Recognizing the need to unify the presentation of governmental information on the web, the Government of Canada has developed CLF 2.0 (Common Look and Feel for the Internet 2.0). Part 2 of CLF 2.0 is the Standard on the Accessibility, Interoperability and Usability of Web Sites. The context for the CLF accessibility standard is that:

Canadians have the right to obtain information and services from Government of Canada Web sites regardless of the technologies they use. The key to effective implementation of universal accessibility lies in designing sites to serve the widest possible audience and the broadest possible range of hardware and software platforms, from adaptive technologies to emerging technologies. (CLF 2.0 Part 2)

Accessibility Compliance

CLF 2.0 requires, with some exceptions, that Government of Canada web-sites conform to the Priority 1 and Priority 2 checkpoints of WCAG 1.0 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, a W3C recommendation). This is not to say that Government of Canada web-sites cannot also implement certain aspects of the newer WCAG 2.0 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0). In fact, the IAC/Access Working Group (AWG) will be reviewing WCAG 2.0 to determine how it can be used to improve the accessibility of CLF (Implementation of new CLF 2.0 Standards - Qs and As, 4.2).

Drupal and CLF Accessibility

As I have recently written in State of Drupal 7 Accessibility and Introduction, Drupal 7, and I will add here Drupal 6, are both reasonably accessible out of the box. One of the great benefits of using Drupal from an accessibility perspective is the number of themes available to use to meet a sites needs. Earlier this year Mike wrote about The Eleven Most Accessible Drupal 6 Themes, which is worth a read if you are planning on getting started with Drupal accessible theme design. Two of the amazing benefits of using Drupal are its flexibility and the collaboration of multiple designers all working on a single task. Every bit of markup that is output by Drupal can be customized, so that if it does not currently comply with CLF accessibility standards that it can be made to do so. However, as a site designer you will not be required to make all of these changes yourself. Drupal has an active community of designers and developers who are constantly reviewing issues and making improvements to Drupal's accessibility.

The Benefit of Collaboration

As beneficial as it can be to a government department to receive effortless accessibility improvements to its site, it can also be beneficial for the government to give back to the community by collaborating with Drupal designers and developers within other departments, other levels of government and around the world. Collaboration does not only bring the direct benefit of resolving a particular issue, but also brings new relationships, partnerships and learning opportunities that may otherwise remain unknown. OpenConcept Consulting has been working on a CLF compliant Drupal theme. We have received some great feedback from those who have evaluated the theme and are always endeavoring to improve the theme's compliance. If you would like to provide feedback, or to collaborate, on the CLF Drupal theme please contact Mike Gifford.