Public Sector Digital Accessibility: Serving All Citizens Equitably 

The Critical Need for Accessible Government Services 

When citizens can’t access tax portals, voting systems, or emergency alerts, it’s more than an inconvenience – it’s a failure of public service. At DigitalA11Y, we’ve helped government agencies transform their digital services to meet: 

• Section 508 requirements (U.S. federal) 
• ADA Title II obligations (state/local) 
• WCAG 2.1 AA standards (global best practice) 

Our work stems from real experience – like when we helped a state unemployment portal reduce abandonment rates by 27% through accessibility fixes. 

Where Government Digital Services Often Fall Short 

Based on our audits of public sector systems, these are the most common – and most damaging – accessibility failures: 

1. Voting & Civic Engagement 
   • Online voter registration forms that screen readers can’t navigate 
   • Election information PDFs that aren’t tagged properly 
   • Video public meetings without captions 
2. Emergency Services 
   • Alert systems that only use visual cues 
   • Crisis hotlines without TTY compatibility 
   • Emergency forms with confusing error messages 
3. Everyday Citizen Services 
   • Tax filing portals with keyboard traps 
   • Permit applications with inaccessible CAPTCHAs 
   • Payment systems lacking proper ARIA labels 

How DigitalA11Y Delivers Genuine Expertise 

Unlike generic accessibility firms, we specialize in the unique needs of government digital services: 

1. Practical Compliance 
   • We’ve helped agencies pass Section 508 audits with documented, sustainable solutions 
   • Our team includes former government developers who understand legacy systems 
2. Citizen-Focused Testing 
   • We test with real users who rely on assistive technology 
   • Our reports prioritize fixes that impact the most critical citizen services  
3. Sustainable Implementation
   • We train internal teams to maintain accessibility 
   • Provide clear documentation for procurement requirements

Our Public Sector Work Samples 

1. Case Study: State Health Department Portal
   • Fixed 142 WCAG failures in 8 weeks 
   • Implemented accessible data visualizations for COVID stats 
   • Trained 60 staff members on maintaining compliance 
2. Ongoing Work: County Website Redesign 
   • Monthly accessibility QA checks 
   • PDF remediation workflow implementation 
   • Keyboard navigation testing for all new features 

Start Your Accessibility Initiative 

Don’t let another citizen struggle with your digital services.

Our government-focused team can help you: 

1. Assess current compliance gaps 
2. Prioritize fixes for high-impact services 
3. Implement sustainable solutions 
4. Train your team for long-term success