On Monday, April 20, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) published a rule extending the compliance deadline for web content and mobile application accessibility by one year, from April 24, 2026 to April 26, 2027, for larger public entities like WSU. While this rule is effective as of April 20, 2026, it is still in an open comment period until 60 days after the publication date and is subject to revision.
Notice: This IS NOT a grace period for accessible content. Under existing federal (ADA and Section 508), state (USER-01), and WSU (UPPM 10.45) laws and policies, all WSU electronic and information technology (EIT) and digital content MUST be accessible regardless of the DOJ compliance deadline.
This update extends the compliance deadline of the April 2024 rule. It does not exempt WSU or any other entity from compliance under existing laws. The 2024 DOJ rule only clarified existing law: it adopted the WCAG 2.1 Level AA (WCAG 2.1) standards as the legal basis for compliance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (passed in 1990, amended in 2008), clarifying technical expectations that were already implicitly present in the law. Further, all WSU EIT and web content is still covered under state and university accessibility policies.
DOJ Compliance Extension and WSU Web
What does the April 2026 DOJ rule revision mean for WSU web content? Fundamentally, it doesn’t change a lot. Any group or individual could still bring litigation or a complaint against the university under existing law, and, more importantly, users are not well served by inaccessible content. Do not let this extension slow your efforts toward full compliance.
Where does this leave us?
- All non-archived content must still comply with WCAG 2.1, Level AA.
- If you had shifted your efforts from compliance to legal defense, you could redirect those efforts back to compliance.
- Continue to prioritize updating mission-critical websites and EIT, and consider removing or reassessing unused content. A content inventory is a great way to approach this task.
- You should still create a compliance plan that clearly explains what steps you are taking and keep it up to date as your work progresses.
- Take the Digital Accessibility Assessment and review the resources on WSU’s Digital Accessibility website.
I’m proud of everything the WSU community has already done in working toward the prior April 24, 2026 rule date. Please continue working in good faith to help more people access WSU’s programs, services, and content and bring all WSU content into full compliance.
Adam Turner
Web Development Director