The Idaho Governor’s Office serves as a primary source of information for Idaho residents, media organizations, legislators, state agencies, and stakeholders across the state. In preparation for the federal WCAG 2.1 AA digital accessibility mandate for state and local governments, the Governor’s Office proactively modernized its website to improve usability, enhance accessibility compliance, and provide a better experience for all visitors.
Working in partnership with the Governor’s Office and Idaho Technology Services (ITS), Tyler Idaho completed a comprehensive website modernization project that improved accessibility, streamlined content management, reduced technical complexity, and significantly increased overall website quality metrics.
The Challenge
The Governor’s Office website had served Idaho citizens for many years, but several factors created an opportunity for improvement:
- Existing content and documents required updates to align with WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards.
- A comprehensive content review was needed to address broken links, outdated resources, and information that no longer reflected current programs and services.
- The site relied on a larger number of plugins than necessary, increasing maintenance complexity and page load time.
- The website needed to be upgraded to the latest Webmaster v4 theme.
- Accessibility was the top priority and quality improvements needed to be completed on an accelerated timeline.
While federal accessibility compliance deadlines have been extended through 2027, the Governor’s Office chose to proactively address these requirements well in advance to better serve Idaho citizens and reduce future compliance risks.
Our Approach
Tyler Idaho partnered closely with the Governor’s Office communications team and Idaho Technology Services to deliver a streamlined modernization effort focused on accessibility, quality, and long-term sustainability.
Accessibility was a central focus throughout the project. Our team conducted extensive reviews of both website content and supporting documents to identify barriers that could impact users with disabilities.
Key improvements included:
- WCAG 2.1 AA website remediation
- Accessible document remediation and training
- Improved heading structures and page organization
- Color contrast and visual accessibility improvements
To improve maintainability and reduce technical debt, the website was upgraded to the latest Webmaster v4 theme and framework.
This effort included:
- Plugin consolidation and reduction
- Content cleanup and restructuring
- Resolution of broken links and outdated resources
- Improved consistency across templates and page layouts
In addition to implementation, Tyler Idaho provided training and guidance to help Governor’s Office staff maintain accessibility standards and continue producing accessible content after launch.
This training included a hands-on example of how to remediate PDF documents, as well as steps to take in Microsoft Word and other programs to ensure documents are created with accessibility in mind.
Accelerated Delivery
Although the federal digital accessibility mandate compliance deadline was extended to 2027, the Governor’s Office prioritized accessibility improvements and elected to move quickly.
The project began in early March 2026 and successfully launched in early May 2026, completing a substantial accessibility and modernization effort in approximately two months.
This rapid timeline was made possible through strong collaboration between the Governor’s Office, Idaho Technology Services, and Tyler Idaho’s website and accessibility specialists.
Project Highlights at a Glance
92+
Accessibility score achieved in Siteimprove
97%
of Siteimprove accessibility target score achieved
51%
improvement in Quality Assurance score in Siteimprove
22%
improvement in Digital Certainty score in Siteimprove
39
Business Days
Project completed in
A Collaborative Partnership
The success of the project was driven by strong collaboration between the Governor’s Office communications team, Idaho Technology Services, and Tyler Idaho.
Looking Forward
The Idaho Governor’s Office now has a modernized, more accessible website that better serves Idaho residents while positioning the organization for long-term compliance and content management success.
By proactively investing in accessibility, reducing technical complexity, and modernizing its web platform, the Governor’s Office has strengthened its ability to communicate with citizens and provide equitable access to information for all users.