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Orange County ramps up web‑accessibility work to meet new ADA standards by April 24, 2026
Summary
The county’s Chief Civil Rights Officer briefed commissioners on 2024 ADA updates requiring WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance for government websites and digital services; staff will audit and remediate content and ensure new projects meet accessibility standards.
Chief Civil Rights Officer Paul Slack presented an overview of the 2024 updates to the Americans with Disabilities Act that require jurisdictions of Orange County’s size to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards for websites, forms, PDFs and digital services by April 24, 2026.
Slack said the changes emphasize mobile access, clearer navigation, and ensuring tasks can be completed without barriers for people with visual and hearing disabilities. The county must review and fix existing content, build accessibility into new projects, and require staff and vendors to follow standards going forward. Slack acknowledged operational challenges — for example, content removed from public websites to meet the deadline will need an alternative access plan, and staffer Cy Stober is working on options to preserve access while complying with new rules.
Commissioners discussed implementation tradeoffs, including the difficulty of retrofitting older content and the need to maintain access to removed materials for staff and the public. Vice‑Chair Amy Fowler asked whether accessible language work includes acronyms; Slack confirmed acronyms would be addressed as part of accessible language efforts.
Next steps: Staff will continue the county’s accessibility audit, prioritize remediation, and integrate accessibility into procurement and content‑creation processes to meet the April 24, 2026 compliance deadline.
