📋 Michigan Web Accessibility Requirements
Michigan government websites must comply with WCAG 2.1 Level AA under both federal law (ADA Title II) and state law: Michigan Digital Accessibility Standards.
The U.S. Department of Justice finalized rules requiring all state and local government websites to meet WCAG 2.1 AA by April 24, 2026. Michigan agencies that fail to comply face:
- DOJ enforcement actions and civil rights investigations
- Private ADA lawsuits from users with disabilities
- Loss of federal funding and grants
- Reputational damage and public accountability
✅ WCAG 2.1 AA Compliance Checklist for Michigan
| Category | Requirement | WCAG Criterion |
|---|---|---|
| Text | Color contrast ≥ 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text | 1.4.3 |
| Images | All images have descriptive alt text | 1.1.1 |
| Forms | Every form field has a visible label | 1.3.1 |
| Links | Links have descriptive, unique text | 2.4.4 |
| Keyboard | All interactive elements operable by keyboard | 2.1.1 |
| Focus | Visible focus indicator on all focusable elements | 2.4.7 |
| Language | HTML lang attribute set correctly | 3.1.1 |
| Structure | Proper heading hierarchy (h1–h6) | 1.3.1 |
| Navigation | Skip navigation link as first element | 2.4.1 |
| Captions | All video content has accurate captions | 1.2.2 |
| Zoom | Page does not block browser zoom to 200% | 1.4.4 |
| ARIA | ARIA roles and attributes are valid and correctly used | 4.1.2 |
| Page Title | Each page has a unique, descriptive title | 2.4.2 |
| Landmarks | Page uses header, nav, main, footer landmarks | 1.3.6 |
| Tables | Data tables have proper headers and captions | 1.3.1 |
🔍 How to Audit Your Michigan Website
Step 1: Automated Scan
Run a free scan with Accessalyze — enter your URL and get a full WCAG 2.1 AA violation report in under 30 seconds. Powered by axe-core, the industry-standard accessibility engine.
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Each violation comes with AI-generated, copy-paste-ready HTML/CSS/ARIA fix code. No accessibility consultant needed — give the report directly to your dev team.
Step 3: Manual Testing
Automated tools catch ~40% of WCAG violations. Also test with a screen reader (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver) and keyboard-only navigation to catch remaining issues.
Step 4: Monitor Continuously
Accessibility regressions are common after CMS updates. Pro subscribers get weekly automated scans with email alerts when new violations are detected.
📅 Michigan ADA Compliance Timeline
- April 24, 2026: Federal ADA Title II WCAG 2.1 AA deadline for all state and local government websites
- 60 days after deadline: DOJ begins accepting formal complaints from users who encounter barriers
- Ongoing: Annual re-audits recommended as content and technology changes introduce new violations
State law: Michigan Digital Accessibility Standards may impose additional requirements or earlier deadlines for specific agencies. Check with your state's IT accessibility office.
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