Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Accessibility of Web Information and Services of State and Local Government Entities

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Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Accessibility of Web Information and Services of State and Local Government Entities

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has recently published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that aims to update the regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to add more specific requirements about web and mobile application (app) accessibility.

The Need for the Rule

State and local governments provide many of their services, programs, and activities through websites and mobile applications (apps). When these websites and mobile apps are not accessible, they can create barriers for people with disabilities. For example, individuals who are blind may use a screen reader to deliver visual information on a website or mobile app as speech. If a website does not include text describing an image (sometimes called “alternative text” or “alt text”), individuals who are blind and who use screen readers may have no way of knowing what is in the image because a screen reader cannot “read” an image.

The Proposal

The NPRM proposes a specific technical standard that state and local governments would have to follow to meet their existing obligations under Title II of the ADA for web and mobile app accessibility. The proposal includes adopting the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Version 2.1, Level AA as the technical standard that state and local governments would need to follow.

The Impact

This proposed rule is intended to help better ensure access for people with disabilities and provide state and local governments with more clarity on how they can make sure they are complying with the ADA. This rule will help make sure people with disabilities have access to state and local governments’ services, programs, and activities available on websites and mobile apps.


Department of Justice. (2024, March 8). Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Accessibility of Web Information and Services of State and Local Government Entities.

ADA.gov. (2023, July 20). Resources for Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Accessibility of Web Information and Services of State and Local Government Entities.

Justice Department. (2024). Justice Department Advances Proposed Rule to Strengthen Web and Mobile App Access for People.

Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP. (2024). DOJ’s Website Accessibility NPRM: A Must-Read for Higher Ed, Public Entities, and Businesses.

Stoup. “Blog post summarizing Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Accessibility of Web Information and Services of State and Local Government Entities.” Microsoft Copilot, Version 1.0, 1 May. 2024


More information can be found here! 

https://www.ada.gov/notices/2024/03/08/web-rule/

https://www.ada.gov/resources/2023-07-20-web-nprm/

https://ogletree.com/insights-resources/blog-posts/doj-final-rule-on-website-accessibility-for-state-and-local-governments-portends-significant-changes-for-private-sector-websites/

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