ADA Accessibility

If you use assistive technology and the format of any material on our website interferes with your ability to access the information, please email dbedt.luc.web@hawaii.gov or call (808) 587-3822. In your message, please indicate the nature of your accessibility problem, the preferred format in which to receive the requested material, the web address of the requested material, and your contact information so that we may best serve you.

The Land Use Commission (LUC) wishes to ensure access to egovernment is available to all individuals.

Our site contains information from the 1960’s to the present.  We are continuing the process of scanning our legacy data files for posting on our website, while requiring all new filings to be in an electronic format.  Not all of the files are ADA accessible at this point in time.  We will continue to work with applicants on providing new filings that will be compliant with ADA standards; while working to bring our legacy files into future compliance.

How to make a document ADA Accessibility

A PDF is not ADA compliant if it lacks:

  1. Searchable text
  2. Proper tagging (headings, paragraphs, lists, etc.)
  3. Alt text for images
  4. Bookmarks for long or complex documents
  5. Correct table structure

 

Helpful Tips:

  • Start with an Accessible Source File
  • Before converting from Word or Excel, use the Check Accessibility feature.
  • Fix all listed issues (missing alt text, headings, etc.).
  • Save the document using “Save As” or “Export” — do not use “Print to PDF,” which strips accessibility features.
  • Use the Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Checker (Tools > Accessibility > Full Check).
  • Review and fix any errors it identifies: (e.g. Missing tags, No document title, Missing alt text, etc.)
  • For each issue, right-click it and select “Fix” or “Explain” to get guidance.
  • Know What Can’t Be Fully Fixed: Logical Reading Order and Color Contrast.
  • Use Reliable Resources
About ADA Accessibility

In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. Inaccessible technology interferes with an individual’s ability to obtain and use information quickly and easily. Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, to make available new opportunities for people with disabilities, and to encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals.

This standard was recently refreshed to include Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), a globally recognized voluntary consensus standard for web content and information communication technology created by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The WCAG 2.0 Level AA standard and the Web Accessibility Initiative Accessible Rich Internet Applications Suite (WAI-ARIA) 1.0 techniques for web content, shall be used to measure accessibility and functionality of on-line content. ETS looks to this standard for reliable guidance on meeting accessibility commitments and compliance for portal architecture sites.

Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes §368-1.5: The ADA and the ADAAA are federal civil rights statutes that require state and local governments, including the court system, to accommodate the needs of qualified individuals with disabilities.

This site has been designed to be compatible with a wide variety of browsers, and with assistive technologies in mind. Our goal is to continue to work to make access available to all individuals. Improving access to citizens with disabilities is one of our top priorities, and any suggestions or comments are welcome.

Web Accessibility Resources

For questions about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), please contact Hawaii’s Disability and Communications Access Board (DCAB), 919 Ala Moana Blvd., Room 101, Honolulu, HI 96814, dcab@doh.hawaii.gov, (808) 586-8121.