Digital Accessibility Enforcement Is Changing. Here’s What It Means for You.

Accessibility improves the internet for everyone. This alone is reason enough to prioritize accessibility in design and development. But increasingly, it’s also a legal and financial imperative.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in programs and activities that receive federal funding. It applies across education, healthcare, government, and beyond. Notably, organizations that fall short of this law risk losing their federal funding entirely.

When the DOJ and DOE issued a joint letter directed to Higher Ed in 2023, it signaled a shift that continues to shape accessibility enforcement today. This letter outlined enforcement changes coming for institutions affected by Section 504, advised regular audits, and outlined key milestones and dates for enforcement.

What the Section 504 Accessibility Compliance Letter Actually Says

This letter is not creating new law but reminding institutions of the existing requirements under both Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, while providing time to prepare for stricter enforcement. The implications are significant: institutions that fail to meet accessibility requirements for students with disabilities risk losing federal funding.

What This Means Beyond Higher Ed

Section 504 is not exclusive to education, so other industries should begin preparing for changes in the accessibility enforcement landscape.

So what does preparation actually look like? At a minimum, organizations should consider conducting a formal accessibility audit of their digital properties. An audit evaluates your website or application against WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) standards, identifies barriers for users with disabilities, and produces a prioritized list of remediation steps. Beyond the audit, ongoing preparation includes establishing accessible design and development practices, training content contributors, and scheduling regular reviews as your site evolves.

Related: Accessible Content Creation – Introduction

How Reaktiv Can Help

Navigating accessibility compliance can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re not sure where your site currently stands or where to begin. That’s where having the right partner makes a difference.

At Reaktiv, we take accessibility seriously. It’s built into how we design, develop, and QA every project. That commitment is backed by deep subject-matter expertise, including multiple certifications through the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) — Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC), Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS), and Certified Professional in Web Accessibility (CPWA) — as well as 508 Trusted Tester certification through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

We strive to ensure that all projects meet WCAG 2.2 AA, the current standard for digital accessibility, or better. This helps ensure compliance with current laws and, more importantly, makes content and services available to a wider range of users across a broad set of circumstances.