States are mostly compliant with website accessibility rule, report finds
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By
Chris Teale
But many remain concerned about their ability to investigate and remediate any issues ahead of next year’s extended deadline, the report from NASCIO notes.
State governments are well on their way to complying with a federal rule on making their websites accessible to disabled people ahead of next year’s deadline, according to a new report.
The National Association of State Chief Information Officers found last week that most states report they are either partially or mostly compliant with the Department of Justice rule to ensure websites comply with various internationally recognized standards from the World Wide Web Consortium under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
NASCIO found that just two states reported they are minimally compliant or non-compliant at this stage. Implementation of that rule was pushed back by a year in April, meaning states and localities with populations above 50,000 people now have until April 26, 2027 to comply, while those with populations under 50,000 have until April 26, 2028.
But the group found that states remain worried about their ability to investigate complaints about non-compliance and remedy them. NASCIO reported that only half of states have a formal complaint investigation process at the state or agency level, while 17% have an informal or ad hoc process. And 51% of states said they have limited capacity for remediation, with 69% noting they do not have the resources or staff to remediate all their websites and applications. Conducting that remediation once an issue is discovered also takes between 30 and 90 days for 64% of respondents.
Despite those remaining challenges, NASCIO said state governments appear to be happy about the DOJ’s extension.
“Generally, states view the DOJ Final Rule extension announced earlier this year positively, noting that it will allow states to continue executing and refining current plans while reinforcing expectations that priorities and urgency remain unchanged,” the report says. “The consensus is that the extra year provides more time to continue momentum, develop program maturity, formalize structures and operationalize accessibility at scale.”
This latest push for accessibility began under former President Joe Biden’s administration in 2024, when the DOJ opened the rulemaking process. Since then, advocacy groups have sounded the alarm repeatedly about numerous accessibility issues in government websites, but President Donald Trump’s administration placed the rule under review just as the deadline was approaching, before pushing it off for another 12 months. That delay prompted a lawsuit from the National Federation of the Blind.
The rule required that government websites comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1, known as WCAG. Those standards include that websites be easily navigable; provide services like text captions for audio and video; add alternative text for images; and not be designed to provoke seizures or physical reactions. But disability groups said it means continued unequal access to government services.
Local governments must also comply with the DOJ’s rule, which NASCIO notes have struggled as much or more than state governments with a lack of resources and staff. Forty-seven percent of states said they are working with their localities to help implement this rule, mostly with information and education, shared resources and outreach. NASCIO said states are “willing partners” on digital accessibility with their local governments, but only when those programs are mature enough to expand.
However, that leaves 53% of states that say they are unable to provide support to their local governments, NASCIO found, with operational capacity and resources as the main barriers preventing it. That separation between states and their local governments on this issue has been described as “non-collaborative and without formal communication channels,” the report found.
And it’s not clear that the one-year extension will be enough, as 51% of respondents said they are unsure if the extension will allow more local collaboration, while 26% said they do not expect to collaborate more with their localities. It may be a victim of different expectations, NASCIO said.
“Respondents mentioned that local governments tend to expect hands-on remediation; however, when these localities rely on outdated systems, the amount of hands-on support needed to remediate increases due to the system’s age,” the report says. “Even the most operational and resourceful digital accessibility programs may struggle to provide that type of support on a consistent basis.”