With the US Department of Justice releasing its Final Rule for ADA Title II, the way to digital accessibility compliance has become much clearer. Entities covered by Title II, such as state and local government agencies and public colleges, no longer need to guess the items to tick off their lists to become ADA compliant.
However, what has actually changed with the ADA? What are the guidelines that Title II entities have to follow to achieve ADA compliance? This article will briefly discuss the ADA and Section 508, the recent Final Rule for Title II entities, and how state colleges can make their websites, apps, and content fully accessible under the ADA.
What are the ADA and Section 508?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted in 1990 after decades of struggle for the rights of individuals with disabilities. It forbids discrimination against those individuals, particularly in transportation, workplaces, businesses, and schools. The original text of the ADA was silent about websites and other digital media and instead focused on physical infrastructure and telecommunications.
Websites and other forms of digital communications based on the Internet became popular in the late 1990s, and the Department of Justice clarified that websites are considered “public accommodations” under the ADA. However, courts across the country had different interpretations of the law, with some claiming that the ADA did not cover digital media.
Finally, the Final Rule recently issued by the DOJ requires adherence to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) for Title II entities. The WCAG is widely considered the most comprehensive set of accessibility best practices and forms the basis of accessibility frameworks worldwide. With the ADA officially adopting WCAG success criteria, the DOJ is no longer ambiguous about the nature of digital accessibility.
In contrast, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act has had a clear set of standards for digital accessibility since 1998. Under Section 508, federal government agencies, other entities that receive federal funding, and their vendors or contractors are required to make their websites and other digital services accessible to individuals with disabilities under the WCAG. State colleges and universities, especially those receiving federal funding in the form of research and study grants, were also covered by Section 508.
How can state colleges achieve ADA compliance?
State colleges and universities now have a clearly defined set of guidelines for digital accessibility under the ADA and WCAG. While the ADA follows WCAG 2.1 Level AA, using the most current version (WCAG 2.2) will future-proof an institutional website, protecting it from potential accessibility issues. Here are some WCAG success criteria that website administrators can work on towards ADA compliance:
- Image alt text
Images should be accompanied by alt text, which is a short but detailed description of the image that is inserted into the website’s HTML code. Alt text helps users with visual impairments determine the content and relationship of the image to the rest of the content.
- Captions and subtitles
Video content should feature subtitles and captions that spell out the dialogue and activity on the screen. This accessibility feature helps both users with hearing impairments and those who prefer studying or working in quiet environments.
- Headings and subheadings
Organizing text using headings and subheadings will allow users to skip from one section of a web page to another. This benefits users with visual impairments and those who use keyboard shortcuts to navigate websites.
- Color contrast
Implementing a color contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal-size text and 3:1 for large text greatly improves readability, especially for users with low vision or color blindness. While black text on a white background has a color contrast ratio of 21:1, the recommended ratios allow web designers and developers to adhere to institutional branding guidelines while maintaining readability.
ADA compliance: The path to full digital accessibility
State colleges can now create clear roadmaps to digital accessibility with the introduction of the Department of Justice Final Rule for ADA Title II entities. By adopting WCAG Level 2.1 Level AA success criteria, web developers can create actionable checklists for accessible websites, reducing the risk of ADA-related violations and making their institutions confident that are doing what they can to make their online content more inclusive to users with disabilities.