[CATO] Question about the DOJs new rule

Wed May 22 21:40:31 PDT 2024

Thanks Vicki! Good article. Sounds like since we are state run community colleges, we need to be in compliance in 2 years, right?

Best,
Amy

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From: Vicki Walton <vwalton at sbctc.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, May 22, 2024 5:00:09 PM
To: Distribution List for the Committee for Accessible Technology Oversight <cato at lists.ctc.edu>
Cc: Rovner, Amy <arovner at shoreline.edu>
Subject: RE: Question about the DOJs new rule

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Amy,

To answer your question about how long we have, I have added sections of a couple of articles that I have found to be helpful. I realize the first information below is not from an official ADA site, but I find this website informative, and it helps put information in plain language, at least to me. And to your comments Amy, the first article has a representative from Texas.

How can public colleges prepare for ADA digital accessibility requirements?<https://www.highereddive.com/news/colleges-title-ii-digital-accessibility/715265/>

By Kara Arundel • May 8, 2024

Halfway down the page:

Becoming compliant

The nearly 300-page rule goes into effect June 24, but governments and public institutions, including public schools and universities, have two or three years to comply. The compliance date depends on the population size within a state or local jurisdiction.

For K-12 schools, this means that if a school district is located in a county or city with a population of 50,000 or more, it must comply by April 24, 2026. Public state universities would also have an April 24, 2026, compliance deadline, as they are considered a state entity. However, a county community college or K-12 school district in the same state located in a county or city with 49,999 or fewer residents would have a later compliance deadline of April 26, 2027. Special district governments — such as independent school districts — also must comply by April 26, 2027.

School districts, particularly larger districts with in-house technology experts, should already be compliant or be able to become compliant relatively quickly, said Jose Martín, an attorney with the Richards, Lindsay & Martín law firm in Austin, Texas, which represents school districts.

Since the rule requires minimum technical standards and OCR has been enforcing accessibility access, the rule and compliance requirement should not come as a big surprise to districts, he said. “This is well-trod ground.”

Still, some accessibility experts say the new rule could mean schools and universities have significant work to meet the accessibility requirements.

About Higher Ed Dive

Higher Ed Dive provides in-depth journalism and insight into the most impactful news and trends shaping higher education. The newsletters and website cover topics such as online learning, policy, legal, leadership, enrollment and more.

How Long State and Local Governments Have to Comply with the Rule<https://www.ada.gov/resources/2024-03-08-web-rule/>

>From ada.gov

State and local governments must make sure that their web content and mobile apps meet WCAG 2.1, Level AA within two or three years of when the rule was published on April 24, 2024, depending on their population.

You can find more information about why the Department is requiring compliance with this timeline in the rule<https://www.ada.gov/assets/pdfs/web-rule.pdf> in the section of the appendix called “Requirements by Entity Size.” (I have attached the PDF from the link. Page one talks about the compliance dates.)

This table shows how much time a state or local government has to comply with this rule.

State and local government size

Compliance date

0 to 49,999 persons

April 26, 2027

Special district governments

April 26, 2027

50,000 or more persons

April 24, 2026

After this time, state and local governments must continue to make sure their web content and mobile apps meet WCAG 2.1, Level AA.

End of articles

Even sharing this information, I think it's important that we have some legal counsel so we all completely understand the meaning and we are all on the same page.

[Title: SBCTC logo - Description: Compass]Vicki Walton

Pronouns: they/them

Web Accessibility Specialist/IT Quality Assurance Tester

Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges

vwalton at sbctc.edu• office: 360-704-4343• website: www.sbctc.edu<https://www.sbctc.edu/default.aspx>

Accessibility is a fundamental right

Accessibility is not a checkbox. Accessibility is a mindset that can lead to a very powerful sense of inclusion.

~ Maayan Ziv founder and CEO AccessNow

From: CATO <cato-bounces at lists.ctc.edu> On Behalf Of Rovner, Amy via CATO
Sent: Wednesday, May 22, 2024 1:23 PM
To: cato at lists.ctc.edu
Cc: Rovner, Amy <arovner at shoreline.edu>
Subject: [CATO] Question about the DOJs new rule

[Sent from outside SBCTC]

Hi All,

Will CATO be focusing on implementation/ support/ compliance for our colleges regarding the DOJ's new rule? I just reported out a super short summary to the eLearning Council. I think my main question for now is do we have 2 or 3 years to come into compliance? I recently saw a comment from someone in Texas whose AG said that they only have 2 years to comply b/c they view the population as "Texas" and not the individual college so they easily pass the 50K number.

Not sure if we have an answer from our WA AG yet??

Anyway - I know I'm a little late to the party but I think the colleges would all appreciate some clear support, maybe a letter re: the reality of the rule/ risk management perspective for the Execs, etc. in order to get support across the state.

Thank you!!

Amy

Amy Rovner, MPH RD
Director eLearning Services
ctcLink Training Lead

Shoreline Community College
www.shoreline.edu<http://www.shoreline.edu>  |  206.546.6937
eLearning Office: 206.546.6966
eLearning Email: elearning at shoreline.edu<mailto:elearning at shoreline.edu>
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[Shoreline Community College]<https://shoreline.edu/>

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