The South Carolina State Library will offer website accessibility assessments through the Able Access Project to four public libraries in South Carolina. These assessments will help ensure that library websites meet legal standards for website accessibility and that they are accessible to all members of the public, including those with disabilities. We will choose recipients based on the project application's completeness, demonstrated need, and project readiness.
For each recipient, a team of web testers with disabilities, screen reader users, and IT professionals will examine the following web pages:
- Home Page
- Contact Us Form OR Subscribe Form, whichever has more fields
- Events Calendar
- Individual Event Listing
- Locations Landing Page (if applicable)
- Individual Location Page (if applicable)
- About Page (possibly landing or sub-page)
- One hosted Document
- Two additional pages featuring diverse content recommended by the library.
Once testing is complete, Able South Carolina will give participants a comprehensive report identifying areas that fail to meet WCAG 2.0 Standards and provide recommendations to correct each issue. A subsequent virtual training highlighting ways to make websites, social media, and virtual services more inclusive will be open to all South Carolina libraries.
This project does not include funding for website improvements. The South Carolina State Library encourages libraries to address any issues that the assessments identify and will offer consultative support to help them reach their goals.
Applications are due April 1, 2021, and we will announce the project recipients by April 15, 2021. The anticipated completion date is June 1, 2021.
Please join us for an information session on this project from noon to 1:00 p.m. on Friday, February 5, 2021. Applications are available on our website. Visit our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion libguide for additional information, or contact our Inclusive Services Consultant Caroline Smith or Grants Coordinator Wendy Coplen. This Project is funded with Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered by the South Carolina State Library (SCSL).
