Plain language

Accessibility ejab wot kin physical im sensory access — ej bar mean koman content eo en understandable. Plain language ej juon accessibility practice.

  • Jeje ilo 8th-grade reading level naat emaaron
  • Koba sentence ko rejidik im naan ko recommon
  • Define-i technical term ko im acronym ko ilo jinoin ej koba
  • Koba active voice (“Board eo ear approve-i budget eo” jab “Budget eo ear approve jen board eo”)
  • Break-i content ilo clear section ko kab descriptive heading ko
  • Koba list ko im table ko nan present-i complex information

Federal Plain Writing Act an 2010 ej require federal agency ko ren koba plain language ilo public-facing document ko. Menan ejab directly binding ilo state agency ko, ej represent-i best practice.

Testing tool ko im resource ko

Koba tool ko rein nan check-i am agency eo an digital accessibility:

Compliance checklist

Website im digital content

  • Website ej meet-i WCAG 2.1 Level AA standard ko
  • Aolep image ko ewor descriptive alt text
  • Color contrast ej meet-i minimum ratio ko (4.5:1 nan text)
  • Aolep functionality ej keyboard accessible
  • Video ko ewor accurate caption ko
  • PDF ko rej tagged im screen-reader accessible (jab scanned image ko)
  • Form ko ewor properly associated label ko
  • Link text ej descriptive (jab “click ije”)

Public meeting ko

  • Venue ej wheelchair accessible (entrance, seating, restroom ko, parking)
  • Meeting notice ej include accommodation request instruction ko im deadline
  • Sign language interpreter ro rej available naat ej request
  • Assistive listening device ko rej available ilo venue
  • Remote participation option ej available
  • Meeting material ko rej available ilo alternative format ko naat ej request
  • Microphone system ej koba nan aolep speaker ro

Document ko im communication ko

  • Document ko rej koba structured heading ko im list ko
  • Plain language ej koba ilo public-facing material ko
  • Technical term ko im acronym ko rej define ilo jinoin ej koba
  • Alternative format ko rej available naat ej request
  • Accessibility checker ej run mokta jen publish

Common mistake ko nan avoid

  • Scanned PDF ko. Scan-i juon paper document nan PDF ej create-i juon image file eo screen reader ro rej jab maaron riiti. Always create-i document ko digitally kab proper structure
  • Auto-generated caption ko ejjelok review. Automatic caption ko rej juon starting point, jab juon final product. Review im correct-i er mokta jen kwoj publish
  • Retrofit jen kwoj design accessible. Ej cheaper im elaplok effective nan build-i accessibility ilo jinoin jen ren fix-i tok juon
  • Assume bwe ejjelok armij ej aikuj accommodation ko. Armij ro remaaron jab request-i accommodation ko elane process eo ej jab clear ak welcoming. Koman ej easy
  • Koba color alone. “Item ko ilo red rej required” ej jab accessible. Koba text label ko, icon ko, ak bar indicator ko iturin color

Resource ko

Jino

Jino kab juon quick accessibility audit an am agency eo an website kab WAVE ak axe. Tok juon review-i am meeting notice template nan ensure-i ej include accommodation information.

Run-i WAVE Audit   Sunshine Law Guide   Public Participation Guide