Article
Digital accessibility beyond the websites
What organizations across industries need to know and do now
April 21, 2026 · Authored by Kyra Bloemer
Digital accessibility is required
Digital accessibility has rapidly evolved from recommended guidance into a regulatory expectation. As organizations across industries expand their reliance on digital platforms, regulators and enforcement agencies are making it clear that digital content must be accessible to individuals with disabilities.
For leaders across higher education, healthcare, the public sector, not-for-profit organizations, the question is no longer whether digital accessibility applies, but how is the organization prepared to meet the spring 2027 expectations?
A clear and evolving regulatory landscape
Digital accessibility requirements are supported in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a federal civil rights law designed to prevent discrimination and ensure equal access to programs, services and environments, including digital spaces. Organizations receiving federal funding are also subject to Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Recent updates from enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Health and Human Services, have noted that the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA is the baseline technical standard. While some rules explicitly apply to public entities, not-for-profit organizations are increasingly held to the same expectations through lawsuits, settlement agreements, accreditation requirements and grant conditions.
When compliance is required
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Title II final rule, published April 24, 2024, requires state and local governments to ensure their web content and mobile applications conform to WCAG 2.1 Level AA by the applicable compliance date below (based on entity size). After the compliance date, entities must maintain ongoing conformance.
Compliance dates by state or local government size:
- 50,000 or more persons: April 26, 2027
- 0 to 49,999 persons: April 26, 2028
- Special district governments: April 26, 2028
Accessibility goes beyond the public websites
A recent WebAIM Million Report (2025)[1] noted that over 96% of the top one million websites have detectable WCAG accessibility failures. In addition, digital accessibility extends far beyond an organization’s homepage.
The requirements apply to:
- internal systems,
- digital documents,
- training materials,
- videos,
- mobile applications,
- course materials,
- social media content, and
- third-party platforms used to deliver services.
Any digital content users rely on to apply, participate, work, learn or receive services must be accessible, even if it sits behind a login.
What digital accessibility means in practice
Digital accessibility helps ensure that content can be used by people with a range of disabilities, including visual, auditory, motor and neurological disabilities. Accessible design supports assistive technologies, keyboard-only navigation, closed captions and transcripts, sufficient color contrast and clear structure and navigation. The following example illustrates the difference in screen reader output when an image lacks alternative text and when the image includes meaningful, descriptive alternative text.
How Baker Tilly can help
Organizations are at different stages in their digital accessibility journey. Baker Tilly offers flexible, right-sized services to help organizations understand risk, prioritize action and build sustainable accessibility programs.
Baker Tilly conducts internal audit or readiness reviews to assess compliance, governance and control structures related to digital accessibility. These revenues evaluate digital content against WCAG standards, identify high-risk areas and provide a prioritized road map aligned with regulatory expectations and organizational capacity.
Baker Tilly performs digital accessibility compliance assessments to help organizations understand their risk exposure and prioritize next steps. These assessments provide leadership with a clear understanding of current state, areas requiring improvement and maturity rating.
Baker Tilly helps organizations design sustainable accessibility programs by establishing governance models, training strategies, vendor oversight processes and monitoring mechanisms that support long-term compliance and operational maturity.
Industry insights:
Baker Tilly tailors digital accessibility advisory services to the regulatory and operational environments of different industries, including higher education, healthcare, public sector entities and not-for-profit organizations.
Connect with us to discuss more.