Officials Say Content May be Removed From Government Websites to Satisfy Federal Accessibility Rule

(Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) – Deadlines are nearing for North Dakota government agencies to bring their websites and mobile apps into compliance with new federal accessibility standards. But some officials say content may need to be removed rather than updated.

In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a new rule requiring state and local governments’ websites and apps to comply with accessibility standards under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Updates could include making content compatible with a screen reader for people with a visual impairment or adding subtitles to videos for people who are hard of hearing.

Governments with a population over 50,000 face an April 24 deadline while smaller governments have until April 2027 to finish necessary updates. If governments don’t meet these deadlines, they could be taken to court.