Independent Audit: All 28 Illinois Municipal Websites Surveyed Fail Accessibility Standards Ahead of Federal Deadline
Chicago digital accessibility consultant Erica Dreisbach released an independent audit on October 23 finding that all 28 Illinois municipal websites reviewed fail to meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards, including those of Evanston, Naperville, Joliet and Springfield.
Under the Justice Department's updated ADA Title II rule, municipalities with populations over 50,000 must reach full WCAG 2.1 AA conformance by April 26, 2027, while smaller municipalities have until April 26, 2028. Dreisbach holds dual certification as a Department of Homeland Security Section 508 Trusted Tester and through the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (CPACC). She said that even though most sites use overlay accessibility widgets and promise ongoing testing, screen-reader and assistive-technology users still face meaningful barriers.
Common problems include insufficient contrast, key functions such as navigation that cannot be operated by keyboard, and document libraries full of inaccessible PDFs. Dreisbach said city websites are critical civic infrastructure used to access public meetings, register to vote, pay parking tickets and contact elected representatives, and that digital accessibility is not just a legal requirement but fundamental to a sustained democracy.
Source: GSM·America
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：斯普林菲尔德伊利诺伊州议会大厦全景。摄影：Daniel Schwen，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: a panoramic view of the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, by Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
