Digital Accessibility

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal law that protects the civil rights of people with disabilities in many aspects of public life. Within that are various regulations. Title II regulations prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities by state and local governments and ensures they have equal access to all public services, programs and activities, including education and digital content.

Why is this important?

Accessible digital content isn’t just about meeting standards — it’s about making sure the information we share works for the people we serve. This law requires public entities to ensure that web content and mobile applications are accessible to people with disabilities using specific standards (WCAG 2.1 Level AA). All school districts nationwide must meet these requirements. Pattonville has until April 26, 2027.

MUST Acronym

Mobile-friendly
Usable
Searchable
Translatable

What content is covered?

This applies across a wide range of digital platforms and includes content that is shared with community members, families, staff and students. This includes:

Digital Communications
Digital Flyers
Documents
Learning Platforms
Mobile Apps
Social Media
Videos
Web content

Training Materials

Introduction to Digital Accessibility and ADA Compliance

Important Things to Note

Anyone in our district who creates and shares information digitally — which is almost everyone — will be impacted. Compliance applies across a wide range of digital platforms and includes content that is shared with community members, families, staff and students. There are some limited exceptions that exclude past social media posts, archived web content and content posted by a third party not acting on behalf of our district. Meeting digital content compliance is the right thing to do. Beyond the legal requirements, compliance improves user experience and usability for everyone. See the list at right for monthly training content.

Training Schedule

Each month, Pattonville will share monthly training content on a specific digital accessibility topic. The schedule is:

January 2026 - Introduction to Digital ADA Title II Compliance

February 2026 - Understanding Assistive Technology

March 2026 - Accessible Text

April 2026 - Images and Graphics

May 2026 - Flyers and PDFs

August 2026 - Presentations

September 2026 - Newsletters

October 2026 - Color Contrast and Visual Clarity

November 2026 - Multimedia: Captions and Transcripts

December 2026 - Forms and Interactive Media

January 2027 - Best Practices and Daily Habits

February 2027 - Putting It All Into Practice

March 2027 - Conclusion and Readiness

Training Materials

Click on each month to see content for that topic.

April 2026 - Images and Graphics

Images and graphics are some of the most engaging content we create. But if they are not accessible, they can also be some of the most limiting. To meet digital accessibility requirements, images must be more than visible — they must be understandable and usable for everyone, including people using screen readers or other assistive technology. Not all image types and uses are treated the same for accessibility. The purpose of the image determines the action that needs to be taken to ensure it’s viewable — in one way or another — by all.

Making Images and Graphics Viewable to All

Writing Alt Text

Tasks to Try

APRIL Tasks to Try

Resources

Staff E-newsletter

Alt Text Flow Chart

Best Practices for Making Text Accessible

Staff Take: Tips on Design

What You Need to Know

Creating alt text for images takes only a minute, but is a vital support for those using assistive technology. Here are the important details to keep in mind.

Not all images are treated the same - First, identify the purpose of the image to determine the correct alt text form. Informative images require alt text, decorative images should be marked as such so assistive technology skips them and functional images should describe the action (for example, use “Search” for alt text, not “magnifying glass”).
Alt text should describe purpose, not just appearance - Write alt text that explains what the image means in context. Focus on how it supports the message, keep it concise and place the most important information first.
Avoid putting important information inside images - Key details should always be included in the message itself. Text within images cannot be read by screen readers, resized, translated or searched — which can leave users without access to critical information.
Keep alt text clear, concise and professional - Use complete sentences, correct grammar and simple language. Avoid phrases like “image of,” skip unnecessary details and do not repeat information included in surrounding text.
Complex visuals require more than basic alt text - Charts, graphs and infographics need both a short alt text description and a longer text explanation. This ensures all users can access the full meaning, not just a brief summary.

March 2026 - Accessible Text

Accessible text ensures that digital content can be read, understood and navigated by all users, including those using assistive technology. This month's training focuses on key practices such as proper heading structure, meaningful links, readable formatting and clear writing. These elements help remove barriers and make information more usable for students, families and staff.

Creating Text That's Accessible

Tasks to Try

March Tasks to Try

Tip Sheet

Text Accessibility Tip Sheet

Resources

Staff E-newsletter

Best Practices for Making Text Accessible

Staff Take: Creating Content

What You Need to Know

Here are the five things to remember as you start implementing and improving accessible text.

Heading Structure - Headings should be descriptive and follow a nested, organized structure, starting with H1, then H2, then H3, etc. Think of headings as an outline for content, organizing it hierarchically from broad topics to specific details. Use H1 once for the title, H2s for main sections and H3s and on for subsections.
Text Format - Keep fonts clean and use a readable size, usually no smaller than 12 points. Sans-serif fonts and left justification are easiest for readers. Use title- or sentence-case capitalization; avoid all caps.
Links - Use descriptive link text so the audience can determine the purpose of the link from the text alone. Avoid "Click Here" or full URLs.
Text/Images - Text should be actual text — not part of an image. Text can be resized, read aloud and translated, but images cannot. Don't use images to represent text and use emojis sparingly, if at all.
Color and Contrast- Color should not be used as the only way to convey meaning. Text color also needs to be easily readable against the background color.

February 2026 - Assistive Technology

In order to appreciate the impact digital accessibility has on users, it's important to understand the various ways those with disabilities might access content. Assistive technology are the tools people with disabilities use to access digital information. This may include screen readers, captions and magnifying tools. This month, learn about how these tools work and how content must be created to ensure information can be accessed by all.

What is assistive technology?

Using Assistive Technology

Both Apple and Windows platforms provide digital accessibility tools. These tools allow users to navigate their device and access information in alternative ways. The easiest way to understand how assistive technology works is to try it. The resources below include instructions and examples on how to turn on assistive technology tools. We encourage you to try them out.

Apple Devices

Windows Devices

Tasks to Try

February Tasks to Try

Resources

Staff E-newsletter

January 2026 - Introduction to Digital Accessibility

In January, staff received an introduction to digital accessibility and ADA compliance through a presentation at their building or during district meetings. We appreciate everyone for participating in this presentation and hope it was helpful to learn about upcoming changes to the law and district practices. A recording of the presentation, along with all future training materials, can be viewed on Pattonville's website. A recap of three important points are outlined below.

See the presentation video

Digital accessibility and ADA Title II

Title II regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities and ensures they have equal access to all public services, programs and activities. This law requires public entities ensure digital information is accessible using specific standards (WCAG 2.1 Level AA).

Remember MUST

Accessible digital content isn’t just about meeting standards — it’s about making sure the information we share works for the people in our community. That’s why we MUST incorporate this into our daily work. When thinking of accessibility, keep the MUST acronym in mind:

Mobile-friendly
Usable
Searchable
Translatable

Pattonville's training timeline

Pattonville has until April 2027 to meet the new legal compliance standards. This year, the focus for training will be on specific aspects of accessibility and types of digital content. In early 2027, the focus will shift to bringing everything together to ensure we are ready and prepared for this implementation date. See the timeline above.