Services
Everything a utility district publishes, online and on paper, made accessible and kept that way. Each service below explains what it is, what your district gets and what we'll need from you.
The work is measured against WCAG 2.1 Level AA, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines standard required by the ADA Title II web rule. ADA Title II is the part of the Americans with Disabilities Act that covers state and local governments, including utility districts.
Website audit and remediation
We check your website against WCAG 2.1 Level AA, the technical standard the ADA Title II rule requires. (WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.) Automated scans find some problems quickly, but they miss many that a person notices right away. So we also test your key pages by hand, using only a keyboard and using a screen reader, the software many blind residents use to hear a web page read aloud.
What your district gets
- A written report of every issue we find, ranked by how much it affects residents, with the page, the problem and the fix.
- Fixes made in the site itself: headings, image descriptions, color contrast, menus, sliders, pop-up notices and forms.
- A retest after the fixes, and a written record of what was checked and changed.
If an outside company built or hosts your website, we can work with them directly, or hand them the report and review their fixes.
What we need from you
- Access to your website’s editing system, or an introduction to the company that manages it.
- A staff contact who can answer questions about your pages and content.
- Decisions about outdated pages: keep, update or remove.
Accessible documents
Most district websites hold dozens or hundreds of PDFs: agendas, minutes, rate schedules, policies and applications. Under the ADA Title II rule, those documents count as web content too. Some older documents may qualify for an exception, but a document residents still use to get service generally does not. The deadlines and requirements page explains the exceptions and their conditions.
What your district gets
- An inventory of every document on your site, with a recommendation for each one: archive it, convert it to a web page, or fix it.
- Fixed documents that are tagged, set in the right reading order, given image descriptions and tested with a screen reader.
- Frequently used documents converted to regular web pages, which are easier to read on a phone and easier to keep accessible.
- Word templates for agendas, minutes and notices, with guidance for staff, so new documents start out accessible.
What we need from you
- The original Word or Excel files where you have them. They are faster to fix than PDFs.
- Decisions about which older documents can move to an archive.
Online forms and payment vendors
Start and stop service requests, leak adjustments and outage reports are often the pages residents use most. The ADA Title II rule also covers content you provide through contracts with other companies, such as an online bill-pay portal. A vendor’s portal is still your district’s responsibility.
What your district gets
- Forms repaired or rebuilt with visible labels, clear error messages and full keyboard access.
- A review of your bill-pay portal and other vendor tools, with a plain-language summary of the problems we find.
- Help requesting an accessibility report from each vendor. Vendors often call this a VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template); the completed version is an ACR (Accessibility Conformance Report).
What we need from you
- A list of the vendors and online tools you use, with a contact at each.
- Test accounts where possible, so we can check pages behind a login.
Consumer Confidence Report design
Your Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) is the annual water quality report your system sends to customers. EPA revised the CCR rule in 2024, and the changes apply to reports delivered starting in 2027. Every report will open with a summary that includes how to request a paper copy and how to get language assistance. Lead information is expanded, and systems serving 10,000 or more people will deliver a second report each year. Because the report is posted online, it also needs to be accessible under the ADA Title II rule.
What your district gets
- A report designed to be easy to read, with the required summary up front.
- Data tables built so a screen reader can read them row by row.
- Versions for your website, for mailing and for bill inserts.
- For systems serving 10,000 or more people, a plan for the second report each year.
What we need from you
- Your water quality data and required content from your operator and lab.
- Last year’s report and any guidance from TDEC, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, or your state’s drinking water agency.
- Review and sign-off from your staff. We design and structure the report; your district remains responsible for its data and regulatory content.
Ongoing accessibility care
Accessibility isn’t a one-time project. Every new agenda, notice and page can bring problems back. Ongoing care keeps the work you’ve paid for from slipping.
What your district gets
- A monthly scan of your site, with a person reviewing the results.
- Fixes for new PDFs as you publish them. [ROB: note any monthly limit on documents]
- A check after every website update or redesign.
- A written monthly log of what was checked and fixed. It gives your board a clear record, and it shows anyone who asks what the district is doing.
What we need from you
- A simple way to send us new documents before or after you post them.
- A heads-up when your website is about to change.
Beyond the website
ADA Title II also requires “effective communication”: communicating with residents who have disabilities as effectively as with everyone else. That reaches past the website to printed bills, notices, the mailed Consumer Confidence Report and public meetings.
What your district gets
- Large-print versions of bills, notices and your water quality report, and braille versions through a partner vendor.
- Bill and notice designs that are easier for everyone to read.
- Accessible agendas and board packets for public meetings.
- Draft wording for your ADA notice and accommodation requests, written for your district’s attorney to review and approve.
What we need from you
- Samples of your current bills, notices and meeting materials.
- An introduction to your billing vendor or printer, if they produce your bills.
- Your attorney’s review of any notice or policy wording.
How a project works
- Free snapshot A short report on issues found on your homepage and key pages. No cost and no obligation.
- Full audit and roadmap We review every page, form and document, then give you a written estimate and schedule based on what we find.
- Remediation We fix the website and documents, then retest.
- Ongoing care Monthly checks keep new content accessible, with a written log of the work.
Every project is estimated separately, because every district's website, documents and vendors are different. The free snapshot is the place to start.