Accessibility Compliance Takes a Village — and a Plan

Digital accessibility isn’t a box to check. It’s a long-term commitment to equity, public trust, and usable government. That’s why we’ve convened the Accessibility Compliance Working Group — to bring state agencies together as we prepare to meet the April 2026 ADA compliance deadline.

We know every agency has its own challenges. By sharing questions, tools, and progress updates, we can help each other stay on track and keep accessibility at the center of our digital work.

Why the Working Group Matters

This group comes together to learn about best practices and guidance, as well as provide support for issues we all similarly face. DSGa hosts monthly meetings to:

• Share updates on accessibility tools and resources
• Answer common questions and clarify expectations
• Help agencies identify their biggest challenges and next steps
• Build a community that makes compliance less overwhelming

What Agencies Should Focus on Now

If you’re just getting started, that’s okay. Here’s what to prioritize this quarter:

• Understand where you stand: Take stock of your agency’s accessibility efforts. What’s your biggest gap?
• Focus on what users access most: Start with high-traffic content and public documents.
• Plan ahead: By the holidays, you should have a solid roadmap in place to reach compliance by 2026.

Highlights from Our First Meetings

We kicked things off in July, sharing resources from the Digital Accessibility Compliance page and focusing on how to engage leadership in these conversations. In August, we explored Code for America’s PDF remediation tool. Agencies got a demo, step-by-step instructions, and an overview of the remediation process. And, this month, we demoed Siteimprove’s ADA Title II Compliance feature, giving context to the information it provides. The tool offers clear scans, helpful remediation guidance, and customizable WCAG settings.

Common Questions, Shared Solutions

Here are a few questions and answers we’ve tackled together:

1. Are we responsible for third-party content? Yes. If it’s on your site, you’re responsible. Reach out to vendors or convert documents into accessible formats like a webpage or book module.
    
2. Is a document WCAG-compliant if Siteimprove shows no issues? If you’ve set the platform to scan against WCAG 2.1 AA and it shows no issues, it’s compliant for that level. Still, for high-traffic documents, a manual check or second tool is a good idea.
    
3. What if a legal document can’t be edited? Post a synopsis and include an accessibility contact. That helps users understand the content and get support if needed.
    
4. Can we post both a PDF and a webpage? We recommend against duplicate versions. It’s hard to keep them synced, and separate versions can feel exclusionary. If a PDF is required, make it accessible. If not, consider ditching it altogether.

Keep Moving Forward, Together

Accessibility takes time, tools, and teamwork. The good news? You’re not in it alone. Join the working group, ask questions, and use the resources we’re building together.

We’ll keep sharing meeting updates, tips, and tools as we move toward 2026 — and beyond. Let’s build a digital government where everyone belongs.

This post was created with a little help from AI for brainstorming and drafting, but every word was reviewed and refined by the author.

Related to: 

• Accessibility