Accessibility Compliance Notice & Policy Update for public-facing services for – Valcour Public Safety Portal products

Accessibility Compliance Notice & Policy Update for public-facing services for – Valcour Public Safety Portal products

As part of our ongoing compliance work, we are implementing updates to our public-facing web Portal products to align with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA standards. 

WCAG 2.1 AA is considered the industry benchmark for digital accessibility. Conforming to these standards enhances usability for all users, including those who use assistive technologies, and helps ensure compliance with laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, For more information, please see links below.

What’s New in this Bulletin:

  • We will be auditing and updating our web-based Portal products to ensure that the public accessibility  conforms with legal requirements. 
  • Based on our current audit, we need to ensure that any new or updated Valcour Portal Online Reporting forms created by Agency must meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards criteria, such as:
    • Keyboard navigability
    • Sufficient color contrast
    • Text alternatives for non-text content (e.g., images)
    • Clear, consistent structure and labeling
    • Avoiding  elements that cannot be used by screen readers or keyboard-only users.

How this will affect Agency Users:

Agencies who provide public-facing forms via Valcour Portal Online Reporting must:

  • Ensure that content meets WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines. 
  • To do this Agencies should use the form builder provided by CrossWind to create all public facing forms on  Valcour Portal Online Reporting. 
  • Accessibility checks will be completed and displayed automatically.

Effective Date

These updates go into effect on May 1st, 2025 for all Agencies using Valcour Portal Online Reporting,

Questions?

If you have any questions or need assistance reviewing your forms prior to publication, please reach out to support@crosswind.com.

Additional information for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act:  Fact Sheet: New Rule on the Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps Provided by State and Local Governments | ADA.gov