Digital accessibility is not a box counties can check once and move on. As websites, social media, videos, documents, forms, and other digital services continue to evolve, maintaining accessibility means making it part of how local governments create and publish content every day.
At the 2026 MACo Summer Conference, communications and multimedia professionals explored what comes after understanding the requirements: building sustainable processes that help counties make their digital content accessible from the start.
Delegate Pamela Queen moderated “You’re Digitally ADA Compliant. Now What?”, hosted by MACo’s County Communications and PIO Affiliate.
Panelists included:
- Emily Lucht, Director of Digital Communications, U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation
- Marshall Haas, Multimedia Specialist II and ADA Compliance Liaison, Queen Anne’s County Television
“What changed from 2024 to 2026? Nothing.”
At the #MACoCon digital accessibility panel, attendees are hearing that the standards aren’t new. The focus now? Putting them into practice, and tackling the staffing, training, and implementation challenges that come with compliance. pic.twitter.com/5bBFgMHJ2d
— Maryland Association of Counties (@MDCounties) August 14, 2026
Lucht focused on what accessibility looks like in practice for communicators. Meaningful alternative text, video captions, descriptive links, sufficient color contrast, accessible documents, and thoughtful use of emojis and fonts can all make digital content easier to access. She also cautioned that automated accessibility checkers can only go so far, while a tool may recognize that alt text exists, a person still needs to determine whether that description is actually useful.
Haas brought the conversation inside county government, sharing how Queen Anne’s County is working to make accessibility a sustainable, countywide practice. That includes identifying the employees and departments responsible for digital content, providing targeted training and resources, and working closely with frequent content creators such as webmasters, social media managers, agenda and minutes creators, and PIOs.
Both presentations reinforced that counties do not have to tackle everything at once. High-visibility content, including key webpages, forms, frequently used PDFs, videos, and social media, can provide a practical place to start. Training employees, creating checklists and templates, testing content, and incorporating accessibility before publication rather than after can help turn individual fixes into lasting practices.
The takeaway for counties was simple: start small, build accessibility into the process, and keep improving. Digital accessibility is not a one-time project, but an ongoing responsibility that evolves alongside the platforms counties use to communicate and serve their communities.
More about MACo’s Summer Conference:
