Digital Accessibility: ADA Title 2 Rules effective April 2026

A guide to the updated ADA Title 2 rules for digital accessibility including resources and support available for meeting compliance. See also our college web page on Accessible IT and self-enroll to the Accessibility Micro-Courses.

New ADA Title 2 Regulations on Digital Technologies: What it Means

The ADA Title II update requires state and local government entities to ensure all web content, mobile apps, and digital documents conform to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA standards. Covered content includes websites, apps, social media, videos (with captions/transcripts), and documents (PDFs, Word, slides), requiring compliance by April 24, 2026.

Required Content and Accessibility Standards:

• Websites and Apps: Public-facing websites, mobile apps, and third-party tools provided must be fully accessible.
• Digital Documents: All documents, including PDFs, word-processing files, presentations, and spreadsheets, must be accessible and correctly tagged for screen readers.
• Multimedia Content: Videos must include accurate, synchronized captions, and audio content requires transcripts to support individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.
• Non-Text Content: Images, charts, and graphs require alternative text (alt text) to provide equivalent information to users with visual disabilities.
• Interactive Components: All online forms, widgets, and navigation elements must be operable with assistive technologies.
• Archived Content Exception: Documents created before April 24, 2026, that are used only for reference or record-keeping and are not updated, may be exempt unless specifically requested by a user with a disability.