The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed in 1990, before most people used websites, mobile apps, online patient portals, or digital forms.
Today, those tools are part of how people attend school, apply for benefits, schedule medical care, use public transportation, register for programs, find emergency information, and communicate with local government.
When those tools are inaccessible, people with disabilities can be shut out of services they have a legal right to use.
Recent updates to ADA regulations give state and local governments clearer requirements for digital accessibility and accessible medical equipment.
New Requirements for Websites and Mobile Apps
In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a new rule under Title II of the ADA.
Title II applies to state and local governments, including cities, counties, public schools, public universities, libraries, courts, police departments, election offices, transportation systems, and public hospitals.
These entities were already required to make their services accessible. The new rule created a specific technical standard for most of the websites and mobile apps they provide.
Covered web content and apps must generally meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Version 2.1, Level AA, often shortened to WCAG 2.1 AA.
WCAG includes requirements that address many common digital barriers.
Images may need written descriptions so people using screen readers can understand them. Videos may need captions. Forms must be labeled and structured so people can complete them using assistive technology. Users must be able to navigate content without relying only on a mouse.
Color contrast, page headings, error messages, document accessibility, and the ability to resize text can also affect whether someone can use a website successfully.
These details matter because the website or app is often the service.
A person may need to use a county website to apply for benefits. A parent may need a school app to receive information about their child. A voter may need an election website to find a polling place or review voting requirements.
Telling someone to call an office instead does not provide the same experience, especially when other members of the public can access the information immediately and independently.
The Compliance Dates Have Changed
The 2024 rule gave state and local governments time to bring their websites and mobile apps into compliance.
In April 2026, the Department of Justice extended both deadlines by one year.
Public entities serving populations of 50,000 or more now have until April 26, 2027.
Entities serving fewer than 50,000 people and special district governments now have until April 26, 2028.
Those dates give public entities more time to meet the technical standard, but the ADA already requires them to provide people with disabilities equal access to their services.
A later compliance date should not be treated as permission to leave known barriers in place.
Public entities can use this time to review their websites, online forms, PDFs, videos, mobile apps, and vendor-provided platforms. They can also train staff and create a process for responding when someone reports an accessibility problem.
Digital accessibility is not something that can be fixed once and forgotten. New documents, videos, pages, and forms are created all the time, which means accessibility has to be included in the way digital content is created and maintained.
Changes Involving Medical Equipment
The Department of Justice issued another Title II rule in August 2024. This rule addressed medical diagnostic equipment used by state and local government healthcare providers.
Medical diagnostic equipment includes examination tables, weight scales, dental chairs, mammography equipment, and other equipment used during medical care.
Inaccessible equipment can create serious barriers.
A wheelchair user may not be able to transfer safely onto an examination table. A patient may be weighed while holding onto another person, which can produce an inaccurate result. Someone may not be able to receive a complete dental exam or mammogram because the available equipment does not meet their access needs.
Patients have also been asked to bring someone who can lift them or have received an examination while remaining in a wheelchair when that did not allow the provider to complete the same examination offered to other patients.
The new rule gives public healthcare providers clearer requirements for accessible equipment.
When covered entities buy, lease, or otherwise acquire certain types of medical diagnostic equipment, that equipment generally must be accessible until they have enough accessible equipment to meet the rule’s requirements.
They must also make sure their healthcare services are accessible as a whole and that staff are available to help patients use accessible equipment when assistance is needed.
Access Involves More Than Entering the Building
A building may have an accessible parking space, ramp, and doorway, but that does not guarantee that every service inside is accessible.
A patient still needs equipment they can use safely. A resident still needs to complete the online form. A student still needs to read the digital assignment. A parent still needs to use the school’s app.
Accessibility needs to be considered across the entire service, not only at the entrance.
The recent rules provide clearer standards in areas where people with disabilities have faced barriers for years. They also give public entities more specific guidance about what they are expected to address.
The deadlines matter, but accessibility work should not begin with the deadline.
The ADA has changed a great deal since 1990, and there are still major gaps in access.
What ADA-related barriers do you still see in your community, workplace, healthcare experiences, or public services? What major changes do you believe still need to happen?
We would love to hear from you.
