Key Legal Rules
The US Government publishes legally mandated rules around website accessibility. Equalify keeps track of key documents here.
For General Website Owners
Title III prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities by businesses open to the public (also referred to as “public accommodations” under the ADA). The ADA requires that businesses open to the public provide full and equal enjoyment of their goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations to people with disabilities. Businesses open to the public must take steps to provide appropriate communication aids and services (often called “auxiliary aids and services”) where necessary to make sure they effectively communicate with individuals with disabilities.
Source: https://www.ada.gov/resources/web-guidance/
For Government Organizations
On April 24, 2024, the Federal Register published the Department of Justice’s final rule updating its regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This rule sets a specific technical standard that state and local governments must follow to meet their existing obligations under Title II of the ADA for web and mobile app accessibility. The final rule has specific requirements about how to ensure that web content and mobile applications are accessible to people with disabilities.
Source: https://www.ada.gov/resources/2024-03-08-web-rule/
For Colleges and Universities
On May 19, 2023, the Justice Department and the Department of Education jointly issued a Dear Colleague Letter reminding colleges, universities, and other postsecondary institutions to ensure that their online services, programs, and activities are accessible to people with disabilities. Many colleges, universities, and other postsecondary institutions increasingly rely on their websites and third-party online platforms to provide services, programs, and activities to members of the public. This includes courses on learning platforms as well as podcasts and videos on social media and third-party platforms like YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
This joint letter reiterates that Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act require colleges, universities, and other postsecondary institutions to provide equal opportunities to people with disabilities in all their operations. The letter also highlights recent web accessibility enforcement activities and technical assistance from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.
For Healthcare Programs
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has issued a final rule to advance equity and bolster protections for people with disabilities. The final rule defines what accessibility means for websites and mobile applications and requires compliance with specific technical standards, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA. This approach aligns with the standards recently published by the Department of Justice under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Equalify Can Help!
Equalify helps with Web Accessibility conformance, providing historic analysis of accessibility fixes.