Accessibility Laws, Policies, and Guidelines

This page provides information on the relevant laws, policies, and standards that govern accessible practice at Penn State.

Penn State Policy

Penn State Policy AD-69 (Accessibility of Penn State Web Pages) was created in August 2011 to identify the accessibility accommodations that Penn State websites must include. The policy states that all web pages published or hosted by the University must comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, or the most current version.

 

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Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Links to an external site. define accessible practice globally. They are constantly being updated; the current version is 2.2.

The Guidelines are organized into three standards levels:

• Level A involves the most basic web accessibility features.
• Level AA deals with the biggest and most common barriers for disabled users.
• Level AAA is the highest (and most complex) level of web accessibility.

Penn State's policy meets the A and AA standards.

The standards and practices found in WCAG are organized around four website principles:

• perceivable: Ensure that all content can be seen or heard by users, including those using assistive technologies.
• operable: Ensure that users can navigate and engage with the website using various tools, not just a mouse.
• understandable: Use clear language and intuitive design so users can easily understand and use the site.
• robust: Ensure that the website works well across different devices, browsers, and operating systems.

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The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)

In April 2024, a new Department of Justice ruling expanded Title II of the ADA to cover websites and mobile apps developed or purchased by organizations receiving federal funds—which includes Penn State. We have until April 2026 to change our workflows and ensure that all of our content is compliant, whether it's public or password-protected, developed in house or purchased, or required or optional.

Watch the following short video to learn more about the ADA.

 

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Other Relevant Laws

Expand this section to learn more about accessibility laws and policies.

Table 1. Accessibility Laws and Policies

Year	Law	Description
1973	Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act	This civil rights law was designed to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability. It requires federally funded programs to be accessible for qualified students with disabilities.
1990	Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)	This civil rights law was designed to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, state and local government services, public accommodations, commercial facilities, and transportation. It also mandated the establishment of TDD/telephone relay services.
1998	Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act	This act requires that information and communication technology (ICT) be as accessible and usable to people with disabilities as it is to those without disabilities.
2008	ADA Amendments Act	The amendments updated the ADA in order to clarify the definition of disability.
2010	21st-Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act	Among other purposes, this act was meant to "increase the access of persons with disabilities to modern communications."
2011	Penn State Policy AD-69	According to this policy, "The Pennsylvania State University is committed to ensuring equal access to information, programs, and activities through its information technologies, web pages, web-based applications, operating system–based applications, online instructional content, services, and resources ('electronic information technology' or EIT) for all its constituencies. This policy establishes standards for the accessibility of EIT considered necessary to meet this goal and ensure compliance with applicable local, state, and federal regulations and laws."
2024	Department of Justice Ruling expanding Title II of the ADA	On April 24, 2024, the DOJ issued a ruling expanding Title II of the ADA to include websites and mobile apps, giving institutions receiving government funds two years to bring everything into compliance.

 

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References

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