Practitioner Picks: Digital Accessibility Issue
Practitioner Picks is a quarterly series designed to add fresh resources to the Digital Government Hub’s library, helping people improve government digital service delivery. Each issue spotlights resources chosen by practitioners in a specific service delivery area along with their insights on why these picks are valuable additions to the Hub.
Digital accessibility is about building digital products and services that are able to be used by everyone regardless of their abilities or circumstances. In this edition of Practitioner Picks, our contributors round up resources to help agencies fully incorporate digital accessibility into government delivery.
Say hello to this issue’s contributors!
Lisa Yang
Digital Accessibility Coordinator, Hennepin County
LinkedIn
Lisa Yang began her career as a web content specialist and discovered her passion for digital accessibility while working at the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Currently, Lisa (along with her county colleagues) supports Hennepin County staff by building processes and bringing in supports to help them meet County policy and the recent U.S. Department of Justice web rule on web accessibility. Her work reflects a strong commitment to making digital services more inclusive for everyone.
Sandhya Soundararajan
Georgetown University Student, Class of 2026
LinkedIn
Sandhya Soundararajan is a senior at Georgetown University studying Political Economy with a minor in Math. This is her third semester working as a Student Analyst with the Beeck Center. Over the summer, Sandhya worked with Lisa and Hennepin County’s Digital Accessibility Team to create a Digital Accessibility Monitoring System for Hennepin County’s webpages.
Hennepin County, where Lisa works, has centered digital accessibility at the County including creating a County Design System with standards and guidance. In 2025, Lisa and Sandhya worked together to create a digital accessibility monitoring system using Qualtrics for Hennepin County. Sandhya led the building of the system including the flow and planning of the backend processes to track and triage issues and public inquiries. Lisa provided the requirements, context, connections, and resources necessary for the effort.
After four months working on the project, Sandhya built a strong foundation of the system that allows the county to continue establishing and strengthening its digital accessibility monitoring, practices, and processes for serving its community.
Check out the resources Lisa and Sandhya added to the Hub…
Minnesota IT Services: Office of Accessibility Newsletter
An archive of past editions of the Minnesota IT Services Office of Accessibility newsletter.
What they said:
“ Minnesota’s Office of Accessibility provides training modules on several topics including electronic documents, best practices and tips for digital content. Their Accessibility newsletter has valuable and practical information to help implement accessibility and stay up to date on digital accessibility.”
State and Local Governments: First Steps Toward Complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act Title II Web and Mobile Application Accessibility Rule
A guidance resource for state and local governments outlining first-step actions to prepare for compliance with the new web and mobile accessibility rule under Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
What they said:
“This guidance from DOJ lays out steps for how state and local governments can begin complying with the ADA web rule.” Sandhya noted she often referenced the rule in her work with Hennepin County in summer 2025.
Check out the existing Hub resources Lisa and Sandhya consult in their work…
Accessibility for Teams
A ‘quick-start’ guide for embedding accessibility and inclusive design practices into your team’s workflow.
What they said:
“ Many people do not know how accessibility intersects with their role and how they can partner with others. This guide is an essential starting point to help bridge those gaps.”
WCAG in Plain English
A beginner-friendly guide translating the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) into plain English.
What they said:
“This is something our team had actually discussed making and so we were excited to see a version already out in the world! It can be challenging to explain web accessibility requirements and the WCAG documentation is very technical. This makes it easier to clearly communicate, WCAG criteria and help someone get started.” Sandhya also lifted up Canada’s easy to use accessibility checklist which meets or exceeds WCAG 2.1 AA. “
Maryland Digital Playbook
The playbook is a comprehensive guide developed by the Maryland Department of Information Technology to assist state agencies in creating consistent, user-centered, and accessible digital services.
What they said:
“The Maryland Digital Playbook includes design and accessibility guidelines for government websites, and is a great resource for other jurisdictions working on accessibility.”
If you’re interested in learning more about Hennepin County’s work, get in touch with our team to be connected directly with Lisa via email.
Submit your digital accessibility resources to the Hub!
Are you working on digital delivery initiatives related to housing services? Add your own resources to the Hub.
Are you our next Picker?
Interested in being a guest picker for a future issue of Practitioner Picks? Share your focus area with us and why you’d be a great fit for this series.
