Accessibility Compliance Timeline

Key dates, deadlines, and milestones for digital accessibility at UA.

Completed
Current/In Progress
Upcoming
Federal
State
UA Policy
1990
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)Federal

Prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life.

1998 (Updated 2017)
Section 508 RefreshFederal

Section 508 updated to align with WCAG 2.0 AA. Applies to federal agencies and recipients of federal funding.

2019
UA Digital Accessibility Policy AdoptedUA Policy

University adopts formal policy requiring WCAG 2.0 AA compliance for all digital content.

June 2023
WCAG 2.1 Published as ISO StandardFederal

WCAG 2.1 becomes international standard. Section 508 references updated guidelines.

January 2024
Procurement Accessibility Review RequiredUA Policy

All IT purchases over $5,000 require VPAT review and accessibility evaluation.

April 2024
DOJ Title II Web Rule PublishedFederal

Department of Justice issues final rule requiring WCAG 2.1 AA for state/local government web content and mobile apps.

January 2026 (NOW)
UA WCAG 2.1 TransitionUA PolicyActive

University transitions from WCAG 2.0 AA to WCAG 2.1 AA as the compliance standard.

Action Required:Review your web content against WCAG 2.1 new success criteria (orientation, text spacing, etc.)
April 2026
DOJ Title II – Large Entities DeadlineFederalDeadline

Compliance deadline for state/local governments with 50,000+ population. All web content and mobile apps must meet WCAG 2.1 AA.

Action Required:Complete accessibility audits of all public-facing websites. Remediate critical issues.
July 2026
UA Course Accessibility BaselineUA Policy

All new and substantially revised courses must meet accessibility baseline checklist before deployment.

January 2027
High-Traffic Website ComplianceUA PolicyDeadline

Top 100 UA websites must demonstrate full WCAG 2.1 AA compliance through third-party audit.

April 2027
DOJ Title II – Small Entities DeadlineFederalDeadline

Compliance deadline for state/local governments with under 50,000 population.

2027-2028
WCAG 2.2 Expected AdoptionFederal

Section 508 and DOJ rules expected to incorporate WCAG 2.2. New success criteria include focus appearance, dragging movements, accessible authentication.

January 2028
Full Digital Portfolio ComplianceUA Policy

UA goal: All university digital content (websites, applications, documents, multimedia) meets WCAG 2.1 AA.

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