Our Commitment to Accessibility
The City of Colorado Springs is dedicated to ensuring that everyone can access and use our digital services. We work to stay fully aligned with all federal and state accessibility requirements, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (Title II), Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, and Colorado House Bill 21‑1110. These laws guide our responsibility to provide equitable access to online information and technology for all residents. To meet these standards, we follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA, the internationally recognized benchmark for designing websites and digital tools that are usable, perceivable, and accessible to people with disabilities.
Our goal is to ensure that every member of our community can navigate, understand, and interact with city information independently and with confidence.
Our Approach
To support this commitment, we use a two-part approach that provides both long-term direction and regular public accountability.
Our Digital Accessibility Transition Plan outlines the City’s strategy for identifying and reducing barriers across our websites, digital documents, and applications. It sets the framework for improving accessibility over time through updated processes, better tools, and collaboration across departments.
Alongside this long-term plan, our Quarterly Progress Reports share ongoing, measurable updates with the community. These reports track the work being done in real time, such as improvements to website accessibility, document remediation, and technology upgrades, so residents can see how our efforts are progressing.
Together, the Transition Plan establishes our roadmap, and the Quarterly Progress Reports demonstrate the steps we’re taking along the way.
Digital Accessibility Transition Plan
The Digital Accessibility Transition Plan serves as a public-facing guide that showcases the City of Colorado Springs’ commitment to building an inclusive digital environment. Much like a museum exhibit, the plan invites community members to explore the City’s accessibility processes, policies, and progress. It offers a transparent view into how we are working to remove digital barriers. This updated version expands the scope beyond websites and documents to include software, mobile apps, kiosks, and internal systems, while also addressing key gaps such as alternate access protocols, vendor compliance, and public feedback mechanisms. It reflects our dedication to continuous improvement through transparency and accountability.
Quarterly Progress Reports (HB21-1110 and HB21-1454)
In accordance with Colorado HB21-1110 and HB21-1454, the City of Colorado Springs has been working diligently to ensure that all Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is fully accessible. The City of Colorado Springs has adhered to the six Core Criteria of Accessibility Planning, as established by the Colorado Office of Information Technology (OIT). The six Core Criteria, and the progress that the City of Colorado Springs has made, is outlined below.
2025
Q4: 10/1/2025 – 12/31/2025
Governance
- Updated various digital accessibility policies & procedures to reflect the OIT Rulemaking changes from last quarter. Focused on process improvements within our Digital Accessibility Review.
- The Accessibility team met regularly regarding current progress & achievements, and updated leadership on a monthly basis.
- Completed annual digital accessibility maturity assessment by surveying 24 departments and over 100 city staff, using a 1–4 scale. The survey is part of our Municipal Accessibility Maturity Model (MAMM) which provides quantitative and qualitative insights for growth in digital accessibility across the city.
- Survey results: Overall average score 2.88, with strengths in Applied Skills & Knowledge (3.05) and improvement opportunities in ICT Development Life Cycle (2.61) and Procurement (2.76).
Prioritize, Test & Remediate
- Between September and December of 2025, the City has remediated a total of 1,210 documents. This puts the City’s year-to-date cumulative total at 2,562 documents (1,879 via PREP and 683 via CommonLook).
- Additionally, we used Monsiodo/Acqiua Web Governance to monitor & remediate the City website’s accessibility:
- Last quarter our accessibility score was at 75.4% as a result of Monsido/Acquia Web Governance updating their assessment criteria. Upon reviewing the new criteria, creating an action plan for remediation, and making quality of life adjustments our score at the end of the year was 82.6%
- We are continuing to address the changes and challenges through our action plan and believe our score will continue to rise in Quarter 1 of 2026.
Skills, Training, & Hiring
- Continued PREP, a document remediation software, training across the city.
- The Web Accessibility Coordinator held weekly office hours to address frequently asked questions.
- Additionally, the Web Accessibility Coordinator held individualized training sessions with multiple departments.
- PREP added new shortform video training for city staff and the Web Accessibility Coordinator created additional stand-alone training content.
Communications & Support
- Conducted a quarterly ADA Forum in collaboration with the Office of Accessibility, to provide updates to the disability community and gather feedback on our progress. Our focus to round off the year was sharing the New Digital Accessibility Transition Plan, which is available for public comment through the end of January 2026.
