Quezon City website gets PWD accessibility certification

MANILA, Philippines — The Quezon City government has become the first local government unit in the country to have an online portal certified as fully accessible to persons with disabilities (PWD).

The city government’s online portal, https://quezoncity.gov.ph, recently passed the web accessibility audit conducted by the nonprofit organization Adaptive Technology for Rehabilitation, Integration and Empowerment of the Visually Impaired (ATRIEV).

It attained compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at the AA level. 

According to the local government unit, WCAG 2.1 is an internationally recognized set of guidelines and best practices for web accessibility. 

Attaining Level AA compliance indicates that the site is at an intermediate level with more comprehensive accessibility features, it added.

“This audit is one of the most important measures the city government has undertaken in pursuit of inclusivity,” said Mayor Joy Belmonte.

“It stands as proof of our commitment to ensuring that all residents, including our PWDs, can easily access essential information and services online – walang maiiwan,” it added.

Local government data showed that there are 69,000 registered PWDs in the city.

Several accessibility tools were integrated by the city’s Public Affairs and Information Services Department on the site, including color contrast, text-to-speech, alt text and a chatbot, which “aids individuals with hearing impairment by providing alternative ways to communicate with the city government aside from voice calls.” 

“Subtitles and alt texts in media content help individuals access information that might be missed if the user cannot hear an audio description or narration,” the city government added.

Ebenchito Pabia, ATRIEV’s accessibility lead, said the audit showed improved navigability of the website. PWDs were among those who were part of the audit team.