Web Accessibility Initiative Takes Shape

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NASBA is committed to ensuring web accessibility for all individuals, regardless of ability. Whether someone is using assistive technologies like a screen reader, a magnifier, voice recognition software, or captions for videos, the Association’s goal is to make the use of NASBA’s website a successful and enjoyable experience. NASBA is taking a variety of steps and devoting resources to further enhance the accessibility of its website and upcoming mobile app, including informing member boards about Digital Inclusion.

The Department of Justice (DOJ), which has the authority to oversee Americans with Disability Act (ADA) civil rights issues, including Section 508 Web Accessibility violations, recently published its final rule on digital accessibility, which establishes specific requirements for making services, programs, and activities offered by state and local government entities to the public through web and mobile apps accessible. These regulations implement Title II of the ADA with the adoption of specific technical standards, called the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, or WCAG. The regulations became effective June 24, 2024, with a tiered compliance date for state governments, and thus for state accountancy boards, based on their total population. The first compliance date, April 24, 2026, is for public entities that have a total population of 50k or more. Thus, state governments will need to comply with the DOJ’s final rule by April 24, 2026, at the earliest, unless they are already complying with a comparable state law.

WCAG, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), is a set of global standard guidelines that specify what is needed for web accessibility, to ensure that the use of assistive technologies to access web content—such as a screen reader or voice recognition software— is successful. Captions for videos and the contrast between text and a background color are two examples of considerations for assistive technologies to work effectively. WCAG is developed by the Accessibility Guidelines Working Group, which is part of the World Wide Web Consortium. WCAG is the standard adopted by the DOJ and by most of the 17 states that have a state web accessibility law.

The DOJ is requiring that public entities comply with the WCAG 2.1 Level AA success criteria and conformance requirements at a minimum. Several state laws have a higher WCAG requirement such as Colorado and New York, which have adopted WCAG 2.2 Level AA success criteria.

For more information on web accessibility and WCAG requirements, please visit the links provided throughout this article and consult with your board counsel and information technology vendor.