Facing WCAG 2.1 Compliance? Your Guide to Meeting Accessibility Standards

Sometimes, when the future looks uncertain, it pays to look to the past for guidance. For many public sector institutions in the United States, the impending deadline of WCAG 2.1 AA compliance is a source of frustration, trepidation, and confusion.

Don’t worry. We’ve literally been there before. And we’re here with some advice to guide you through the dark days.

What’s the Big Issue?

Over the next year and a half, all state and local government entities have to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards, as per the Americans with Disabilities Act Title II. That means higher education institutions that receive public funding, transportation services, and government departments and agencies.

In summary, by Apr. 24, 2026, public entities with 50,000 or more constituents have to be compliant. By the following year, smaller entities with fewer than 50,000 constituents will also have to meet that standard.

That means websites, mobile apps, social media, and documents – even the notoriously accessibility unfriendly PDFs!

At the end of last year, there were two topics on everyone’s lips at our higher ed conferences like Digital Collegium and NCMPR – AI and accessibility. And while the former was a source of interest and optimism, the latter was a source of fear and anxiety.

There’s No Need to Panic; The Sky is Not Falling

Way back in 2014, we started talking about this at Northern, writing blogs, getting involved in the accessibility community and governance, and guiding Canadian institutions through the arrival of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act mandates. Now, we did have a 10-year lead time, but the feelings were similar.

We actually got involved to counter some of the “Chicken Little” marketing that certain companies and people were using. Stoking fears of massive daily fines and scaring people into bad decisions was not our thing – instead, we went to the source, talked to the right people, and focused on how accessibility compliance actually was going to work, and what benefits it had to your business.

When it comes to measures like this, the intent is not punitive, but rather collaborative. Starting the groundwork now, implementing programs and strategies to improve, and, ultimately, showing good faith in reaching your compliance goals are the first positive steps you can do.

And remember, 100 per cent compliance may be your goal, but it’s nigh-impossible to reach. Logos, decorative images… they’re exempt. But your accessibility scanner will likely flag them as false positives. It’s OK.

Ultimately, having the right partner to help you through what can be an overwhelming process is key.

Blazing Your Pathway to Accessibility

Like any accessible path, the destination can only be reached by taking the first few steps. So what can that look like?

• Get organizational buy-in: your organization can’t be an ostrich here – burying your institution’s collective head in the sand won’t make the issue go away. And while accessibility isn’t rocket science, it does take time. You need leadership support to understand the risks and the costs that remediation will require;
• Audit, or have someone else audit your content: get a baseline on accessibility, have someone help you understand what’s actually an issue and what’s a false flag (see: the aforementioned logos!)
• Prioritize your next steps: what are the biggest issues? Is colour contrast on the website a persistent challenge? Do you have too many PDFs that are inaccessible? Did you WYSIWYG your site to the point where there’s no semantic markup (proper use of header tags?) Is your site riddled with “learn more” or “click here” links instead of providing contextual links? Are your emails actually accessible or are they just images with no alt-text for contextual information? Those are things you can start to fix today;
• Evaluate the need for training: is your team or organization conversant in accessibility? If not, how can you get them up to speed? After all, getting compliant is one thing, but remaining compliant takes ongoing support, knowledge, and buy-in; and
• Develop a plan and live up to your deadlines: remember the good-faith statement above? It may not be feasible for you to be 100 per cent compliant in four months – but if you’ve documented how you’re going to get there in a reasonable amount of time, and have hit the milestones you’ve created, that will definitely be looked upon favourably.

Accessibility Isn’t Just the Web

Though we focus on the web, the reality is that the Title II requirements impact all parts of the organization. This can be the built environment, processes, documentation, and services provided. Understanding how to provide adaptive technologies or inclusive supports is key.

You may want to look at options like publishing a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template. You may also want to look at training – for your writers, designers, web staff, project managers, customer service, and even front-line staff. And you’ll want to ensure your vendors are adhering to these practices.

A commitment to accessibility may require process changes – for example, your communications teams may default to PDFs. Explaining the risks of using those, plus the benefits of HTML-based alternatives (or using the PDF as a secondary source, not the primary) will require organizational change. And that’s not always easy.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help

There’s nothing wrong with calling in backup. There are professionals out there who live and breathe this. We can not only help your organization understand the risks of not being compliant, but we can also help frame the conversation around benefits to the organization. In addition, many of the people with whom we’ve spoken are either one-person teams or part of a small group that is struggling with capacity at the best of times – much less able to address a comprehensive content evaluation.

Your institution may be resistant to spend money for a “small population” if they’re solely looking at people with adaptive technology needs. But beyond the legal requirement, building content accessibly has so many advantages:

• Aligns with best practices in SEO – so your content will rank higher in search engines and be easier to find;
• Aligns with mobile development best practices – so your content will perform better on cell phones and other mobile devices;
• Aligns with AI needs – so those generative AI summaries on Google? They’ll better reflect what you actually do or offer;
• Aligns with universal accessibility – making it easier to read and skim content helps people understand your content, quickly. The reality is, people spend very little time reading on the web, so your multi-page PDF dissertation is not getting read. But well-structured, accessible content? That’s open to a much larger audience consuming your content; and
• Future-proofs your site: instead of embedding accessible tools (BrowseAloud, etc.) building your content upon a foundation of accessibility ensures that no matter what technology people are using, what adaptive technology needs they require, or what their age, background, or language level is, your content will always be ready to be consumed!

At Northern, we offer a variety of services, ranging from our Writing for the Web seminar and accessibility training for developers and designers to strategic guidance that helps you with the tools and processes you need to get – and stay – compliant. And we also offer ongoing support with regular audits and remediation packages.

Your First Steps on an Accessible Path

There will be people who will try to scare you into taking action. Your first steps should be:

• Take a deep breath
• Spend some time learning.

Review the legislation, read content from reputable agencies, and – most importantly – don’t be afraid to reach out and ask. The only dumb question is the one that never gets asked – and we’re here to help!

From there, you can prioritize your needs, secure funding, and confidently move towards a future where your content is more inclusive, performs better, and delivers results.

At Northern, our team is well-versed in digital accessibility and can support your efforts — whether they’re driven by compliance requirements or a commitment to good business practices. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you meet your accessibility goals.