New Federal Legislation
On April 24, 2024, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced new rules to make websites and mobile apps accessible for people with disabilities. Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates that by April 24, 2026, State and local governments meet
WCAG 2.1 Level AA guidelines to ensure their online services are accessible to people with disabilities.
What is covered
The DOJ wants state and local governments to prioritize websites and apps that provide access to current information and services. This applies to both websites maintained directly by government staff and sites maintained by third-party vendors.
Old digital content will not be expected to change to meet these standards unless specifically requested by someone who needs the information to be in an alternative format.
Exceptions
Limited exemptions exist for older web content, content posted by third parties, content protected by a password, or content specific to individuals (a bill, for example). However, the digital platform for accessing these materials or posting content must still be accessible. In addition, content posted on behalf of a state or local government entity must meet these standards and creating alternate versions will not mean the website or application is sufficiently accessible.
Even if a website or app is not required to meet the new rules, the government must still provide an alternative accessible version if someone asks for it.
What DoIT is doing to help
Procuring a statewide accessibility testing tool to baseline agency website compliance. We hope to have the tool in place in July 2024
Analytics will be used to inform our approach to supporting your agency website compliance through consultation
Training of state staff upon request or as scheduled
Consultative support for state agencies via the submission of an intake ticket
Community of Practice for state agency Accessibility Officers starting in August 2024 open to agency Accessibility Officers, executive leaders and interested agency staff
Maryland Digital Service is working on template improvements and accessible reusable web components that will be available to agencies
Office of Accessibility weekly office hours for agency staff starting in mid-June 2024, every Friday from 12:45pm to 1:45 pm.
Contact the Office of Accessibility for the meeting invite.
We are excited about the focus on accessibility and improving our digital products to ensure they work for everyone. If you would like to learn more about our efforts to comply with the updated federal law or how Maryland is working tirelessly to become a national leader in digital accessibility please reach out to
DoIT Accessibility Team
