Law / United States / 
Massachusetts
Enterprise Digital Accessibility Policy of the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security
Enterprise Digital Accessibility Policy, issued under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 7D, § 2
In force.
An accessibility requirements rule binding government bodies.
- Obligation class
- Governance
- Conformance standard
- WCAG 2.1 AA, US Section 508 standards
What it requires
- If you are an executive department agency of the Commonwealth, make your websites, web-based software, desktop software, mobile applications, AI products, electronic documents, social media content and multimedia conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 or later at levels A and AA, in the administrator interface as well as the end user interface (policy sections 5.2 and 6.1).
- Make hardware you provide that has a user interface, such as display screens, variable message signs and kiosks, meet Section 508 Chapter 4 and the Architectural Access Board's 521 CMR 1.0 (policy section 6.1).
- Use authoring software, such as tools for online forms, dashboards, multimedia and PDF files, that meets the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (policy section 6.1).
- Run code validation, automated accessibility testing and manual accessibility testing before deploying a digital asset, and test interactive prototypes during design (policy sections 8.1.3.1, 8.1.4.1 and 8.1.5).
- Monitor the accessibility of the digital assets you own, operate or maintain on a regular cadence using automated and manual testing (policy section 8.1.8).
- Create and maintain a mitigation plan when a digital asset has an accessibility violation (policy section 8.1.9).
- Do not include an accessibility overlay in any digital asset within the policy's scope, whether built internally or by a third party (policy section 8.1.10).
- Submit any exception to the policy through the policy's exception request process (policy section 10.1).
- Ensure that employees complete the required and role-specific digital accessibility trainings, and keep training completion data (policy section 8.1.1).
- When you buy digital products or services, follow the Procurement of Accessible Digital Products and Services, including the Vendor Digital Accessibility Contract Language (policy section 8.1.7).
- Make electronic documents and communications meet the guidance and testing requirements of Creating Accessible Electronic Documents and Communications (policy section 8.1.6).
These lines are LexLint's reading of the law's text.
What this law does
The Executive Office of Technology Services and Security's Enterprise Digital Accessibility Policy applies to every executive office, board, commission, agency, department, division, council and bureau of the Executive Department. Executive department agencies must adhere to the policies, procedures and objectives that the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security establishes for information technology, and other state agencies may.
The policy covers websites, web-based software, desktop software, mobile applications, artificial intelligence products, electronic documents, multimedia, email communications and social media content. The policy adopts the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 or later at levels A and AA for those digital assets. Hardware with a user interface must meet Section 508 Chapter 4 and 521 CMR 1.0 of the Architectural Access Board.
A Commonwealth entity that uses services provided by the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security, such as mass.gov, must comply with the policy for those services as a condition of use. An agency that violates the policy may be ineligible for capital funding. The policy page is dated and names the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security as its organization.
When a digital asset has an administrator interface, the policy covers both the administrator and the end user interface. Agencies must ensure that employees complete required digital accessibility training and must keep training completion data.
Domain requests for digital assets that violate the policy are denied unless an exception is granted, and the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security may remove the domain name system record of a violating digital asset, which removes end users' access to it.
When LexLint raises it
When your app profile says your app ships a consumer interface or ships a mobile app.
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