- Fostered the continual growth of the Colorado Digital Accessibility Networking Group, comprised of professionals in Colorado working in the web accessibility space.
Procurement
- Revitalized the Digital Accessibility Review process by developing a hybrid VPAT review template that combines automated checks with guided evaluation. This approach ensures WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance through a structured, quantitative review, while eliminating inconsistencies in language and documentation by multiple contributors.
- Introduced a modular risk statement framework tied to VPAT completion, enabling objective scoring and actionable insights for remediation planning, vendor accountability, and procurement.
IT Product Roles & Responsibilities (Software Development Lifecycle)
- Due to the City purchasing technology mostly from third-party vendors, the focus this quarter has been on vendors & procurement rather than on internal SDLC.
Q3: 7/1/2025 – 9/30-2025
Governance
- Updated various digital accessibility policies & procedures to reflect the OIT Rulemaking changes from last quarter. Focused on process improvement and resource management.
- The Accessibility team met regularly regarding current progress & achievements, and updated leadership on a monthly basis.
- Updated the Digital Accessibility Administrative Regulation, which was signed by the Mayor.
- Updated the Digital Accessibility Policy, governed by the Administrative Regulation. The IT Department oversees this policy.
- Met with 15 departments across the city to collaborate on digital accessibility best practices, challenges, and unified workflow. To improve alignment across city services.
- There is at least one designated point of contact, referred to as a “liaison”, from each Department that is responsible for coordinating & overseeing their department’s accessibility efforts in coordination with the Digital Accessibility Team. This quarter, we reviewed the role of the liaison including responsibilities and expectations.
Prioritize, Test & Remediate
- As of the end of this quarter, the City has remediated a year-to-date cumulative total of 1,352 documents (669 via PREP and 683 via CommonLook).
- In addition to ongoing use of Monsido to monitor & remediate the City website’s accessibility:
- Last quarter our accessibility score had dropped from 86.91% to 76.28%. At the end of this quarter, the score is 75.4% The reason behind this change had to do with Monsido updating their assessment criteria. According to Monsido, the changes include:
- Clearer Results: Monsido now provides Access streamlined checks, reducing the number of "review" flags. Additionally, issues are categorized as errors or warnings, making it easier to prioritize fixes
- Enhanced Accuracy: 36 checks have been added. These include entirely new checks and improved versions of existing ones. This means Monsido can identify a wider range of accessibility issues with greater precision
- Additionally, Monsido removed checks that are no longer relevant as the internet evolves. (ie. WCAG Standards)
- To address these changes and challenges we have created an action plan focused on tackling the items which have lowered the score.
- The action plan is focused on high priority issues across A and AA standards.
- Last quarter our accessibility score had dropped from 86.91% to 76.28%. At the end of this quarter, the score is 75.4% The reason behind this change had to do with Monsido updating their assessment criteria. According to Monsido, the changes include:
Skills, Training, & Hiring
- Continued PREP, a document remediation software, training across the city.
- The Web Accessibility Coordinator held weekly office hours to address frequently asked questions.
- Additionally, the Web Accessibility Coordinator held individualized training sessions with multiple departments.
- The City engaged an intern for a one-month period. However, the arrangement was not a successful fit and was discontinued. The City is actively recruiting additional internship opportunities.
- Created an Intern Onboarding Checklist focused on holistic digital accessibility training and disability culture.
Communications & Support
- Conducted a quarterly ADA Forum in collaboration with the Office of Accessibility, to provide updates to the disability community and gather feedback on our progress.
- Fostered the continual growth of the Colorado Digital Accessibility Networking Group, comprised of professionals in Colorado working in the web accessibility space.
Procurement
- Monitored the progress of a newly-implemented process for purchasing accessible ICT, and began implementing a the time of a new contract or renewal. Identified pain points & a plan for continuous improvement.
- Continued to conduct internal reviews for each new contract/renewal, to validate vendor compliance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA via an Accessibility Conformance Report (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template)
- Continued our collaboration with Strategic Solutions and the Cybersecurity team to review their Risk scoring system, with the goal of mirroring this format for vendor VPAT reviews, with the intent of creating an objective analysis that will direct action items.
