Jan 5, 2025
Preparing for the Latest ADA Rulings
As the new year begins the time available to be digitally compliant shortens. In this article, we will cover the US government's digital accessibility requirements, those affected by them, the consequences of not following them, and how to easily comply.
The Requirements
As of April 24th, 2024, the federal government has updated the regulations of Title 2 of the Americans with disabilities act. As a result, the reach of digital accessibility requirements has expanded covering almost all mediums of publicly accessible content. This means that if you are a government organization you must ensure that all your publicly accessible content such as Documents (PDFs, Slidedecks, Spreadsheets), websites, social media posts, mobile apps, etc. Must meet WCAG 2.1AA standards for digital accessibility.
All government organizations (including school districts) will have to meet these requirements by at least April 26, 2027. If your organization has more than 50,000 individuals this requirement will have to be met sooner (April 26, 2026).
What is WCAG?
WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guideline. It is an extensive standard set out by the World Wide Web Consortium, that details how one would make their digital content (documents, website, etc.) accessible to those with disabilities. For example, they require that all images come with alternative text so users with low visual perception can understand the content of an image without seeing it. They also require that audio-based content come with a transcript so individuals with hearing deficiencies can ingest the same information. They also provide guidance on countless other facets of digital content creation, such as structuring and appearance.
The WCAG guidelines are quite extensive filled with 1000’s of pages of content. It is for this reason that the guideline is segmented into multiple levels. Under this federal law, you must be following the WCAG 2.1 Guideline up to at least level AA.
What are the consequences?
Following WCAG guidelines is not a simple task. Often times it is easier to make a brand new website than to get a current one to be compliant. So it’s reasonable to wonder what the consequences would be for not following the latest ADA rulings. Well, there are some serious fines involved. Civil penalties can reach $75,000 for a first violation and $150,000 for subsequent violations. Violations can also put your organization at risk of losing grants and funding. You will also be susceptible to lawsuits for as long as the violation is present.
Bench AI has your back!
But don’t worry! Even though following WCAG standards is hard, we make it easy. Our AI agent scans your documents, slides, and other digital content for you. We then provide automatic AI fixes for you, automating the accessibility remediation process. If you are interested feel free to contact us for a demo!
