New ADA Rules Explained

On April 24, 2024, the Federal Register published the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) final rule on Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability.

The new Subpart H adds specific requirements for state and local governments— which includes 85% of all American libraries — to ensure that their web content and mobile applications are accessible to and usable by people with disabilities.

First Read

This Department of Justice fact sheet and guide are a great place to start for understanding the new rules. Our sites build on these primers.

• Fact sheet: New Rule on the Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps Provided by State and Local Governments
• Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps Provided by State and Local Government Entities: A Small Entity Compliance Guide

Inside

• The New Rule Basics
• ADA Title II Exceptions Versus Patron Needs
• Applying the Rule to Library Content
• Licensing as a Tool
• Next Steps and Resources

This guide was developed from a similar guide created by the Association of Research Libraries. ALA and ARL are grateful to those who have shared their expertise for this guide, especially:

Edited version for ala.org/accessibility

• Amy Drayer, User Interface Developer, University of Minnesota
• Katherine Klosek, Director of Information Policy and Federal Relations, ARL
• Dr. Victoria Van Hyning, Assistant Professor of Library Innovation, University of Maryland, College of Information.
• D Krahmer, Diversity and Inclusion Research Librarian, Cornell University
• Jerry Yarnetsky, web services librarian, Miami University of Ohio
• Brittni Ballard, Learning Technologies Librarian, Towson University
• Rob Carr, Strategic Accessibility Coordinator, WebAIM, Utah State University

Original ARL version

• Jonathan Band, ARL Copyright Counsel
• John Burger, Executive Director, Association of Southeastern Research Libraries
• Brandon Butler, Executive Director of the Re:Create Coalition
• Hana Levay, Collection Assessment Librarian, University of Washington
• Liz Lorang, BTAA liaison to Library Accessibility Alliance
• Sarah Malaier, Senior Advisor, Public Policy and Research, American Foundation for the Blind
• Blake Reid, Associate Professor of Law, Faculty Director, Silicon Flatirons Center, Colorado Law
• Rachael Samberg, Director, Scholarly Communication & Information Policy at University of California, Berkeley
• Nancy Sims, Director of Copyright and Scholarly Communication at University of Minnesota Libraries
• Claire Stanley, Director of Advocacy and Government Affairs, American Council of the Blind
• Samantha Teremi, Licensing Librarian, University of California, Berkeley

Image credit: First page of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, dated July 26, 1990. From the Records of the White House Office of Counsel to the President (George H. W. Bush Administration) (National Archives Identifier 6037488). Public Domain image.