Ellensburg staff outline sweeping web accessibility work after DOJ update; compliance due April 26, 2027

Nicole Klaus, the City of Ellensburg’s public information officer, told the City Council at its April 17 study session that the Department of Justice updated Title II accessibility rules in 2024 and that the city must comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA by April 26, 2027.

Klaus said the change “is just about making sure everyone can access government,” and that compliance will cover the city website, mobile apps, video, social media and third‑party applications the public uses.

The requirement, Klaus said, will mean more staff time to inventory gaps, create processes, provide training and implement accessible practices such as correct heading order, image descriptions, labeled form fields, sufficient color contrast and long descriptions for complex graphics. She said captions and transcripts for video will…