Digital Asset Accessibility Under ADA Title II
Up-to-date news related to the ADA Title II from Jack McElaney and Accessibility in the News. Including various resources about the recent Department of Justice (DOJ) ruling on Title II and its implications for digital assets and state entities.
Summary of the DOJ Ruling
April 8, 2024 – Attorney General Merrick B. Garland signed a final rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to ensure the accessibility of web content and mobile applications (apps) for people with disabilities. This final rule clarifies the obligations of state and local governments to make their websites and mobile applications accessible. This ensures equal access to online government services, including emergency information, courts, healthcare, schools, voting, and more. The rule specifies the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Levels A and AA, as the technical standard for accessibility.
- Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability; Accessibility of Web Information and Services of State and Local Government Entities – A Rule by the Justice Department on 04/24/2024, Federal Register
- Attorney General Merrick B. Garland’s Statement on the Final Rule
- Advance Copy of Rule: This link leads to an advance copy of a rule approved by the Attorney General
- Title II Fact Sheet
- A Small Entity Compliance Guide for Title II Web and Mobile App Rule- Department of Justice
- Justice Department’s Final Rule to Improve Web and Mobile App Access for People with Disabilities- Department of Justice
- New Rule on the Accessibility of Medical Diagnostic Equipment Used by State and Local Governments
Overview of DOJ Rule
- FAQ: Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability Accessibility of Web Information and Services of State and Local Government Entities- IDEAL Group (PDF)
- Justice Department Issues Historic ‘Final Rule’ On Better Web Accessibility For Everyone- Forbes
- U.S. Department of Justice Accessibility Rule Announcement for State and Local Governments- Thomas Logan
- Understanding ADA Title II: Enforcing Civil Rights in Public Services – Know The ADA
Industry and Advocacy Group Responses
- Joint Statement Applauding Final Rule for Web Accessibility Under Title II of the ADA- April 10, 2024- American Foundation for the Blind
- National Federation of the Blind Applauds U.S. Department of Justice for Web and Mobile Content Accessibility Rule
- American Association of People with Disabilities Praises Department of Justice For Finalizing Title II Web Accessibility Rule- AAPD
News and Commentary on the Final Rule
Updates from Legal and Industry Experts
- Ken Nakata – DOJ Issues Final Title II Web Accessibility Rule
- Lainey Feingold – Deja Vu All Over Again? DOJ’s Current Efforts to Adopt Web Accessibility Regulations for State and Local Governments
- Seyfarth Shaw – DOJ Issues Final Rule Under Title II of the ADA for State and Local Government Websites
- StateScoop – DOJ issues final web and app accessibility rules for state, local governments
- ABA Banking Journal – DOJ issues final rule on digital accessibility for state, local governments
- Government Technology – DOJ Mandates Accessibility on State, Local Gov Websites
- HuffPost – Department Of Justice To Strengthen Website Access For Disabled People
- States Can Make Digital Accessibility Easier For Municipalities- Ken Nakata
- DOJ Releases Final Rule on Web Content Accessibility Requirements for State and Local Governments Under Title II of the ADA- Troutman Pepper
- United States DOJ Releases New Rule Mandating Digital Accessibility For State And Local Governments- Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith
- DOJ Publishes Regulation Requiring Local Agencies to Make Websites and Mobile Apps Accessible to Persons With Disabilities- Burke Public Law Update
- DOJ’s Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability; Accessibility of Web Information and Services of State and Local Government Final Rule- William Goren
- DOJ Final Rule on Website Accessibility for State and Local Governments Portends Significant Changes for Private-Sector Websites- Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart
- FAQ: Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability Accessibility of Web Information and Services of State and Local Government Entities- IDEAL Group
- States Can Make Digital Accessibility Easier For Municipalities (Part 3)- Ken Nakata
- GAAD 2024 – A3: ADA Title II and you – Keith Hays and Khaled Musa
Articles Reporting on the Rule
- New Website Accessibility Rule to Go into Effect- Conn Maciel Carey
- States Can Make Digital Accessibility Easier For Municipalities- Ken Nakata
- Feds move to make gov websites more accessible to people with disabilities- Route Fifty
- Feds Move To Increase Accessibility For People With Disabilities Online- Disability Scoop
- DOJ Adopts Accessibility Requirements for State and Local Government Websites and Mobile Apps- Davis Wright Tremaine
- DOJ Finalizes Regulations for Accessibility of State and Local Government Websites- Manatt, Phelps & Phillips
- DOJ Releases Final Rule on Web Content Accessibility Requirements for State and Local Governments Under Title II of the ADA- Troutman Pepper
- Eight key takeaways from the DOJ’s new Web and Mobile Accessibility Rule for Public Entities- Brown, Goldstein & Levy
- ADA Title II Updates: What to Know about the DOJ’s New Rule- John Avila
- Feds Move To Increase Accessibility For People With Disabilities Online- Disability Scoop
- Feds move to make gov websites more accessible to people with disabilities – Nextgov/FCW
