Public Colleges Prepare for 2026 Accessibility Deadline
Public colleges and libraries are increasing preparations for the Department of Justice's ADA Title II digital accessibility rule, which takes effect in April 2026. The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) announced that all of its digital content and apps must comply by the deadline. Organizations like the Medical Library Association are hosting webinars to help members navigate the new rule and assess their readiness.
- The new rule mandates that public entities' digital content must conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA, a specific set of technical standards for accessibility. - Penalties for non-compliance can be severe, with fines of up to $75,000 for a first violation and $150,000 for subsequent violations. - While the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law in 1990, this 2024 Department of Justice rule is the first to establish explicit and enforceable digital accessibility standards for state and local government entities under Title II. - The compliance deadline is set for April 24, 2026, for public entities serving populations of 50,000 or more; smaller entities have until April 26, 2027. - Common accessibility issues on university websites that the rule addresses include missing alternative text for images, poor color contrast, and content that cannot be navigated using only a keyboard. - The regulations aim to ensure compatibility with assistive technologies used by students, such as screen readers that convert text to audio, screen magnifiers, and voice recognition software. - This rule applies to all of a public college's digital content, including websites, mobile apps, course materials within learning management systems, and library databases, whether provided directly or by third-party vendors. - The rule follows a trend of increasing digital accessibility lawsuits against higher education institutions; cases have been filed against universities for issues like uncaptioned online course videos and library websites inaccessible to screen readers.
