What Changed and Why It Matters
In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice finalized a rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act that sets a clear technical standard for digital accessibility. For the first time, public entities have a specific benchmark to meet: WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
This is not a suggestion or a best practice. It is a federal requirement with enforcement behind it. Organizations that deliver public programs, services, or activities online must ensure their websites are accessible to all users, including individuals with visual, hearing, or mobility impairments.
Know Your Compliance Deadline
The deadline depends on the size of the population your organization serves:
This deadline has already passed. If your organization is in this group and has not started remediation, compliance work should be your top priority today.
Accessibility audits and full remediation typically take 3 to 6 months. Starting now gives you the runway to do it right without rushing at the deadline.
What WCAG 2.1 AA Actually Requires
The standard is built on four core principles. Your website needs to satisfy all of them:
Perceivable
Users must be able to see, hear, or sense your content. This includes proper color contrast, alt text for images, video captions, and resizable text.
Operable
Users must be able to navigate and interact with your site. This means full keyboard navigation, logical focus order, and enough time to complete tasks.
Understandable
Content must be clear and predictable. This includes readable language, consistent navigation, and helpful error messages on forms.
Robust
Your site must work reliably with assistive technologies like screen readers, both current tools and future ones as they evolve.
What Typically Fails an Accessibility Audit
Most websites, even well-designed ones, have accessibility issues that are not obvious. These are the most common gaps we find:
The Cost of Waiting
Legal Exposure
Non-compliance opens the door to DOJ enforcement and private lawsuits. Penalties can reach $75,000 for a first violation and $150,000 for subsequent violations, regardless of your organization's size.
People Left Behind
Roughly 61 million Americans live with a disability. An inaccessible website quietly turns away a significant portion of the people you exist to serve.
Time to Comply
A thorough audit, remediation plan, and content fixes take months. The deadline is not when you start. It is when you need to be done.
How We Can Help
Appalachian Marketing & Media helps organizations understand where they stand and take meaningful steps toward meeting accessibility standards.
Accessibility Audit
We combine automated scanning with manual expert review to identify accessibility issues on your site, prioritized by severity and real-world user impact.
Remediation
We work to address the issues found during audit, from code-level corrections to content updates to document accessibility for PDFs, forms, and media files.
Ongoing Monitoring
Accessibility is not a one-time project. New content creates new risks. We can help you monitor and maintain your accessibility standards over time.
Training & Policy
We help your team build accessibility into how you create and publish content going forward, so compliance becomes part of your process.
Built for Organizations Like Yours
Public entities, educational institutions, financial organizations, and healthcare providers each face unique accessibility requirements. We understand the content types, workflows, and regulatory context for each.
Schools
Banks
Government
Healthcare
Frequently Asked Questions
Let's Talk About Your Website
Your deadline is approaching. With a clear plan and the right partner, working toward accessibility is achievable and it makes your website better for everyone.
Request a Free Accessibility Review
No obligation. Tell us a little about your organization and we will be in touch.