The deadline is approaching faster than many government agencies realize. By April 24, 2026, state and local governments with populations over 50,000 must comply with the Department of Justice’s updated ADA accessibility requirements for digital services. Smaller governments have until April 26, 2027. For agencies still relying on PDF forms and manual processes, the path forward may seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.

The Compliance Reality: Specific Requirements, Real Consequences

During SimpliGov’s webinar “Meeting Mandates, Serving People: A Stronger Path to Modernization,” Roger Gibson, Director of Government Solutions and former state government employee, outlined what’s at stake. The new DOJ amendments set specific expectations rooted in Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA, covering four critical categories: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.

“These new rules are very specific on the types of accessibility requirements that they’re expecting states and local governments to deliver to our residents, constituents,” Gibson emphasized during the session.

Recent findings from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) 2025 State CIO Survey reveal a troubling gap: while 70% of state CIOs have incorporated accessibility efforts into their directives, 54% lack dedicated funding for IT accessibility services. The financial stakes are significant. Compliance costs could total millions of dollars, and that’s before considering legal exposure.

The risk isn’t theoretical. Citizens can enforce these laws through anti-discrimination protections embedded in civil rights legislation. In states like California, the Unruh Civil Rights Act allows plaintiffs to sue for $4,000 per instance of non-accessibility. A single inaccessible form could trigger multiple violations.

Beyond Federal Law: Language Translation Requirements

Accessibility extends beyond disability accommodations. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires meaningful access for individuals with Limited English Proficiency (LEP). This requirement has expanded significantly in recent years, with states like Illinois, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New York, and New Mexico passing legislation requiring vital documents be translated into the 7-15 most commonly spoken languages in their localities.

These laws typically apply to forms, notices, applications, consent documents, and other process-related materials. They also require agencies to publish language access plans on their websites and designate primary points of contact responsible for administering these services.

“We are seeing these laws really start to propagate throughout the country,” Gibson noted. “We envision this is going to continue.”

What WCAG 2.1 Level AA Actually Means for Your Forms

The four main categories of compliance create specific technical requirements that affect how government agencies design and deliver digital services:

1. Perceivable: Content must use text alternatives for non-text elements, be adaptable to different presentation formats, and be easy for users to see and hear.

2. Operable: Functionality must be accessible from keyboards (not just mice), provide adequate time for users to complete tasks, and support various input methods beyond traditional keyboards.

3. Understandable: Text must be readable and presented clearly, with predictable navigation and input assistance to help users avoid mistakes.

4. Robust: Content must work with a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies like screen readers. This is best achieved through HTML and XML rather than PDFs.

The Strategic Starting Point: Government Forms

When asked how leaders can balance the pressure to meet mandates quickly without overhauling entire IT systems, Gibson’s advice was clear: “Start small, grow into it. Digitizing those initial experiences become extremely valuable.”

The highest-value starting point? Web forms and the PDFs that currently proliferate across government websites. These represent the primary way agencies collect data from residents, and they’re often the first point of contact citizens have with government services.

“By separating that initial user experience from your backend IT systems, we can improve accessibility, improve our reach, make sure our residents have the services they need while separating what could be a very, very timely and expensive modernization effort,” Gibson explained.

This approach allows agencies to deliver accessible, compliant experiences to residents immediately while avoiding costly legacy system overhauls.

How Modern Platforms Address Accessibility by Default

During the webinar, Patrick Rubright, Manager of Solutions Engineering at SimpliGov, demonstrated how purpose-built platforms can address accessibility comprehensively:

• Device-Agnostic Design: Whether someone accesses a form on desktop, tablet, or mobile device, they receive the same seamless experience.
• Multilingual Support: Integration with Google Translate API supports up to 140 languages, translating entire forms including instructions and messages.
• Visual Accessibility: Strong color contrast and clean design ensure text and key elements remain easy to read and distinguish.
• Screen Reader Compatibility: Alternative text for images, clear labels for form controls (checkboxes, menus, radio buttons), and descriptive text for instructions and error messages ensure compatibility with assistive technologies.
• Accessible E-Signatures: Even electronic signature processes maintain ADA compliance throughout.

“SimpliGov makes accessibility and inclusivity a priority, not an afterthought,” Rubright emphasized.

Overcoming Hesitation: The Risk of Doing Nothing

When asked what advice he’d give agency leaders hesitant about modernization due to cost or perceived risk, Gibson acknowledged the challenge: “Join the club, right? That’s always the risk.”

But he was equally clear about the alternative: “The worst thing is doing nothing at all in my opinion.”

The compliance requirements, while requiring attention to detail, are relatively straightforward when approached intentionally from the outset. By digitizing forms and platforms with accessibility built in, agencies gain all the benefits of modernization—better constituent experience, tracking capabilities, reduced errors—while meeting legal mandates.

Gibson noted that volume is often the best indicator of where to start: “If you’ve got a really high volume input point, while it may take some time to get that approved and make sure all your stakeholders are on board with that approach, that’s gonna provide the most bang for the buck out of the box.”

Alternatively, agencies can start internally to build confidence and understanding before tackling resident-facing use cases.

The Bottom Line: Requirements Plus Opportunity

The April 2026 deadline represents both a compliance requirement and an opportunity to fundamentally improve how government serves its residents. As Gibson emphasized, “We should be making our services accessible to our residents. It’s the right thing to do whether or not there’s a real enforcement risk from the federal level.”

The agencies that will succeed are those that recognize accessible, digitized forms aren’t just about avoiding lawsuits. They’re about providing the modern, transparent, seamless digital services that residents expect and deserve.

SaaS platforms provide the foundation to quickly meet these expectations at scale, wrapping accessibility, language translation, and analytics into solutions that help governments move faster, serve constituents better, and reduce risk.

The question isn’t whether to modernize your government forms before April 2026. It’s whether you’ll start now or wait until the deadline forces rushed, incomplete solutions.