The University of Maryland, Baltimore is committed to making its digital content accessible to all users. Under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), public universities must ensure that their services, programs, and activities are accessible to people with disabilities. To meet these requirements, digital content must conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA.
What Is WCAG?
WCAG is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines created by the World Wide Web Consortium, or W3C. It is a standard that is used to measure accessibility compliance.
The WCAG 2.1 has 13 guidelines. For each guideline, there are testable success criteria. The success criteria are at three levels: A, AA, and AAA. The success criteria are what determine “conformance” to WCAG. To meet WCAG, the content needs to meet the success criteria.
A full explanation of critieria can be found at the W3C website. For those who are editing our website or creating digital documents, Silktide provides detailed explanations of the criteria and how to address them when reviewing issues that have been flagged. This can be a much better resource for everyday content management.
Standards and Requirements
UMB Accessibility Policy
UMB Policy on Web Accessibility
UMB recognizes that web-based content is integral to the academic and administrative work of the organization. UMB will establish equitable access to information, programs, and activities on UMB web-based content accessible to people with all abilities. This policy applies to UMB websites, regardless of whether they are built by UMB staff or suppliers.
Accessibility and Procurement
As part of UMB’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the security, accessibility, and fiscal responsibility for our information technology environment, we are implementing an IT Procurement Compliance and Security (IT-PCS) form. By completing the online form prior to making IT purchases, you can do your part to help protect UMB and your department against cyber threats, data breaches, technology incompatibility, network vulnerability, and non-compliance with relevant regulations regarding software and IT equipment.