Whitewater site rebuilt to WCAG 2.1 AA
The University of Wisconsin–Whitewater launched a website redesign the university says complies with WCAG 2.1 Level AA and improves transparency and accessibility. The redesign was presented as part of ordinary digital modernization rather than emergency remediation. (royalpurplenews.com)
The City of Whitewater has rebuilt its website and launched a mobile app as it races toward a federal accessibility deadline in April 2026. (royalpurplenews.com) The new platform went live on March 23, 2026, with the same city web address but a different system underneath, plus an app for Apple and Google devices. City officials said the redesign adds easier access to services, news alerts and public information for residents, businesses and visitors. (whitewater-wi.gov) Royal Purple reported on April 13, 2026 that city officials framed the change as both an accessibility upgrade and a transparency project, not as a one-off emergency fix. The article said the city had been using a site that did not fully support current accessibility standards ahead of the new compliance deadline. (royalpurplenews.com) Those standards come from the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, a rulebook for making websites usable with screen readers, keyboards and other assistive tools. In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice adopted Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 Level AA as the technical standard for state and local government websites and mobile apps under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. (federalregister.gov) For cities with populations under 50,000, the compliance date is April 26, 2027; for larger public entities, it is April 24, 2026. Whitewater’s homepage says the city’s population is about 14,889, which puts it in the smaller-population tier even as local officials move early. (ecfr.gov) (whitewater-wi.gov) The Justice Department’s rule covers mobile apps too, which helps explain why Whitewater paired the website launch with a new city app instead of treating the website as a standalone project. Federal guidance says public entities increasingly deliver services, programs and activities through both websites and apps. (ada.gov) Whitewater’s own release described the new system as a “more modern, accessible, and connected experience,” language that matches a broader shift in local government technology. National League of Cities guidance published in February 2026 said the coming rule would require coordination across departments, staff and vendors because accessibility now reaches websites, apps and social media content. (whitewater-wi.gov) (nlc.org) The University of Wisconsin–Whitewater has been working under the same Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 Level AA benchmark for its own digital content. University pages on digital standards and accessibility say the campus has adopted that level as its goal for websites, applications and digital resources. (uww.edu 1) (uww.edu 2) The result is a routine government web redesign with a legal clock ticking underneath it. Whitewater did not wait for the deadline to start rebuilding its front door online. (royalpurplenews.com)
