Government & Public Sector

Ensure your digital properties meet federal and state accessibility mandates

Section 508 compliance, ADA Title II conformance, and ICT accessibility documentation for government agencies and contractors.

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Trusted by teams across regulated and public-sector environments

Why government & public sector can't ignore digital accessibility

Mandatory Compliance Deadlines

Title II of the ADA binds state and local government directly, and the DOJ web and mobile app rule sets dated obligations. After the interim final rule of April 20, 2026, a public entity with a total population of 50,000 or more has until April 26, 2027, and a public entity under 50,000, along with any special district government, has until April 26, 2028.

ICT Procurement Risk

The federal government requires procured ICT to meet the Revised Section 508 standards, and FAR subpart 39.2 carries that requirement into acquisition, which is how the obligation reaches vendors. Agencies must obtain evidence that suppliers understand and can meet these requirements, so gaps in vendor documentation create procurement liability.

Public-Facing Services at Risk

Government websites and digital services must be accessible to all constituents. Barriers create legal exposure and exclude citizens from essential services.

Which accessibility standards apply to government & public sector

Standard

Applies

Section 508

Requires federal agencies to ensure ICT provides comparable access for employees with disabilities and the public, and reaches their vendors through procurement. The Attorney General is also required to periodically report on the state of federal agency compliance.

ADA Title II

Requires state and local government services to be accessible to people with disabilities. The web and mobile app rule at 28 CFR 35.200 carries compliance dates of April 26, 2027 and April 26, 2028.

WCAG 2.1 AA

The technical standard the Title II rule adopts: Level A and Level AA success criteria of WCAG 2.1. The Revised Section 508 standards incorporate WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA for federal ICT.

Section 504

Prohibits disability discrimination in federally funded programs. Recipients of HHS funding also face web and mobile requirements at WCAG 2.1 Level A and AA under 45 CFR part 84, subpart I.

21st Century IDEA Act

Requires federal websites to meet modern accessibility and usability standards

EN 301 549

International standard for government agencies with global operations

Varies

Accessibility barriers we frequently find

Legacy CMS Content

Older content management systems producing pages with missing heading structure, alt text, and semantic markup.

PDF Document Accessibility

Government forms, reports, and publications published as inaccessible PDFs without tags, reading order, or alt text.

Interactive Forms

Public-facing forms lacking proper labels, error handling, and keyboard accessibility, which blocks citizen access to services.

Video & Multimedia

Public meetings, training videos, and informational content without captions, transcripts, or audio descriptions.

Multilingual Content Gaps

Language switching and translated content that isn't properly marked up for assistive technology.

Third-Party Widget Barriers

Embedded maps, calendars, and payment systems from third parties that introduce accessibility barriers.

Mobile Responsiveness

Government services that aren't accessible on mobile devices used disproportionately by underserved populations.

Authentication Barriers

Login portals with CAPTCHA, multi-factor authentication, or session timeouts that create barriers for users with disabilities.

How we help government & public sector

Section 508 Compliance Audit

Comprehensive audit of government websites, applications, and digital services against Section 508 and WCAG 2.2 AA.

ICT Accessibility Documentation

Vendor VPAT review, Section 508 conformance reports, and accessibility statements for public-facing properties.

Remediation Guidance

Actionable fix recommendations for development teams and content authors with priority levels and compliance mapping.

Staff Training

Accessibility training for content authors, developers, and procurement staff to build sustainable compliance.

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State Agency Achieves ADA Title II Compliance Before Deadline

Challenge

A state government agency with 50+ public-facing web properties needed to meet DOJ's ADA Title II digital accessibility deadline but had no baseline conformance data.

Solution

ADACP conducted a portfolio-wide accessibility assessment, prioritized remediation by public impact, trained content teams, and produced compliance documentation.

Outcome

The agency met its compliance deadline with documented evidence of conformance across all critical public-facing services.

