Big win for accessibility in ONC 2015 Certification

The new ONC 2015 Certification contains a big win for accessibility.

This is great news for the growing number of seniors that use technology. Meaningful Use Certification will require a move up to WCAG 2.0 Level AA .

On page 101 of the document, it is suggested that:" Consistent with our belief that all patients should have an equal opportunity to access their electronic health information without barriers or diminished functionality or quality, we proposed in the 2014 Edition NPRM (77 FR 13840) that the viewing capability for VDT must meet Level AA conformance with the most recent set of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

The most recent set of guidelines (WCAG 2.0) were published in 2008 and are organized under 4 central principles with testable “success criteria:” Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. Each guideline offers 3 levels of conformance: A, AA, and AAA.

WCAG 2.0 Level A (Level A) conformance corresponds to the most basic requirements for displaying Web content.
WCAG 2.0 Level AA (Level AA) conformance provides for a stronger level of accessibility by requiring conformance with Level A success criteria as well as Level AA specific success criteria.
WCAG 2.0 Level AAA(Level AAA) conformance comprises the highest level of accessibility within the WCAG guidelines and includes all Level A and Level AA success criteria as well as success criteria unique to Level AAA

... Level AA provides a stronger level of accessibility and addresses areas of importance to the disabled community that are not included in Level A. For example, success criteria unique to Level AA include specifications of minimum contrast ratios for text and images of text, and a requirement that text can be resized without assistive technology up to 200 percent without loss of content or functionality."


The Usability People work with you on improving the Usability of Healthcare IT.


The Usability People
Together we may save a life! #SafeHealthIT