Meeting the Looming Web Accessibility Regulations: The Time to Start Was Yesterday

A recent NWHeat webinar highlighted that public institutions must mobilize immediately (if not sooner) to meet the coming U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) accessibility guidelines. Released in April 2024, the new regulation requires “state and local governments to make their websites and mobile applications accessible for people with disabilities.” These rules encompass all public colleges and universities.

This post highlights key points from the webinar that was dense with information. The featured speaker was Mary Lou Mobley of National Digital Access Team within the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. NWHeat (Northwest Higher Education Accessibility Technology) is a partnership between Orbis Cascade Alliance (for libraries) and the Northwest Academic Computing Consortium (NWACC). The next NWHeat webinar on these regulations will be November 20, 2024 at 2:00 PM PST on ADA Title II Regulations Exemptions and Questions with Judith Risch.

Who Will Be Affected?

The new requirements apply to all public entities, such as state and local governments, in all of their functions, including motor vehicle departments, libraries, police departments, and K-12 schools. Yes, all public colleges and universities are included as well. A parallel rule covering private colleges is under development and is due to be released later this year or early next year.   

 What Will Be Required?

All content and functions of your websites, mobile applications, and social media that you are using after the implementation deadline will need to meet the specific accessible standards. This encompasses everything online or on your apps. It will affect students, faculty, and staff. A few examples of what needs to be accessible include (but are not limited to):

• all content of online courses,
• digital content for in-person courses,
• online payroll/timesheet forms for staff,
• course registration,
• library content and searches,
• third-party tutoring services,
• content from publishers,
• housing applications,
• educational software,
• your social media entries, and
• student-submitted content if others are expected to use or review it.

Pretty much everything that is online. There are a few exemptions, but they are very narrow and specific. The details are too involved for this post, but ADA.gov provides a helpful fact sheet. [...]