- When necessary, worked with City vendors on a plan for remediating accessibility issues identified in the VPAT.
IT Product Roles & Responsibilities (Software Development Lifecycle)
- Finalized our Kiosk Accessibility Plan in conjunction with the Office of Accessibility as part of our new Web Accessibility Transition Plan.
- Due to the City purchasing technology mostly from third-party vendors, the focus this quarter has been on vendors & procurement rather than on internal SDLC.
Q2: 4/1/25 – 6/30/25
Governance
- Participated in the OIT Rulemaking Hearing sessions regarding updates to the Rules governed by HB 21-1110. Thoroughly reviewed changes for alignment with our Transition Plan.
- The Accessibility team met regularly regarding current progress & achievements, and updated leadership on a monthly basis.
- Drafted updates to the Digital Accessibility Administrative Regulation, for submission for Mayoral approval and signature.
- Drafted updates to the Digital Accessibility Policy, for internal departmental governance & accountability.
- Promoted the Web Accessibility Coordinator to Supervisor and hired a new Web Accessibility Coordinator.
Prioritize, Test & Remediate
- Purchased and onboarded PREP, a document remediation software, transitioning away from grant-funded CommonLook.
- PREP is cloud-based software that uses a blend of AI and self-assessment to remediate documents, removing accessibility barriers.
- Transitioned all previous CommonLook users (100) over to PREP and participated in 6 weeks of vendor training.
- At the end of this Quarter, the City has remediated approximately documents 923 (240 via PREP and 683 via CommonLook).
- In addition to ongoing use of Monsido to monitor & remediate the City website’s accessibility:
- Participated in vendor demonstrations to evaluate other tools on the market.
- The coloradosprings.gov website’s current accessibility score is 76%.
- This score has recently dropped. Investigated potential reasons behind this, with the goal of developing an action plan to improve the score.
- Began identifying accessibility improvements to send to the website vendor to enhance web accessibility.
Skills, Training & Hiring
- Conducted Citywide Web Accessibility training
- Conducted specialized Web Accessibility training for the Procurement department.
- Purchased accessibility training courses to implement into the City’s Learning Management System (LMS).
Communications & Support
- Conducted a quarterly ADA Forum in collaboration with the Office of Accessibility, to provide updates to the disability community and gather feedback on our progress.
- Fostered the continual growth of the Colorado Digital Accessibility Networking Group, comprised of professionals in Colorado working in the web accessibility space.
- Participated in multiple Mayor’s Strategic Plan Report Out sessions, with “Community Activation”, and accessible modalities of community engagement/activation, being a priority.
Procurement
- Monitored the progress of a newly-implemented process for purchasing accessible ICT, and began implementing a the time of a new contract or renewal. Identified pain points & a plan for continuous improvement.
- Continued to conduct internal reviews for each new contract/renewal, to validate vendor compliance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA via an Accessibility Conformance Report (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template)
- Met with the Cybersecurity team to review their Risk scoring system, with the goal of mirroring this format for vendor VPAT reviews, with the intent of creating an objective analysis that will direct action items.
- Began drafting RFP scoring for vendor accessibility.
- When necessary, worked with City vendors on a plan for remediating accessibility issues identified in the VPAT.
IT Product Roles & Responsibilities (Software Development Lifecycle)
- Met with the Office of Accessibility to finalize a checklist for kiosk accessibility requirements.
- Sent these requirements to the Applications team to submit for scoping of a kiosk improvement project.
- Due to the City purchasing technology mostly from third-party vendors, the focus this quarter has been on vendors & procurement rather than on internal SDLC.
Q1: 1/1/25 – 3/31/25
Governance
- Updated the City of Colorado Springs’ Web Accessibility Transition Plan, with the goal of publishing it in 2025 Q2.
- The Accessibility team met regularly regarding current progress & achievements, and updated leadership on a monthly basis.
Prioritize, Test & Remediate
- Began the procurement process to purchase PREP, a document remediation software, in preparation for the end of our current SIPA grant.
- The City received 100 document remediation licenses in 2024 via a grant from SIPA, and that grant ends in 2025 Q2.
- The new software will launch before the SIPA grant end date.
- At the end of this Quarter, the City has remediated approximately 683 documents.
