Ramapo College of New Jersey Digital Accessibility Policy

Policy pending. Please view Ramapo College’s Accessibility Statement.

The Law: Section 508 and ADA Title II

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 508) mandates that federal agencies ensure their Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is accessible to individuals with disabilities. It applies strictly to federal agencies and their contractors.

Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits disability discrimination in all state and local government activities. This means, all state and local government entities—including departments, agencies, and public schools—are legally obligated to provide individuals with disabilities equal access to their programs and services.

The Standard: WCAG

While Section 508 and the Americans with Disabilities Act are the laws that tell governments they must be accessible, WCAG is the instruction manual the law uses to define exactly how to build those accessible websites and apps. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are created by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), a global non-governmental body.

• Federal Agencies are currently mandated to follow WCAG 2.0 AA under Section 508.
• State & Local Governments must upgrade to WCAG 2.1 AA by April 24, 2026, per the new DOJ ADA Title II Rule.

The DOJ’s 2024 update to ADA Title II introduces specific technical requirements for digital accessibility. Under this rule, public entities must ensure their websites and mobile apps meet the WCAG 2.1 Level AA standard by April 24, 2026 (for populations over 50,000) or April 26, 2027 (for smaller entities and special districts). In short, this update clarifies how these public entities must provide accessible digital content to comply with the law.