DOJ delays, HHS deadline stands

The Justice Department pushed back federal web-accessibility deadlines for state and local governments by a year, moving key compliance dates into 2027 and 2028. (federalregister.gov) Under the interim final rule published April 20, entities serving 50,000 or more people now have until April 26, 2027, instead of April 24, 2026. Smaller public entities and special district governments now have until April 26, 2028. (federalregister.gov) The rule applies to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which covers public colleges, K-12 schools, cities, counties and other state and local agencies. The Justice Department did not change the technical target: websites and mobile apps still must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, or WCAG, 2.1 Level AA. (natlawreview.com) That means the clock changed, not the standard. Captions, keyboard navigation, readable screen-reader labels and other basic access features are still required under the 2024 rule the department adopted last year. (hhs.gov) The delay lands days before the original April 24, 2026 deadline for larger public entities. NPR reported that schools, colleges and local governments had been racing to fix online course materials, forms and public-facing websites before the department moved the date. (nprillinois.org) The extension does not reset every federal accessibility deadline. A separate Department of Health and Human Services rule under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act still requires many recipients of HHS funding with 15 or more employees to meet digital-accessibility requirements by May 11, 2026. (healthcarelawinsights.com) That HHS rule reaches beyond government agencies to hospitals, health systems, medical schools and other programs that receive HHS financial assistance. HHS said the rule covers websites, mobile apps and patient-facing digital tools, and it also uses WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the core standard. (hhs.gov) The Justice Department said the extra year is meant to give covered entities more time to understand and implement the rule. Disability advocates told Inside Higher Ed the delay was “unconscionable,” arguing public institutions already had roughly two years to prepare. (federalregister.gov) (insidehighered.com) For schools and public agencies, the immediate pressure eased this week, but the legal exposure did not disappear. The federal deadline moved; the expectation that disabled users can actually use government websites and apps did not. (natlawreview.com)