Is Your Website Still WCAG 2.1 Compliant?

What Most Businesses Miss About Modern Accessibility Standards

Your website might look modern.
It might load quickly.
It might even have passed an accessibility check when it launched.

But accessibility standards do not stand still.

WCAG standards had a substantial update in 2023 when WCAG 2.2 was released. Then, in 2024, the Department of Justice finalized a major ADA web accessibility rule for state and local governments, and in April 2026 it extended those compliance dates by one year.

That matters because it signals something many businesses have already been feeling: accessibility expectations are becoming more defined, more visible, and more difficult to ignore.

At the same time, it is important to understand what actually changed. The DOJ’s new rule applies specifically to state and local governments under Title II of the ADA. Businesses open to the public still do not have a separate DOJ regulation that lays out a single detailed technical website standard under Title III in the same way. But that does not mean accessibility no longer matters for businesses. It means the legal framework is still broader, while the expectation for accessible digital experiences continues to rise.

And if your site has not been reviewed in the last several years, there is a real possibility it no longer reflects current accessibility expectations — even if it once did.

What Is WCAG — and Why It Matters

WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These guidelines define the most widely recognized technical standard for web accessibility.

Many laws, policies, and procurement standards reference WCAG as the benchmark for accessibility. The DOJ’s 2024 Title II rule, for example, adopts WCAG 2.1 Level AA for covered state and local government web content and mobile apps, as outlined in the DOJ’s web rule summary.

But beyond regulation, WCAG exists to ensure websites are usable for people with disabilities.

WCAG 2.1 expanded on earlier versions to better support users with:

• Low vision
• Limited mobility
• Cognitive or memory-related challenges
• Users relying on assistive technologies
• Users accessing websites on mobile devices

This is not just about compliance. It is about whether your website actually works for everyone trying to use it.

What Changed Recently?

There are really two changes businesses should understand.

First, WCAG 2.2 added new success criteria in 2023. That means websites that were reviewed against older standards may still miss newer accessibility expectations around things like visible focus, target size, consistent help, and dragging alternatives.

Second, DOJ’s 2024 ADA rule made web and mobile accessibility much more explicit for public entities by requiring compliance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Then the April 2026 update pushed those compliance deadlines back by one year, with larger public entities now generally facing an April 26, 2027 deadline and smaller public entities and special district governments facing April 26, 2028.

For private businesses, the message is not that a brand-new federal technical rule suddenly applies to every commercial website. The message is that accessibility is moving further into the center of how digital compliance is evaluated, especially for organizations that work with public-sector clients or want to reduce risk and improve usability.

What Changed in WCAG 2.1 — and Why Older Websites Still Miss It

WCAG 2.1 introduced success criteria that many older websites were never built to satisfy.

Here are three that frequently surface during accessibility audits.

1. Form Fields Must Be Programmatically Identifiable

(WCAG 2.1 – Success Criterion 1.3.5: Identify Input Purpose)

Forms must communicate the purpose of each input field in the underlying code — not just visually.

This allows browsers and assistive technologies to:

• Recognize the type of information being requested
• Offer contextual assistance
• Support autofill functionality

This especially benefits users with motor impairments, cognitive challenges, or memory limitations.

Many older sites label forms correctly on the screen but fail to include the structured code that assistive technologies depend on.

It works for sighted users — but not for everyone.

2. Interactive Elements Must Have Adequate Contrast

(WCAG 2.1 – Success Criterion 1.4.11: Non-Text Contrast)

Accessibility is no longer limited to text contrast.

Buttons, form fields, icons, focus indicators, and other interface components must maintain enough contrast to remain perceivable. Design trends that favor subtle palettes often unintentionally create barriers here.

When interactive elements are difficult to perceive, usability breaks down — even if the design looks refined.

3. Content Must Reflow Properly When Zoomed

(WCAG 2.1 – Success Criterion 1.4.10: Reflow)

Many users with low vision zoom into websites to enlarge text.

Under WCAG 2.1, when content is enlarged, it should:

• Avoid unnecessary horizontal scrolling
• Prevent overlapping elements
• Maintain a readable structure

If users have to scroll sideways just to read content, the experience starts to fail.

This remains one of the most common accessibility issues on websites built several years ago.

What WCAG 2.2 Added

While WCAG 2.1 is still the formal standard referenced in the DOJ’s Title II web rule, WCAG 2.2 builds on 2.1 and introduces additional requirements that reflect more current usability expectations.

