Accessibility
A lot of agencies treat accessibility as a checkbox at the end of a project. At HALO 22 it’s a structural decision made early, because we want to get it right.
Have a website that you might be worried about? We audit websites against WCAG 2.1 Level AA, remediate what we find, and can build custom solutions when off-the-shelf tools don’t meet today’s standards.
Accessibility Makes Websites Better for Everyone
Audiobooks started as a library service for low-vision readers. Closed captions were developed for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Curb cuts were built for wheelchair users.
All three are now things everyone uses.
The same pattern holds on the web. Proper heading structure helps screen reader users navigate and search engines index your content. Sufficient color contrast helps low-vision users and anyone reading a phone in bright sunlight. Logical page structure helps everyone understand what they're looking at.
Fixing accessibility issues isn’t a narrow accommodation, It's an improvement to every visitor’s experience.
The graphic above illustrates how to properly structure heading levels. This simple approach is a benefit to your SEO and screen reader users alike.
Three Sets of Rules for Three Groups
Which requirements apply to you depends on what kind of organization you are. All three target the same technical standard: WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
State & Local Government
Under a 2024 Department of Justice rule, state and local government entities must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA. DOJ extended both compliance dates by one year in April 2026.
April 26, 2027 for entities with a total population of 50,000 or more.
April 26, 2028 for smaller entities and special district governments.
Organizations Receiving HHS Funding
A separate rule under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act applies to any organization receiving federal financial assistance from Health and Human Services, directly or indirectly. That reaches well past hospitals: community health centers, clinics, and a wide range of nonprofits are covered. HHS extended its dates by one year in May 2026.
May 11, 2027 for recipients with 15 or more employees.
May 10, 2028 for recipients with fewer than 15.
Note the threshold here is employee count, not population. If both rules apply to you, you’re working against two different clocks.
Nonprofits & Private Organizations
Title III of the ADA carries no hard deadline. But there is rising litigation exposure. In those cases, courts have consistently apply WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the benchmark.
No deadline doesn’t mean no obligation.
Start with an Audit
You can't plan remediation without knowing what's broken. Our Web Accessibility Audit combines automated scanning across every page with manual review by people who have worked across a wide range of sites and platforms.
You get a findings report with every issue categorized by severity and mapped to the specific WCAG criterion it fails, an Accessibility Impact score for the site overall, and a plain-language summary for non-technical stakeholders.
Audits start at $750. Learn more and request one.
Fixing what the Audit Finds
We can’t price remediation until we know what we’re looking at.
A site with contrast failures and missing alt text is a different lift than one with a broken heading hierarchy and unlabeled forms throughout.
What the audit gets you is a plan: Which issues to address first, which are structural and which are cosmetic, and how to fix them on your platform you. HALO 22 works across Squarespace, WordPress, Drupal, and custom builds—the right approach can vary on each.
Remediation follows from findings. If you already know what needs fixing, we can start there instead. Let’s talk about fixing things.
When Off-the-Shelf Tools Fail
Some accessibility problems don't have a plugin solution. Location finders are a common one: Most "find a location near you" tools are map-first JavaScript widgets, and they fail audits consistently. Screen readers can't parse them. Keyboard navigation breaks. The information is there, but not everyone can get to it.
We build these the other way around. A list is the accessible content, with the map as a supplement rather than the main event. Everyone gets the same information, and the page passes review.
We built our first for Durham PreK, and we're adapting the approach for other organizations. These are custom engagements, scoped to your needs. Think you have an issue like this? Reach out to the HALO 22 team to get started.
Let’s Talk
Not sure where to start? We can help you figure out which requirements apply and what to do first.