- Created a master list of all City applications
- Created a master list of all City websites
- Continued utilizing Monsido to evaluate the City website’s accessibility.
- Identified outstanding website accessibility issues & began discussions on how to remediate them in the new budget year.
- The coloradosprings.gov website’s current accessibility score is 86%
- Converted the Office of Accessibility’s Transition Plan documents from PDF to HTML (261 total documents).
Skills, Training & Hiring
- Promoted the Senior Web Accessibility Coordinator into a Supervisor role overseeing Web & Digital Accessibility
- Posted the Sr Web Accessibility Coordinator position for hire.
- Hired new ADA Manager
- Onboarded an additional intern to support web accessibility efforts.
Communications & Support
- Began collecting a document inventory sorted by each department, & developed guidance on how to remediate the inventory
- Participated in OIT feedback on proposed changes to the technology accessibility rules
Procurement
- Launched a process for purchasing accessible ICT, and began implementing a the time of a new contract or renewal.
- Implemented standard accessibility language in all IT contracts.
- Conducted internal reviews for each new contract/renewal, to validate vendor compliance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA via an Accessibility Conformance Report (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template)
- When necessary, worked with City vendors on a plan for remediating accessibility issues identified in the VPAT
IT Product Roles & Responsibilities (Software Development Lifecycle)
- Added accessibility to the IT Project management process, to include accessibility as a required component in RFPs
2024
Q4: 10/1/2024 – 12/31/2024
Governance
- Began rewriting the City of Colorado Springs’ Web Accessibility Transition Plan
Prioritize, Test & Remediate
- Developed a procedure for all City staff to follow, outlining when & how to use CommonLook vs the built-in Microsoft Accessibility Checker
- Defined a priority list to help guide staff on how to prioritize documents in need of remediation
- CommonLook users continued remediating documents & built this process into their workflow
- At the end of this Quarter, the City has remediated approximately 339 documents.
- The previous Quarter’s total was 261, equaling a Grand Total of 600.
- Ongoing utilization of Aquia Optimize (formerly Monsido) to evaluate the City website’s accessibility
- Outstanding website accessibility issues will be remediated in the new budget year
- The coloradosprings.gov website’s current accessibility score is 87%, up from 87% in the previous quarter
- Explored document accessibility remediation software options for use after SIPA grant end in 2025
Skills, Training & Hiring
- Obtained a part-time web accessibility intern & requested another
- Launched Citywide, all staff accessibility training
- Identified more accessibility training needs, targeted to specific roles & offering more in-depth training. This training will be purchased in the new budget year
- Hosted 2 live, in person Accessibility training sessions for City employees
Communications & Support
- Provided accessibility consultation to multiple City departments
- Created an accessibility service category for the City’s IT ticketing system, in order to track and address various accessibility needs
- Utilized internal communications systems (i.e. all-staff newsletter, podcast, etc.) to communicate digital & web accessibility as a priority
- Began identifying ways to make accessible templates for commonly-used documents
- Launched an internal Digital Accessibility intranet webpage, hosting accessibility resources by topic & audience
Procurement
- Finalized a procedure for purchasing accessible ICT, with a plan to launch this in 2025
- Finalized a process to conduct internal reviews to validate vendor compliance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA via an Accessibility Conformance Report (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template)
- Began exploring the possibility of working with an accessibility company to assist the City in completing VPAT/ACR reviews
- Finalized accessibility contract language
- Added accessibility as a requirement in the Procurement process
- Began tracking VPAT reviews, outcomes & next steps via the City’s IT ticketing system
- Trained ICT contract owners on the vendor accessibility requirements & procedures
- Explored the option of utilizing the City’s Risk Governance Committee as needed when there are significant vendor accessibility concerns
- This process will launch in 2025
IT Product Roles & Responsibilities (Software Development Lifecycle)
- Developed a list of accessibility testing software to purchase in the next budget year, for the use of evaluating internal ICT
Q3: 6/1/24 – 9/30/24
Governance
- Began efforts to update the City of Colorado Springs’ Web Accessibility Transition Plan
- Updated the City’s Web Accessibility Public Statement
- Created an Accessibility team, consisting of the Communications department, the Web Accessibility Coordinator, the IT department, 20 Department Liaisons, the ADA Manager, and Content Creators.