Some of the areas that received more attention in WCAG 2.2 include:

• Clearer and more visible keyboard focus
• Focus indicators that are not hidden or obscured
• Larger target sizes for interactive elements
• Alternatives to dragging motions
• More consistent access to help mechanisms

That means a website can be aligned with older expectations and still miss things that a more current review would catch.

The Most Common Accessibility Failures Today

Even professionally designed websites often fall short in predictable areas.

Low Text Contrast

WCAG requires sufficient contrast for text to remain readable for users with low vision and many other users navigating in less-than-ideal conditions.

Modern design aesthetics frequently drift below those thresholds.

The result is not subtle — it limits readability and reduces clarity for everyone.

Missing or Inadequate Alt Text

(WCAG 2.1 – Success Criterion 1.1.1: Non-text Content)

Screen readers rely on alt text to describe images to blind users.

If alt text is missing, vague, or auto-generated, assistive technologies often provide little meaningful information.

Alt text should describe what the image communicates, not merely what it visually depicts.

Missing Captions for Informational Video

(WCAG 2.1 – Success Criterion 1.2.x: Time-Based Media)

If a video conveys meaningful information — instructions, testimonials, educational material, or demonstrations — captions or transcripts are required.

Decorative background video does not require captions. Informational content does.

This requirement is widely known — and still frequently overlooked.

Do Accessibility Plugins Make You WCAG-Compliant?

Accessibility overlays and plugins can offer helpful user controls such as:

• Font size adjustments
• Contrast toggles
• Interface accessibility options

However, they do not:

• Fix structural coding issues
• Correct insufficient contrast ratios
• Add meaningful alt text
• Repair form field identification
• Resolve layout failures during zoom
• Replace the underlying HTML structure

Plugins can assist. They do not replace comprehensive accessibility implementation.

Accessibility is not a feature you activate. It is a system you build intentionally.

Accessibility Is Not Static

WCAG evolves because technology evolves.

Devices change.
Assistive tools improve.
User behavior shifts.
Standards continue to move forward.

A website that met WCAG 2.0 standards may not satisfy WCAG 2.1 expectations today. A website that was reviewed several years ago may also miss issues now emphasized in WCAG 2.2.

And for organizations serving government clients, DOJ’s implementation guidance makes it even clearer that public-sector web accessibility is no longer just a vague best practice. It is becoming a more concrete compliance obligation.

Accessibility is not a one-time checkbox.

It is an ongoing alignment with current standards, current technology, and real-world usability.

How We Approach Accessibility at Catapult Creative

At Catapult Creative, accessibility is integrated into the design and development process from the start.

That includes:

• Intentional design systems
• Semantic code structure
• Contrast testing
• Assistive technology compatibility checks
• Periodic review against updated WCAG standards

Recently, while updating the Darke County DD website to meet current accessibility expectations, we worked through a detailed checklist of requirements that many older websites simply were not built to handle.

Accessibility failures are rarely about negligence.

They are about standards moving forward faster than websites are reviewed.

The Real Question

If your website has not been evaluated against current standards in the last several years, it may no longer reflect modern accessibility expectations.

Accessibility is not just about compliance.

It is about clarity, usability, and inclusion.

A website can look modern and still quietly exclude users.

If you are unsure where your website stands, we are here to help you review it thoughtfully — and improve it the right way.

ADA FAQ

1. What is the most important recent ADA website compliance change?
   The biggest recent change is DOJ’s 2024 Title II web accessibility rule, which requires state and local governments to make web content and mobile apps accessible using WCAG 2.1 Level AA. In April 2026, DOJ extended the compliance dates by one year.
2. Does that new ADA rule apply to private businesses?
   Not in the same direct way. DOJ’s own guidance says it does not have a regulation setting out detailed web accessibility standards for businesses open to the public under Title III. But businesses still need to provide accessible digital experiences under the ADA.
3. Should websites still pay attention to WCAG 2.2 even though the DOJ rule references WCAG 2.1?
   Yes. WCAG 2.2 reflects newer accessibility expectations and adds additional success criteria, so it remains highly relevant for modern website reviews and redesigns.
4. Do accessibility plugins or overlays make a website compliant?
   No. Overlays and plugins may offer useful tools, but they do not fix the underlying code, content, structure, or usability problems that create accessibility barriers.
5. How often should a website be reviewed for accessibility?
   Websites should be reviewed after major updates and periodically over time, especially as standards evolve. A website that passed a review years ago may no longer meet current expectations.