In 2023, the Department of Justice published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding proposed regulations under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act covering electronic information of public entities on websites and mobile applications. Disability Law United (formerly CREEC) submitted comments on those proposed regulations, objecting to several proposed exceptions that would have prevented people with disabilities from accessing vital information from public entities, including educational information provided by schools. DLU also signed on to the extensive comments of the National Federation of the Blind that objected to those proposed exceptions.
June 24, 2024, the revised regulations go into effect. DLU is happy to report that DOJ apparently took the comments to heart, as most of the exceptions were removed from the final rule. Going forward, public entities will have to ensure that electronic information will be accessible to people with disabilities, including information made available on websites and mobile applications used by students, teachers, and parents at all education levels.
Public entities were given varying times to come into compliance with the new rules, depending on their size. However, all public entities will have to be in compliance by April 2027.
The DOJ has published a fact sheet summarizing the new rules. You can also download and read the full regulations here.