Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Accessibility And Language Access topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Court Access committee flags interpreter licensing delay, readies WCAG compliance and bilingual expansion
Summary
The Judicial Council heard Court Access updates: delays in implementing the Maryland Sign Language Act of 2023, a DOJ-mandated WCAG 2.1AA compliance deadline of April 24, 2026, expansion of a bilingual staff pilot, and Court Help Centers’ FY2024 volume of 233,161 service instances.
The Maryland Judicial Council on March 26 received a report from the Court Access Committee highlighting implementation challenges with the Maryland Sign Language Act of 2023 and plans to meet upcoming web-accessibility standards. Hon. Michael W. Siri told the Council the State Board of Sign Language Interpreters has not published proposed regulations or opened public comment, and that an application portal for interpreters was not yet available; as a result, a January 1, 2025 licensing start is unlikely and July 1, 2025 is the expected target for licensing to be in place. Siri warned that vendor reliance on out-of-state interpreters could complicate compliance.
Siri also noted U.S. Department of Justice regulations require Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1AA compliance by April 24, 2026, affecting court forms, audio/video materials, Case Search, and land records; the Major Projects Committee has formed a workgroup to help facilitate compliance.
Judy Rupp provided service-volume statistics: Maryland Court Help Centers provided 28,909 instances of service in January–February (including 4,427 chat interactions, 1,127 email inquiries, and about 8,000 walk-ins) and reported a total of 233,161 instances of service in Fiscal Year 2024. She described upgrades to the Maryland Court Help App (v3.0), expanded video resources including a Spanish parenting-plan series, and an ADR practitioner application scheduled to go live by July 1, 2025.
The Court Access Committee also reported expansion of a Bilingual Staff Pilot that authorizes bilingual employees who pass an oral proficiency exam to provide Spanish-language services without an interpreter and to receive a stipend. The committee presented a revised staff guide, "Can We Help You?" distinguishing legal information from legal advice; the Council approved the revised guide for distribution and training.
The Council recorded no votes against the administrative updates; items will move forward through the Administrative Office of the Courts and relevant project workgroups.