Properties audited

340+

Critical issues resolved

120

Staff trained

Yes

Compliance deadline met

Accessibility checklist for government & public sector

All public-facing web pages meet the WCAG 2.1 Level A and AA success criteria the Title II rule adopts
PDF forms and documents are tagged and accessible
Video content includes accurate captions and transcripts
Online forms have proper labels, error handling, and keyboard support
Authentication processes provide accessible alternatives
Third-party components and widgets meet accessibility standards
Content is accessible in all supported languages
Mobile versions of services are fully accessible
Procurement processes include Section 508 conformance requirements
Vendor VPATs are reviewed and validated before procurement
Staff responsible for content have completed accessibility training
An accessibility statement is published on all public-facing properties
A process exists for receiving and responding to accessibility complaints
Regular accessibility monitoring and testing is scheduled

Our process for government & public sector

01

Portfolio Assessment

We inventory your digital properties, assess risk levels, and prioritize testing based on public impact and compliance deadlines.
02

Comprehensive Audit

Manual and automated testing against Section 508 and WCAG 2.2 AA across prioritized properties, documenting every finding.
03

Compliance Documentation

Section 508 conformance reports, accessibility statements, and remediation roadmaps for agency leadership.
04

Remediation & Training

Developer guidance, content author training, and procurement staff education to address findings and prevent recurrence.
05

Ongoing Monitoring

Regular re-testing, documentation updates, and compliance reporting to maintain conformance as digital services evolve.

Why choose ADACP for government & public sector

Government-Specific Expertise

We understand the regulatory landscape, procurement processes, and compliance timelines specific to federal, state, and local government agencies.

Portfolio-Scale Experience

We've assessed multi-property government digital portfolios, so we know how to prioritize and execute at scale.

Procurement Integration

We help procurement teams evaluate vendor VPATs and integrate accessibility requirements into RFP and procurement processes.

Sustainable Compliance

Beyond testing and documentation, we build internal capacity through training and process development for long-term compliance.

Frequently asked questions

What are the ADA Title II digital accessibility deadlines?

The DOJ rule for state and local government web content and mobile apps, at 28 CFR 35.200, requires conformance with the Level A and Level AA success criteria of WCAG 2.1. An interim final rule published on April 20, 2026 moved the compliance dates back by one year. A public entity with a total population of 50,000 or more, other than a special district government, has until April 26, 2027. A public entity with a total population under 50,000, and any special district government, has until April 26, 2028.

How does Section 508 apply to our agency?

Section 508 requires all ICT developed, procured, maintained, or used by federal agencies to be accessible, covering websites, software, hardware, documents, and multimedia content. The Revised 508 standards at 36 CFR part 1194 set Level A and Level AA of WCAG 2.0 for electronic content and software, and FAR subpart 39.2 puts the requirement into acquisition, which is how it binds your suppliers as well as your own teams. Section 508 binds federal agencies and, through procurement, their vendors; a state or local agency is governed by Title II instead, though some states impose their own ICT accessibility standards as well.

Do we need to test every page on every website?

We use a risk-based approach, prioritizing high-traffic public-facing pages, essential services, and critical user flows. We test representative samples and provide guidance for systematic remediation of common issues across all pages.

How do we handle accessibility for legacy systems?

We assess legacy systems, document current conformance gaps, and recommend a phased remediation approach or accessible alternatives while longer-term modernization is planned.

Can you help us evaluate vendor accessibility claims?

Yes. We review the Accessibility Conformance Reports vendors submit on the VPAT template, checking each conformance claim for accuracy and completeness the way federal buy-side guidance asks reviewers to, so procurement teams can make informed decisions about ICT purchases and contract requirements.

What training do our content authors need?

We provide role-specific training covering accessible document creation (Word, PDF), web content authoring (headings, alt text, links), multimedia accessibility, and using your CMS accessibility features.

Related resources for government & public sector

Section 508 Overview

Understanding federal ICT accessibility requirements

ADA Compliance Guide

Digital accessibility under the ADA

Blog: Government Accessibility

Latest updates on government accessibility requirements

David LoPresti

Founder and CEO, ADA Compliance Professionals

David LoPresti is the founder of ADA Compliance Professionals and works directly with government contractors and the technology vendors that sell into public agencies, evaluating accessibility conformance and preparing the documentation required during procurement and contract review. For a public sector engagement that means an audit scoped to the rule that actually binds you, WCAG 2.1 Level A and AA under the Title II rule or the Revised Section 508 standards for federal ICT, a remediation plan your developers and content authors can work from, and the Accessibility Conformance Report a contracting officer will read, whether you are producing one on the VPAT template or checking what a vendor submitted.

The standards this page refers to

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