As a government agency, Flathead County is required to comply with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Title II prohibits state and local government agencies from discriminating against people with disabilities or excluding them from participation in programs, services, or activities.
What is Web Accessbility?
Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can use the web. More specifically, web accessibility means that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the web, and that they can contribute to the web. Web accessibility also benefits others, including older people with changing abilities due to aging. Web accessibility encompasses all disabilities that affect access to the web, including visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological disabilities.
Plain language: Accessibility means a person should be able to get the same information and complete the same tasks, even if they use the website in a different way.
How we work toward accessibility
Accessibility is an ongoing part of maintaining Flathead County’s digital services. As webpages, documents, forms, online services, and mobile applications where applicable are created or updated, we work to make them easier to read, navigate, and use.
- Using clear headings and consistent page structure;
- Writing descriptive link text instead of vague links such as “click here”;
- Providing text alternatives for meaningful images when needed;
- Improving document accessibility when files are updated or replaced;
- Checking color contrast, keyboard access, and readable formatting;
- Reviewing reported accessibility issues and making improvements where possible.
- Considering accessibility for third-party tools, embedded services, online forms, and mobile applications where applicable;
ADA Statement
Flathead County recognizes the importance of making its digital government services available to the largest possible audience and works to make this website accessible to people with disabilities. Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act requires state and local governments to make their services, programs, and activities accessible to people with disabilities, including services offered online.
Flathead County works toward conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA, which is the technical standard adopted by the U.S. Department of Justice for web content and mobile applications under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Current standard: For public entities serving 50,000 or more people, the current compliance date for the DOJ Title II web and mobile accessibility rule is April 26, 2027.
Accessibility is an ongoing effort. Flathead County will continue to review, test, and improve website content as pages, documents, forms, and online services are updated.