WCAG Accessibility Training
Master accessibility standards required by California State
California State government is legally required to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards for all public-facing and internal software.
🚨 Why This Matters
California State government is legally required to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards for all public-facing and internal software. Every State tech job posting now explicitly requires accessibility knowledge. This training is essential.
Sample Lesson: Images & Alt Text
Why Alt Text Matters
Blind users rely on screen readers to understand images. Decorative images that are unlabeled waste their time. Meaningful images without alt text hide critical information. State systems serve all Californians—including those with disabilities.
The Problem: Bad Alt Text
❌ BAD: Generic or missing
<img src="chart.png">
<img alt="image">✅ GOOD: Descriptive
<img alt="Leave accrual
by department: IT 85%,
HR 72%">💡 Tip:
Ask yourself: "If I removed the image, would the page still make sense?" If yes, add alt text. If it's decorative, use alt="" to skip it.
Real State Scenario
You're a Programmer Analyst at CalHR
Your manager asks: "We have a dashboard with 5 bar charts showing leave accrual by department. Some screen reader users complained they can't understand it. What do you do?"
The Right Answer:
- Add descriptive alt text to each chart image with the key data points
- OR better: Use HTML <table> data instead of images for charts
- Provide ARIA labels and descriptions for interactive elements
- Test with a screen reader (NVDA, JAWS) to verify