- The ADA Now has Regulations for Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps- David Sloan
- ADA Kiosk News – DOJ Title II final rule
- DOJ Rule Requires State and Local Governments to Make Online Services Accessible- SHRM
- City Websites Will Be Required to Meet ADA Accessibility Standards – League of Minnesota Cities
- DOJ Final Rule Sets Deadline for State and Local Governments’ Online Application Accessibility- Ballard Spahr
- How can schools prepare for Title II digital accessibility requirements?- K12 Dive
- What Is ADA Title II? (And How To Comply)- Forbes
- Prioritization key to prep for website accessibility rule – Route Fifty
- DOJ issues final rule for state and local governments to implement web-based accessibility standards
- DOJ Issues “Small Entity Compliance Guide” for State and Local Government Web Content and Mobile App Accessibility- Seyfarth Shaw
- What Agencies Should Know About the New Accessibility Rule- Government Technology
- New DOJ accessibility rule for gov. websites and apps, third-party providers of online services- Hogan Lovells
- SIIA warns schools and ed tech to prepare for costly, time-consuming Title II compliance | K-12 Dive
- States Work to Make Digital Services Accessible for All- Government Technology
- What the DOJ’s accessibility rule means for state and local governments- American City and County
- Public Schools Have 2-3 Years to Comply With ADA Title II- Government Technology
- ADA Update: Title II’s Final Rule Clarifies Captioning and Audio Description in Higher Education- 3PlayMedia
- DOJ’s Final Rule On Website And Digital Accessibility Takes Effect- Saiber
- Ed-Tech Vendors Face Increased Accessibility Obligations With New DOJ Rule- EdWeek Market Brief
- A New Prescription for Access: The Department of Justice Celebrates Anniversary of the ADA by Finally Issuing Title II Medical Diagnostic Equipment Accessibility Regulations
- New Mandatory ADA Standards for Local Government Websites and Apps – MRSC
- Revised ADA Title II in the Library (Video & Resources)- Big Ten Academic Alliance’s August 27, 2024 presentation and support materials
- DOJ Announces Title II Web Accessibility Regulations Are Coming: What’s It Mean? – Bureau of Internet Accessibility
- DOJ Finalizes Its Stance on ADA Title II and Web Accessibility – Acquia
- ADA Rights in Public Spaces: A Guide to Accessibility – Know The ADA
- ARL ADA Title II Resources Encourage Licensing Born-Accessible Content
- New Website Accessibility Rules Will Impact Municipalities – League of Minnesota Cities
Relevant Microassist Resources
- Ensure Title II Accessibility Compliance: Guide to Requesting VPATs and Reviewing Accessibility Compliance Reports
- VPAT: What Technology Vendors Need to Know
- Why Do You Need to Update Your VPAT®?
- Advancements in Web Accessibility: From WCAG 2.0 to WCAG 2.1
Please Note: This resource page will be updated with additional information as it becomes available.
Microassist Digital Accessibility Services
Microassist’s accessibility team can help your organization meet the accessibility requirements of web content and mobile applications (apps) for people with disabilities. under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We have long experience working with government agencies and vendors to the government. Our clients include:
- State Agencies: Texas DSHS, HHSC, TCEQ, DPS, OAG, NJDOE
- Universities: University of Texas, Texas A&M, University of Houston, Tarleton State, NYU, Yale
Microassist has State and Federal Purchasing vehicles to make purchasing our services easy for government entities, including GSA Contracts and DIR Accessibility, Development, and Training contracts.
Our accessibility services include:
- Accessibility Audits — Our audits pinpoint accessibility deficiencies in technology products and services, employing manual and automated testing to ensure compliance with accessibility standards.
- VPAT/ACR Generation Procurements — We specialize in preparing and reviewing VPAT documents, ensuring accurate and objective assessments of technology products for government procurements.
- Accessible Elearning Development — We develop accessible online training solutions that incorporate multimedia and interactive features to meet stringent accessibility requirements.
- Accessible Website and Application Development — Our expertise in various programming languages and frameworks enables us to build websites, mobile apps, and software applications that meet the accessibility needs of government clients.
- Accessible Document Services—We remediate existing documents and implement best practices to ensure all supporting files within government digital environments are accessible to individuals with disabilities.
- Accessibility Remediation for Websites, Applications, and Documents — We provide comprehensive services to remediate and convert existing content, making it accessible without the need to start anew and suitable for government websites, applications, and documents
- Accessibility Training — All Microassist accessibility training courses are created and taught by experienced accessibility professionals. In addition to our introductory workshop, we offer accessibility training for document creation and remediation, accessible website and application development, and accessibility testing and remediation.
- Other Accessibility Services — We offer a full spectrum of accessibility services, including consultancy and ongoing support, tailored to the needs of government agencies and technology vendors serving the public sector.