Trailblazing Digital Accessibility with Montgomery Parks

“When you build your data, think about accessibility.” Keegan Clifford, GIS Coordinator, Montgomery Parks

In Montgomery County, Maryland, leaders at Montgomery Parks know that simply making something free or open doesn’t make it truly accessible. That’s why they have been on the forefront of digital accessibility, developing an accessible Parks and Trails Atlas that goes above and beyond legal requirements to equitably serve all residents.

In June 2024, the Department of Justice released supplementary information for Title II, related to nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in state and local government services.  Montgomery Parks, always on the lookout for ways to increase their accessibility, used this as a catalyst to improve the user experience (UX) for their trail app. The team knew that by centering accessibility and focusing on improving the experience for those at the margins, the overall UX would improve; a rising tide that lifts all boats.

With 415 parks in the County, geo-spatial made the most sense for organizing and understanding Department’s assets. Athletic Fields Planner Carl Weber, who already had an internal data visualization tool to view physical attributes like field type, presence of lights or gates, and if a space had dugouts and goals, knew that this GIS information would be valuable for residents too. Jing-huei Huang, a Parks research and evaluation planner, went directly to the GIS team to partner; Keegan Clifford and Tiffany Wu, knowing that Parks was also ready for app updates, dove into the work.  

However, GIS tools are inherently visual and haven’t always been very accessible for individuals with visual impairments. So, this is why it was critical that the team had accessibility at the forefront of this project. Working with GIS and mapping provider Esri, Clifford’s team pushed to have all apps be keyboard accessible – the entire app can be used without a mouse.  

Below are lessons Clifford, Huang, and Weber learned from this experience that are important for other local governments looking to move beyond check boxes and truly deliver an enjoyable and accessible experience for all residents.

Explicitly Connect with the Communities:

Making and testing accessible content went hand-in-hand for the Parks team. After an initial round of tests and remediation, they reached out to local agencies like the Montgomery County Commission for People with Disabilities to partner on accessibility testing. They also reached out to the National Federation for the Blind, working with both local and national groups. Clifford described having a few big “aha” moments during this process, such as learning about recommendations for directional alt text for a screen reader.

“The disability community feels marginalized,” said Clifford “so they appreciated being asked to test the applications and give feedback.” While the team’s work was going in the right direction, testers with disabilities were able to provide recommendations and suggestions that would have been missed if they weren’t specifically sought out to provide insights. And, if there are any issues when testing, Clifford encourages users to report them so that the team can fix the problem for others.

Accessibility and Good Data are a Cycle:

“Good data practices lead to accessible data,” said Clifford. By focusing on good data practices, teams are well equipped to build accessible tools and apps. For example, a playground polygon (a two-dimensional visual representation of a defined space in a GIS map) has information about the ground surface, lighting, physical accessibility, and age requirements. “We tracked a lot of details,” said Huang, “which ended up being good for accessibility.” She recommended focusing on the audience and what they need to know even before starting to build out the data.

Trust-building is an Ongoing Process:

It’s important to consider that trust – both with internal agencies and with the external community – has to be a continuous process. For example, some county employees might not know much about GIS or app building, which “can create a fear of the tools,” according to Huang. She described this “hidden effort” as “not just building the data but building the trust.” Weber recommended increasing the comfort level of stakeholders, which can be done through testing as well as training.  

Clifford also noted that anyone doing accessibility work should find an internal champion who can help establish those relationships.

There’s No Time Like the Present:

“Start now,” said Weber. It can take a while to have all parties come together and get on the same page, so everyone agreed that there are practical reasons for getting started ASAP. And injecting accessibility right at the top is not only equitable, but also good practice. “It’s not the right way to [make] an app and then need to go back and change things to make it accessible,” said Weber. Doing so could create issues in data management, delay deployment, and cause bugs.

Montgomery Parks’ approach demonstrates that digital accessibility is an ongoing, collaborative effort grounded in good data, deep community engagement, and internal advocacy. By embedding accessibility into every stage of app development the team has ensured that all residents, regardless of ability, can connect with the County’s parks and resources. Their ongoing commitment to accessibility, user experience, and trust-building is a model for other local governments.