WCAG 2.1 Level AA
The level of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines specified in the DOJ Title II web rule. It includes Level A and Level AA success criteria.
Use it to define technical review criteria.
Glossary
Accessibility terms, in plain language.
A working glossary for school district teams. Understand the documents, review methods, and evidence discussed in your project.
Get your free PDF Backlog ReportEight detailed guides plus short definitions for the terms district teams use in procurement, remediation and review.
ADA Title II
The part of the Americans with Disabilities Act that applies to state and local government services, programs, and activities.
The web rule adds a specified technical standard and dates for covered content.
Section 504
A federal disability nondiscrimination provision applying to programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance.
District example: A program team asks whether an accessibility project addresses all disability-related obligations. The technical scope is reviewed separately from counsel’s assessment of the program’s responsibilities.
District obligations can extend beyond the Title II web rule.
Section 508
Federal accessibility requirements concerning information and communications technology in covered federal contexts.
District example: A vendor proposal refers to several standards. The district asks which criteria are actually being tested and how the resulting report documents that coverage.
It is a different framework from a school district’s Title II obligations.
Tagged PDF
A PDF that includes structural information such as headings, paragraphs, lists, and tables.
Tags need to reflect meaning and sequence; their presence alone is insufficient.
Reading order
The sequence in which content is presented to assistive technology.
It should preserve meaning across columns, callouts, and page layouts.
Alternative text
A text alternative that conveys the purpose or information of meaningful non-text content.
Useful descriptions depend on context, not simply the presence of an alt field.
OCR
Optical character recognition: software that recognizes text in images.
District example: A scanned notice becomes searchable, but a phone number contains a misread character. The recognition result must be checked against the original before publication.
Scanned documents still need accuracy checks and structure after OCR.
PDF/UA
A family of ISO standards focused on accessible PDF technology and structure.
A PDF/UA check and a WCAG review address related but distinct questions.
Screen reader
Software that presents digital content through speech or braille.
District example: A reviewer tries to locate an agenda item and read its attachment reference using the document structure. The record describes that task and the outcome.
Testing should describe the tasks and software used.
Keyboard navigation
Use of an interface without requiring a mouse or touch gesture.
District example: A calendar opens from a button, but the next-date control cannot be reached by keyboard. The finding identifies the interaction rather than merely saying the calendar failed.
Menus, forms, and focus order need to support the whole task.
Focus indicator
A visible sign showing which interactive element currently receives keyboard input.
District example: After a menu closes, focus returns to its trigger so the next keyboard action has a predictable starting point.
People need to locate the active control before using it.
Heading hierarchy
A meaningful organization of headings and subheadings.
District example: A family guide has major sections for enrollment, required documents, and contacts, with meaningful subsections beneath them.
Real structure supports navigation; larger text alone is not a heading.
Table header
A cell that identifies the meaning of related data cells.
District example: A transportation table lists schools, routes, and times. Readers need to know which school and route a time belongs to.
Header relationships help make complex information understandable.
Accessible name
The programmatic name assistive technology uses for a control.
District example: A form has two buttons shown only as arrows. Their names should make the distinct actions understandable to assistive technology.
It should clearly identify the action or input.
Conformance
Satisfaction of a specified standard’s requirements within a defined scope.
District example: A report identifies selected pages, their reviewed version, the criteria evaluated, methods, date, and open findings.
Any claim needs a clear standard, coverage, and supporting method.
Remediation
Work to address identified accessibility barriers in content or interfaces.
District example: A district repairs an active form, reviews the returned version, approves the wording, and replaces the public links with the accepted file.
The scope should identify what is fixed and how it is reviewed.
SAIPE
Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, a U.S. Census Bureau program.
District example: The district records the resident population source alongside its estimated date so another staff member can review the assumptions.
DOJ guidance points independent school districts to its most recent population estimate.
VPAT
Voluntary Product Accessibility Template: a format for documenting how a product addresses accessibility criteria.
It is a template, not a certification.
ACR
Accessibility Conformance Report, often prepared using a VPAT.
District example: A district asks a vendor to explain a limitation affecting the enrollment workflow described in the proposed service.
Read the scope, date, methods, and explanations rather than the title alone.
Archived web content
A category of web content subject to a specific exception with multiple conditions in the DOJ rule.
An old date alone does not establish the exception.
Preexisting conventional electronic documents
A category of documents addressed by a separate exception in the DOJ rule.
District example: An earlier-year form is still the version a department tells families to complete. That current use is collected for the district’s review.
Current use to access services can matter; ask counsel about application.
Source document
The editable original used to create an exported file.
District example: Staff update a menu using the maintained source, export it through the agreed route, and check the new PDF before posting.
Fixing the source can reduce repeat errors in future editions.
Publication verification
A check that the publicly available content matches the reviewed version.
District example: The district posts the returned PDF, and the evidence record confirms which accepted version is available at the public URL.
A later re-export or replacement can change the result.
Evidence log
A record connecting a deliverable version to dates, methods, scope, and outcomes.
District example: A board update distinguishes files reviewed from files waiting for content approval and files still awaiting posting.
It should distinguish tool checks, human review, and live verification.
Retest
A follow-up review of changes against identified issues and agreed coverage.
District example: A vendor changes a form control. Retesting checks keyboard operation, its name, and the relevant error state on the new version.
A recorded outcome helps close the loop after a fix.
Semantic HTML
HTML that describes the purpose and structure of content using appropriate elements.
District example: A document is converted to a web page with real headings and meaningful lists rather than a sequence of visually styled text boxes.
Native headings, lists, buttons, and labels support accessible interfaces.
Assistive technology
Tools that help people interact with digital content, such as screen readers or speech input.
District example: A form is reviewed for keyboard completion and with a screen reader, with the tested task and environment recorded.
Review should consider the task and supported modes of use.
Document language
Programmatic identification of the language used in a document or passage.
District example: A family notice contains an English section and a passage in another language. The document review considers the relevant language information as well as reading order.
It helps assistive technologies choose appropriate pronunciation.
Fixed scope
A written definition of included inputs, deliverables, methods, and limits.
District example: A packet project identifies the included meeting files, source assumptions, revision rules, evidence record, and posting responsibilities before a price is agreed.
It lets a district compare a quote with the actual work required.
Start with the size of the work.
A clearer backlog. A practical plan. A fixed quote.