ADA Title II

ADA Title II readiness checklist.

A free self-assessment for state and local governments. 51 plain-language checks across your website, documents, vendor tools, video, apps and policy, measured against WCAG 2.1 Level AA.

Tell us about your project Start the checklist

How to use it

Check what’s true today.

Work through it with whoever runs your website, your documents and your vendor contracts. Anything left unchecked is your to-do list. Nothing you check is saved or sent anywhere, so print the page (Ctrl+P, or Command+P on a Mac) when you want a copy for the file.

Under each item: WCAG numbers are WCAG 2.1 AA success criteria; covered by the rule means the rule names it; good practice goes beyond the rule’s text but makes the rest easier to reach and keep.

Section 01 of 08

Take inventory

You can’t fix what you haven’t found. Start with a list of everything the public uses.

We know our deadline: April 26, 2027 if our total population is 50,000 or more, or April 26, 2028 if it’s under 50,000 or we’re a special district government.Covered by the rule
We have a list of every website, subdomain and web app we offer the public, including the ones a vendor hosts for us.Covered by the rule
We have a list of the third-party tools on our site or linked from it: payments, permits, agendas, meeting video, calendars, forms, maps and job applications.Covered by the rule
We know which documents we’ve posted (PDFs, Word files, slide decks, spreadsheets) and which ones people use to apply for or get a service.Covered by the rule
We have a list of the mobile apps we offer the public and the social media accounts we post from.Covered by the rule
We’ve written down which content we think falls under one of the five exceptions, and why.Good practice
One person is responsible for web accessibility and has the time to do it.Good practice

Section 03 of 08

Documents

PDFs, Word files, slide decks and spreadsheets you post are covered, with two narrow exceptions.

Documents people use to apply for or get a service are accessible, no matter when they were posted.Covered by the rule
New PDFs are tagged and made from real text, not scans, with headings, a logical reading order, alt text, a title and a language set.WCAG 1.1.1, 1.3.1, 1.3.2, 2.4.2, 3.1.1
Tables have marked header rows, and fillable forms have labeled fields.WCAG 1.3.1, 3.3.2
Content we keep under the archive exception was made before our deadline, is kept only for reference, research or recordkeeping, sits in an area clearly marked as archived, and hasn’t changed since.Exception conditions
When someone asks for an accessible version of an individual, password-protected document, such as a bill or a permit for one property, we can provide one promptly.Exception; other ADA duties still apply
Where we can, we publish information as a web page instead of a PDF.Good practice

Section 04 of 08

Third-party tools and vendor contracts

Content you provide through a contract or license is covered, so a tool a vendor runs for you has to meet WCAG 2.1 AA too.

Every tool on our list meets WCAG 2.1 AA, or has a dated plan to: a fix from the vendor or a replacement.Covered by the rule
We’ve asked each vendor for evidence, such as a recent Accessibility Conformance Report (often called a VPAT) or an independent audit.Good practice
We’ve tried each tool’s main tasks ourselves with a keyboard: paying a bill, filing a request, finding an agenda.Good practice
Agendas and meeting packets from our agenda software come out as accessible documents.Covered by the rule
New contracts and renewals require WCAG 2.1 AA and require the vendor to fix problems we report by a set date.Good practice

Section 05 of 08

Audio and video

Recorded meetings, livestreams, explainer videos and podcasts on your site or apps.

Prerecorded videos have accurate captions, not uncorrected automatic ones.WCAG 1.2.2
Live meeting streams on our website or apps have captions.WCAG 1.2.4
Prerecorded audio without video, such as a podcast or a meeting recording, has a transcript.WCAG 1.2.1
When a video shows information the soundtrack doesn’t say, such as on-screen text or charts, it has audio description.WCAG 1.2.5
Media players work with a keyboard and have labeled controls, and nothing plays sound for more than 3 seconds without a way to stop it.WCAG 2.1.1, 4.1.2, 1.4.2

Section 06 of 08

Mobile apps

The rule applies WCAG 2.1 AA to the mobile apps you offer the public, including the ones a vendor builds or runs.

Our apps work with VoiceOver on iPhone and TalkBack on Android, with every button and meaningful image labeled.WCAG 1.1.1, 4.1.2
Text grows with the phone’s text-size setting, and screens work in both portrait and landscape.WCAG 1.4.4, 1.3.4
Contrast, form labels and error messages meet the same WCAG 2.1 AA rules as the website.WCAG 1.4.3, 3.3.1, 3.3.2
Vendor apps, such as parking, 311 or transit apps, are part of our vendor review.Covered by the rule

Section 08 of 08

Policy, people and process

None of these is spelled out in the rule. They are how you get to the deadline, and how you stay accessible after it.

We’ve published an accessibility statement: the standard we aim for, known problems, and how to reach us.Good practice
People can report a problem or ask for another format by phone and email, and someone answers within a set time.Good practice
Staff who post content are trained in alt text, headings, accessible documents and captions.Good practice
Content is checked before it’s published, and each new release of a site or app is tested before launch.Good practice
Our purchasing policy requires WCAG 2.1 AA (or 2.2 AA, which includes it) for any new website, app, software or digital service.Good practice
We have a written plan for what’s left, ranked by how many people each problem stops, with owners, dates and a budget.Good practice
Leadership has seen the plan and knows our deadline.Good practice

This checklist is a plain-language summary, not legal advice, and not a complete list of WCAG 2.1 AA. The rule itself is on ADA.gov. Deadlines, coverage and the five exceptions are explained on our ADA Title II page. Checklist from awesomecause.com/ada-title-ii-checklist.

How we help

Too many boxes left empty?

We audit your site, documents and vendor tools against WCAG 2.1 AA, fix what we find starting with the services people use most, and leave you a plan your staff can keep.

Tell us about your project Read what the rule requires