Accessibility

Accessibility in the news

What US government agencies have done about website accessibility lately, in plain words, with what each case means for a small website.

Check a page now

Check the official rules. Rules and dates change, so check them with the official sources before you rely on them: ADA.gov (the US Department of Justice), the W3C's WCAG pages and Section508.gov. PageKiwi helps you find problems and get closer to meeting the rules. It can't promise a website meets them, it isn't legal advice, and we can't take responsibility for decisions made from it.

What's on this page

  • Official actions only: the Justice Department, the Federal Trade Commission and the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights, each linked to its source.
  • Newest first, from the last few years.
  • Settlements aren't findings that the law was broken. The businesses here denied breaking it.
  • Facts checked Oct 8, 2026. We check this page every quarter, next by Jan 8, 2027.

The cases and rules

The Justice Department gave towns, cities and counties an extra year to meet its website rule

Apr 20, 2026

What happened
Nothing went wrong on a particular site. The Department said it had overestimated how much staff and technology public bodies had to meet the first deadlines.
What it means for you
Public bodies of 50,000 people or more now have until April 26, 2027; smaller ones and special districts until April 26, 2028. The standard itself (WCAG 2.1 AA) didn't change, and nothing changed for businesses.
Source
Federal Register: the interim final rule · ADA.gov: the rule, with the new dates

The Justice Department objected to a website accessibility settlement that promised fixes no one could check

Feb 2, 2026

What happened
In a private class action over Fashion Nova's website, the proposed settlement restated the duty to make the site accessible, with no way to confirm or enforce it. The Department filed a statement opposing it.
What it means for you
A promise to "be accessible" isn't the same as fixing the site. What counts is testing the pages, fixing what you find and checking again.
Source
Justice Department press release

The FTC finalized an order against claims that an automated tool could make any website meet WCAG

Apr 22, 2025

What happened
The Federal Trade Commission said a company that sells an accessibility plug-in (an "overlay" or widget) claimed its AI tool could make any website meet WCAG, without evidence, and presented reviews as independent when they weren't. The company paid $1 million. The FTC first announced the proposed order on Jan 3, 2025.
What it means for you
No add-on fixes a website by itself. Be wary of any product that promises your site will "comply" once you install it. Our guide on accessibility overlays and widgets says more.
Source
FTC press release: final order · FTC press release: proposed order

Four Texas counties agreed to make their election websites accessible

Jun 17, 2024

What happened
Colorado, Runnels, Smith and Upton counties' election pages, with where, when and how to vote, couldn't be used by people with vision or manual disabilities.
What it means for you
Start with the pages people can't do without: for a town, voting and paying bills; for a business, hours, booking and contact. The counties agreed to WCAG 2.1 AA for that content, an outside audit that includes testers with disabilities, and yearly training.
Source
Justice Department press release

An Illinois clinic agreed to fix its patient portal after a patient with low vision couldn't use it

May 8, 2024

What happened
Springfield Clinic's patient portal and records-request portal, both run by outside companies, couldn't be used by a patient with a vision disability, so staff read medical details out over the phone. The Department found 19 barriers.
What it means for you
Tools you add from other companies (booking, payments, portals) are part of your website for your visitors. Ask vendors how they handle accessibility before you sign up. The clinic agreed to WCAG 2.1 AA within nine months, a coordinator, a written policy and training.
Source
Justice Department press release · The agreement

The Justice Department published its website rule for state and local governments

Apr 24, 2024

What happened
This set a standard rather than answering a complaint: websites and mobile apps of towns, cities, counties, school districts and other public bodies must meet WCAG 2.1 AA.
What it means for you
If you run a public body's website, this is the rule to plan for (dates updated in April 2026, above). Our guide explains the ADA rule for government websites.
Source
Federal Register: the final rule

Oklahoma agreed to make its mobile ID app usable by blind people

Jan 22, 2024

What happened
Service Oklahoma's mobile ID app asked people to scan their ID card and take a selfie, with no spoken guidance, so blind people couldn't use it.
What it means for you
Apps count too, not only websites. Any step that depends on seeing the screen needs another way through. The state agreed to WCAG 2.1 AA for all its mobile apps and to ask the public for feedback.
Source
Justice Department press release

A Virginia community college agreed to fix its website, its PDFs and its pages on other sites

Oct 10, 2023

What happened
The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights found that parts of Northern Virginia Community College's website couldn't be reached with a keyboard, PDFs couldn't be read by screen readers, and some text had poor contrast.
What it means for you
PDFs and your pages on other sites (social media, video) count as well as your main site. The college agreed to WCAG 2.1 AA, an audit, fixes within months, and accessibility in what it buys from vendors.
Source
Resolution letter (Education Department) · Resolution agreement

A Kansas school district agreed to make its website usable without a mouse

Oct 28, 2022

What happened
The Office for Civil Rights reviewed Geary County USD 475's website and found content keyboard users couldn't reach, no visible sign of where you are on the page when using a keyboard, and poor contrast.
What it means for you
These three are things you can test yourself in minutes: press Tab through your page and watch where you are, and check your colors with Color check. The district agreed to WCAG 2.1 AA, a notice on how to report problems, an audit and fixes within a year.
Source
Resolution letter (Education Department) · Resolution agreement

Five pharmacy and grocery chains agreed to fix their COVID-19 vaccine sign-up websites

Nov 1, 2021 to Apr 11, 2022

What happened
Rite Aid, Hy-Vee, Kroger, Meijer and CVS each had sign-up pages that blind people or keyboard users couldn't finish: form fields and buttons with no labels, pop-ups a screen reader didn't announce, times read out as "unavailable" when they were open, and buttons a keyboard couldn't reach.
What it means for you
Online forms are where people get stuck most. Give every field a label, make sure every button works with a keyboard, and make sure error messages are announced. Each company agreed to WCAG 2.1 AA, regular testing and training; each denied breaking the law.
Source
Rite Aid (press release) · Hy-Vee · Kroger · Meijer · CVS

An Illinois transit district agreed to fix its website after a redesign made trip planning harder

Dec 14, 2021

What happened
After the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District redesigned its website, a blind rider found online trip planning harder to use. The Department found 16 barriers, including poor contrast, links that didn't work for disabled users and limited keyboard access.
What it means for you
A new design can break things that used to work. Check your site again after any redesign or new theme. The district agreed to WCAG 2.1 AA within nine months, a web accessibility coordinator, a policy, an accessibility statement and training.
Source
Justice Department press release · The agreement

Where to start on your own site