DOJ delays Title II

The Justice Department pushed back the Americans with Disabilities Act web-accessibility deadline for public colleges and other public entities by one year. (federalregister.gov) Under the interim final rule, state and local governments 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, instead of April 26, 2027. (federalregister.gov) The underlying rule did not disappear. The 2024 regulation still requires state and local governments’ websites and mobile apps to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, or WCAG, 2.1 Level AA, the technical standard the department adopted for Title II compliance. (ada.gov) Title II covers services, programs, and activities offered by public entities, which is why the rule reaches public university websites, student portals, course materials delivered online, and mobile apps used for registration or payments. The department said in 2024 that government services had increasingly moved online and needed specific accessibility rules. (federalregister.gov) The department made the change through an interim final rule that took effect April 20, 2026, while still inviting public comment through June 22, 2026. In the filing, the department said it was extending the dates adopted in 2024. (federalregister.gov) The delay arrived days before the first compliance date and after colleges and local governments had spent months preparing for the April 2026 deadline. Inside Higher Ed reported that disability advocates criticized the move, while campus officials said the extra time would help institutions finish large remediation projects. (insidehighered.com) The rule still leaves only narrow exceptions. The Justice Department’s 2024 fact sheet says archived web content, certain preexisting documents, and some third-party content can be exempt in limited circumstances, but most current public-facing web content and app functions must be accessible. (ada.gov) That means the practical question for public colleges is timing, not whether the work is required. NPR reported that the extension shifts the deadline but does not erase the expectation that schools make digital materials usable for people with disabilities. (npr.org) The next marker is June 22, when comments on the interim rule are due. After that, public colleges still face the same basic assignment: make websites and apps work under the ADA before the new April 2027 and April 2028 deadlines arrive. (federalregister.gov)