ADA Title II web accessibility: what your department needs to do

Compliance date: April 24, 2026

Federal requirements under ADA Title II took effect April 24, 2026. All digital content your department publishes must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA — the accessibility standard that ensures content works for people who use screen readers, keyboard navigation, or other assistive technology. SJCC builds to WCAG 2.2 Level AA, which includes every 2.1 requirement.

Website

Your department's web pages must be accessible — not just "usable with workarounds." The rule no longer allows a separate accessible version of a page as a fix. The main page itself must meet the standard.

  • Run a free scan using WAVE (opens in a new tab) or axe (opens in a new tab) to identify issues on your pages.
  • Common problems to fix: missing alt text on images, poor color contrast, vague link text ("click here"), and videos without captions.

Social Media

All new content posted on or after April 24, 2026 must meet accessibility requirements.

  • Add alt text to every image you post — Instagram, Facebook, and X/Twitter all have built-in alt text fields.
  • Add captions to any video content.
  • Don't post information only as an image of text (such as a flyer with no description or caption).

External Communications — Images, Flyers, PDFs, and Videos

Quick guide: Before you share a flyer, poster or digital announcement, review Make Every Flyer Readable: Accessible Flyer Quick Guide (PDF, 750 KB) (opens in a new tab). This one-page checklist covers alt text, color contrast, readable fonts, headings and lists, QR codes and descriptive link text.

Anything your department distributes externally must be accessible, including:

  • Images and flyers: Include descriptive text in the post or email body, not just in the image itself.
  • PDFs: Must contain real, selectable text — a scanned image of a document does not meet the standard. Use properly structured documents with headings and readable text.
  • Videos: Closed captions are required. Auto-generated captions alone are generally not sufficient — review and correct them before publishing.

Resources and Next Steps