- Identified at least one Liaison from each of the City’s 20 Departments, who acts as the Accessibility point person
Prioritize, Test & Remediate
- Applied for a SIPA grant & received 100 CommonLook licenses
- Launched CommonLook, a document remediation software program, to 100 users across all City Departments
- CommonLook users began remediating documents
- At the end of this Quarter, the City has remediated approximately 261 documents.
- Created a master list of all City applications
- Created a master list of all City websites
- Utilized Monsido to evaluate the City website’s accessibility, identified high-priority concerns, and successfully remediated them.
- Identified outstanding website accessibility issues & determined a plan to remediate them in the new budget year
- The coloradosprings.gov website’s current accessibility score is 83%
- Researched tools and/or processes to receive, track, and report accessibility history and trends
- Began efforts to identify all City documents & determine which can be archived
- Evaluated the time and cost of remediation:
- For preexisting documents only, it is estimated to take 6-10 years of uninterrupted full-time work. The City is currently exploring methods to manage this workload, as current staffing may not adequately support this ne
- Alternatively, for preexisting documents only, the estimated cost to hire a company to perform the remediation work is $975,000 at minimum. This is may not be compatible with the City’s current budget.
- For newly created documents, the City established procedures and resources for staff to build remediation into the document authoring process.
Skills, Training & Hiring
- Hired a Senior Web Accessibility Coordinator
- Created a plan to launch all-staff accessibility training in October
- 90% of CommonLook users completed training provided by Allyant
- Coordinated with Department Liaisons and began discussing accessibility awareness, communicate accessibility planning priorities, and answer questions
Communications & Support
- Implemented a plan for receiving accessibility reports/requests, as well as providing a solution
- Began creating a process for reporting digital accessibility reports/requests, as well as tracking history and trends
- Created a plan to continuously communicate accessibility via the city’s intranet & offer accessibility resources
- Presented accessibility plan to CommonLook users and Department heads
- Created an accessibility process for each Department to follow when creating new documents, and communicated expectations to each Department
- Researched & identified potential vendors to assist in making large documents accessible, with the hope of launching this next budget year.
Procurement
- Established a process for purchasing accessible ICT for all new purchases going forward
- Established a process to conduct internal reviews to validate vendor compliance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA via an Accessibility Conformance Report (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template)
- The City currently has roughly 600 ICT vendors. Given the amount of time each VPAT review and follow-up takes, this work is estimated to take 2,400 hours of uninterrupted full-time work per year, or more than a standard 2080-hour work year. The City is currently exploring methods to manage this work load, as current staffing may not adequately support this need.
- Began working with City vendors on a plan for remediating accessibility issues identified in the VPAT
- Updated contract language to ensure that current and new Vendors will meet & maintain compliance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA
IT Product Roles & Responsibilities (Software Development Lifecycle)
- Identified the need to establish a plan to review internal ICT and evaluate for compliance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA
- Identified the need to establish a plan to build accessibility into the planning and development stages
Older Reports
Policies, Procedures, and Guides
The City of Colorado Springs established its Online Accessibility Policy in March 2020, requiring that web content hosted on City public websites be evaluated, prioritized, and scheduled for remediation no later than June 30, 2022. In September of 2025, Mayor Yemi signed an updated Administrative Regulation AR-2025-04 in which the policy was renamed as the Digital Accessibility Policy. The new policy reflected updates from HB 21-1110 and focused on proactively matching new federal updates to the ADA.
Additionally, the City has policies and processes for procuring accessible information technology and employee training for creating accessible content that can be read by assistive technologies such as screen readers and Braille devices.
Report a Digital Accessibility Concern
We appreciate your patience as we continuously work to improve digital accessibility across the city. Should you have problems accessing information on the City’s websites, please let us know. We also welcome your questions about our Transition Plan, Quarterly Reports, and any comments on how to improve our accessibility efforts.
Due to current technology limitations, some types of digital content, such as complex mapping information may not yet be fully accessible to all users. When this occurs, individuals can contact the Office of Accessibility to receive the information in an alternative format that meets their needs. We actively monitor these areas and will continue working toward accessible solutions as technology evolves and new tools become available.
To comment on our website or digital accessibility, please contact us via the online form below or follow the ADA / Section 504 Grievance procedure.