What Is WCAG, and Why It Matters Under the New ADA Title II Rule

If your government agency manages a website or delivers services online, you may be familiar with WCAG, or have heard it mentioned recently. But what exactly is it, and why is it suddenly at the center of accessibility law?

With the U.S. Department of Justice’s 2024 update to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), state and local governments now have clear and enforceable standards for digital accessibility. WCAG is central to these standards.

Here’s what you need to know.

Global Accessibility Standards

WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. It’s a set of internationally recognized standards created by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to ensure that digital content is accessible to people with disabilities.

WCAG guidelines are based on four core principles:

• Perceivable – users must be able to see or hear the content.
• Operable – users must be able to navigate through and interact with content.
• Understandable – content must be clear and predictable.
• Robust – content must work with current and future assistive technologies.

Version and Conformance Level

The DOJ’s new ADA rule requires conformance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA, which broadly balances usability and technical feasibility for government entities and their constituents.

WCAG has a sequence of versions and 3 conformance levels.

Versions and publish dates:

• WCAG 2.0 (2008)
• WCAG 2.1 (2018)
• WCAG 2.2 (2024)
• WCAG 3 (currently in draft)

Conformance levels:

• Level A (lowest)
• Level AA (mid-range)
• Level AAA (highest)

Versions and performance levels are cumulative, and incorporate previous and lower versions and levels. However, if outdated or replaced, specific criterion may be marked as such in a next version or level.

GovHub Meets Technical Standards

If your agency’s website is on GovHub, you’re already meeting WCAG’s technical standards. Georgia’s digital publishing platform, GovHub, is WCAG 2.2 Level AA compliant. We have offered a content management system that meets WCAG standards since 2015.

What WCAG Means Under ADA Title II

Until recently, the ADA required state and local government services to be accessible, but it didn't have clear specifications for digital content. This made it confusing about what "accessible" really meant online.

This changed in April 2024 with the DOJ's final rule requiring state and local government web content and mobile apps to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards.

Consequently, WCAG is no longer a best practice, it’s a legal requirement.

The rule applies to public-facing digital content such as:

• Websites
• Mobile applications
• PDFs and other uploaded documents
• Audio and video content

In Georgia, state agencies must be compliant by April 24, 2026. Please see the Final Rule for specifications and exceptions.

A New Standard

Since 2015, government entities in Georgia have been required to follow the state’s Digital Standards, so many state organizations are already prepared. However, we know that many content managers are concerned about items such as uploaded PDFs that haven’t previously had strict internal processes or governance.

We recommend running content inventories and determining the purpose and need for uploaded documents. Agencies may discover that a PDF can be made accessible simply by converting it to a web page. Additionally, outdated uploads may fall under an exception to the ruling and be archived, or can just be eliminated from content libraries completely. 

The updated ruling means agencies will need to create action plans to confirm compliance, or conduct accessibility audits and remediation work. But this is not a one-time requirement. Accessibility must be a part of agencies’ ongoing work. Understanding the intent and criteria of WCAG will support your agency’s accessibility path forward.

Related to: 

• Accessibility
• Best Practices
• Accessibility Guidance
• WCAG