WCAG 3.0 will shape how accessibility is measured for years, and it’s still a draft. That makes now the time to read it and say what works. Thomas Logan, founder of Equal Entry, will give a short tour of the latest W3C Working Draft: how it’s organized, how the new Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels work, and how it reaches beyond web pages. He will then host an interactive discussion. The group’s comments will be shared afterward, with steps for sending your own feedback to the W3C. No WCAG expertise needed, and first-timers are welcome. Joining online? Add your thoughts in the YouTube chat, and they’ll be included.
This ruling impacts state and local government offices, courts, police departments, public schools, community colleges, public universities, and public hospitals. State and local governments with 50,000 or more persons must make sure that their web content and mobile apps meet WCAG 2.1 by April 24, 2026. State and local governments with less than 50,000 persons and special government districts must be compliant by April 26, 2027.
A11yJam participants will learn from leading accessibility experts, connect with peers across state and local government, and dive into practical demos and roundtables led by teams actively remediating real systems, including permits, benefits, licensing, court sites, to see what’s working in the field, with concrete ideas be applied immediately, no matter team size or budget.
PROGRAM (all times EDT = UTC-4)
12:00 Welcome / Opening Panel – What the DOJ Accessibility Deadline Really Means for Your Agency Lynn Overmann – Executive Director, Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation Kristopher Adams – Chief Accessibility Officer, Commonwealth Office of Digital Experience (CODE PA) Marie Cohan – Statewide Digital Accessibility Officer, Texas Department of Information Resources Laura Hemler – Deputy City Attorney – City of Arvada Hailey Leek – Innovation Team Lead, Salt Lake City Corporation Keely Quinlan – Staff Reporter, StateScoop
13:05 What’s Happening in Local Governments Across the U.S. Crosby Burns – Chief Digital and Innovation Officer, County of Marin Katie Patterson – Communications Manager, Infrastructure, City of Arvada Michal Perlstein – Senior Manager, Digital Engagement, City of Seattle Jennifer Waters – Assistant Hennepin County Attorney, Hennepin County Attorney’s Office Kirsten Wyatt – Senior Director, Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation
13:05 What’s Happening in State Governments Across the U.S. Sara Hall – Executive Director, Commonwealth Office of Digital Experience (CODE PA) Dan Heisel – Web and UX Manager, Washington Technology Solutions (WaTech) Melanie Mazanec – Software Engineer, New Jersey Innovation Authority Ariel Kennan – Senior Director, Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation
14:15 Show and Tell Roundtables (Government Employees Only) AI Tools for Accessibility Design Systems to Drive Accessible Engagement Inclusive & Ethical Usability Testing Remediating PDFs at Scale Working With Vendors
On Tuesday February 27, 2024 at 7:30pm-8:30pm EST (00:30-01:30 UTC) the Accessibility NYC Meetup (A11yNYC) hosts a meetup ‘What’s on the Horizon in Legal Space with Digital Accessibility and WCAG 2.2?‘. Thomas Logan, owner of Equal Entry, and Ken Nakata have a podcast called A11yInsights. In every episode, they look at a legal case, a proposed or passed state law, and interesting news stories related to digital accessibility and the law. Thomas will review what is happening in the legal space as it pertains to digital accessibility from the perspective of a technologist.
