Enhance Resources and Support For County Compliance with Web-Based Accessibility Standards

ACTION NEEDED:

Urge the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to initiate a rulemaking to review and provide further clarity on the substantive requirements of the 2024 Final Rule titled Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Disability: Accessibility of Web Information and Services of State and Local Government Entities. Compliance with the 2024 Final Rule has been ongoing, and counties have experienced significant structural barriers that would benefit from DOJ review and response. The DOJ passed a 2026 Interim Final Rule that extended the compliance dates by one year, but counties remain uncertain on provisions of the 2024 Final Rule that require additional guidance from the agency.

BACKGROUND:

In April of 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a Final Rule titled Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Disability: Accessibility of Web Information and Services of State and Local Government Entities. The Final Rule outlines technical standards developed by the Web Content Accessibilities Guidelines (WCAG) organizing body that must be met by county governments in order to be considered compliant with the Final Rule. 

The Final Rule estimates the total cost to comply is approximately $1 billion nationwide; however, many counties have reported that this estimate is lower than actual costs and does not reflect the technical difficulties of implementing accessibility measures on varying digital assets. Furthermore, the cost estimation did not account for required contracting with third parties, the complexity of converting antiquated documents into accessible versions, required staff education training and management, administrative burden with respect to ongoing program creation and other compliance hurdles. 

Without a holistic review of the 2024 Final Rule in light of counties’ experience with compliance thus far, counties will not have the proper opportunity to meet accessibility goals in a manner that is administratively fair and improves access to local government services for individuals with accessibility needs. 
 

KEY TALKING POINTS:

• Counties fully support the goals of web-based accessibility, and seek the technical assistance, regulatory clarity and additional resources necessary to achieve this goal in a feasible and effective manner.
• The cost and complexity of the Final Rule has proven challenging for county governments to fully comply, and additional support will ensure web-based accessibility is possible for all state and local government entities.