Privacy & Accessibility
Web Accessibility and Inclusive Design: A Practical Guide
ADA Title II and Section 504 compliance for publicly funded organizations
If you’re a public entity, or receive funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, federal rules now require your website to meet WCAG 2.1 AA. We bring WordPress websites into ADA Title II and Section 504 compliance – auditing, fixing or rebuilding, documenting the work and keeping it accessible – for public agencies, universities, school districts, health centers and grant-funded nonprofits.
🗓️ Deadlines start in 2027 – we audit, fix and document your site to WCAG 2.1 AA well before yours.
🤝 Real people, flexible support, expert work – no chatbots, no phone trees, no waiting in line.
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TESTIMONIALS
Precision and accountability, in our clients' words
Hey Reliable helps publicly funded organizations meet ADA Title II and Section 504 website requirements: WCAG 2.1 AA audits, remediation and accessible WordPress builds for public agencies, public universities, school districts, health centers and grant-funded nonprofits, with documentation and ongoing support. See what clients say in our client reviews.
FEATURES
What our accessibility compliance work covers
Accessibility rules tied to public status and federal funding, limited staff time, procurement steps and board oversight – publicly funded teams need a partner that meets the standard, documents the work and stays within budget.
WCAG 2.1 AA audits
Automated and manual testing of your site, with a prioritized list of what to fix.
Fixes on your existing site
We fix templates, components and forms instead of starting over when you don't need to.
Accessible rebuilds when it's time
New WordPress sites built and tested to WCAG 2.1 AA from day one.
Documentation you can keep on file
Audit reports, an accessibility statement and a record of what we fixed and when.
Clear, responsive communication
You'll always know who to talk to – and get answers fast.
Clear scopes and fixed prices
Detailed proposals that fit procurement and budget cycles.
Staff-friendly editing
Custom components that make it easier for staff to publish accessible content.
Ongoing support
Maintenance plans and prepaid hours to keep your site accessible as content and plugins change.
Why publicly funded organizations choose us
A compliance partner for websites that serve the public
Accessibility expertise, predictable delivery and well-documented work make it easier for publicly funded teams to meet requirements and keep essential information available to everyone.
Who ADA Title II and Section 504 apply to
ADA Title II covers state and local government: agencies, cities and counties, public universities and community colleges, school districts, and transit, housing and hospital authorities. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Section 504 rule covers organizations that receive HHS funding, including health centers, hospitals and many nonprofits.
For both ADA Title II compliance and Section 504, the standard is the same: WCAG 2.1 Level AA for websites and mobile apps. After one-year extensions in 2026, deadlines start in spring 2027 for larger organizations and spring 2028 for smaller ones. Complaints and lawsuits don’t wait for the deadline.
Audit: see where you stand
We test your site with automated tools and manual checks – keyboard navigation, screen readers, color contrast, forms, documents and media – against WCAG 2.1 AA.
You get a clear report with each issue explained and prioritized by impact, plus a fixed-price proposal to fix it. Most organizations don’t need a new website; they need the right fixes in the right order. More about our accessibility audits.
Remediation: fix your existing site or rebuild it right
We fix the templates and components behind the problems, so issues stay fixed across every page – not one page at a time. Every change goes through our four-stage QA process, reviewed by the original developer, a dedicated QA tester, a designer and a senior developer, before it goes live.
If your current site can’t reasonably meet the standard, we rebuild it in WordPress with accessibility built in from the start, with custom components that help staff publish accessible content.
Documentation for your records
We document what we tested, what we fixed and when, and help you publish an accessibility statement with a clear way for visitors to report problems.
That gives your leadership, board or funders a clear record of the work you’ve done toward compliance.
Accessible after launch
Accessibility isn’t a one-time fix: new pages, PDFs, plugins and staff changes can introduce new issues. Our WordPress maintenance plans and prepaid hours keep your site updated, secure and accessible.
We also provide white-label accessibility and development work for firms that serve public sector and nonprofit clients.
Client Experience
Careful work from audit to launch
From government website development to higher education web development, public and nonprofit organizations rely on our team for steady execution, careful QA, and a partner who is still there after launch.
We have been working with Hey Reliable for many years on many different projects. The collaboration has been phenomenal, and we are extremely happy with the level of quality and expertise they bring to every website. They are experienced and highly competent. Truly a reliable design to code team.
I have nothing but wonderful things to say about working with the Hey Reliable team and will hands down continue to work with them on future projects. They are exceptional communicators, on-time with deliveries and extremely organized! They developed a custom WordPress website for my business that our customers love. The team is friendly and engaging. Though we’ve never met in person, I feel like I know my project managers/developers as if they were friends. You won’t regret hiring Hey Reliable for your next web project.
Reliable is a great team of people who were just awesome to work with. If you’re looking for outstanding customer service, these guys have it! They’re incredibly organized, capable, responsive and super friendly. They took the time to thoroughly answer all of my many questions which was much appreciated. They were very patient and worked hard to make everything just perfect. Turn-around times were quick and in the end we were super happy with the result! We look forward to working with them again. 🙂
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Title II and Section 504
Direct answers to the questions publicly funded organizations ask about website accessibility rules. More details are on our FAQ page.
ADA Title II applies to state and local government entities, including agencies, cities, counties, public colleges and universities, public school districts, and public transit, housing and hospital authorities. If your organization is one of these, your website and mobile apps need to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
Private nonprofits aren’t covered by Title II, but they may be covered by Section 504 if they receive federal funding.
If your organization receives funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – for example, as a health center, hospital or grant-funded nonprofit – HHS’s 2024 Section 504 rule requires your website and mobile apps to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
Other federal agencies have their own Section 504 rules, so check with your funder or legal counsel if your funding comes from elsewhere.
Both deadlines were extended by one year in 2026. Under ADA Title II, public entities serving 50,000 people or more must comply by April 26, 2027, and smaller entities and special districts by April 26, 2028. Under HHS’s Section 504 rule, recipients with 15 or more employees must comply by May 11, 2027, and smaller recipients about a year later.
The obligation to be accessible already exists, and complaints don’t wait for the deadline, so starting early is the safest approach.
Usually not. Most accessibility issues come from templates, components, forms and documents that can be fixed on your current site.
An audit shows what’s needed. We only recommend a rebuild when fixing the existing site would cost more than starting fresh.
No. Overlays and accessibility toolbars don’t fix the underlying code, and many organizations that rely on them still face complaints and lawsuits. Compliance comes from fixing the website itself, which is what we do.
Yes. We provide detailed, fixed-price proposals with clear scopes and deliverables, and the documentation your procurement team needs to compare vendors.
Accessibility isn’t a one-time task. Websites should be reviewed regularly, especially after design updates, new features, or content changes.
For many organizations, we recommend periodic accessibility audits to help ensure ongoing alignment with WCAG standards as websites evolve.
FROM THE BLOG
Reading on accessible websites
Articles on accessibility, security, privacy, and keeping public websites stable and easy for staff to maintain.
Get your website ready before the deadline
Tell us about your website, your organization and your deadline. Within one business day we’ll send a fixed-price proposal for your ADA Title II compliance work – an accessibility audit, fixes or a rebuild.
Get Started- WCAG 2.1 AA Accessibility
- Documented Compliance
- Fixed-Price Proposals
