As part of our commitment to providing inclusive digital experiences, we are reaching out regarding the upcoming federal mandate requiring all health systems to be conformant with WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards.

Our Commitment to Accessibility

We prioritize accessibility in our core product development. We are currently:

• Performing rigorous internal testing on our standard site builds to ensure they meet conformance standards. 
• Completing a formal VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template), which will be available by the end of April. 

Your Responsibility: Customizations & Branding

While our standard products are built for compliance, customizations made during your implementation—such as specific brand colors, themes, and contrast choices—can impact your site's final accessibility rating. For example, certain light colors against white backgrounds may fail contrast audits.

Your Call to Action:

We recommend the following:

• Audit Your Customizations: Review any custom branding, colors, and contrast choices on your search directory. 
• Check ARIA Labels: If you have customized the language for buttons or other controls, ensure the matching ARIA labels are also updated for screen readers. 
• Use Testing Tools: You can perform a preliminary check using free browser-based tools like Wave or Site Improve to identify immediate contrast errors. 

Next Steps & Support

• Submission Deadline: If your internal audit reveals necessary adjustments to your custom styling or labels, please submit a support ticket. This will allow our team sufficient lead time to implement changes before the mandate takes effect. 
• Customer Roundtable: We hosted a deep-dive session on this mandate and demonstrate how to check your site for common errors.

We are here to support you in your journey toward full digital accessibility. Please reach out to your Customer Success Manager with any immediate questions.