Creating a more accessible court experience for all
May 7, 2025 -- A new resource is now available to support courts in upholding state and federal law and applying Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which applies to all state and local government entities, including courts.
Serving People with Disabilities and Title II of the ADA: A Toolkit for Courts helps courts address aspects of the law that apply to court services, covering areas from physical access to digital accessibility.
“Making courts accessible for people with disabilities improves the system for all users,” said Grace Spulak, an NCSC principal court management consultant and lead author of the toolkit. “Thinking about the needs of court users with disabilities leads to process simplification, clearer communication, and better navigation for everyone. It’s a win-win!”
Toolkit highlights
Courts can serve people with disabilities by developing accessible resources, services, buildings, or documents, and by creating accommodations or modifications to existing ones to meet individual needs.
The toolkit details essential aspects of serving people with disabilities, including:
- Establishing relationships with the disability community
- Ensuring effective communication
- Addressing document and web accessibility
- Considering building and facility accessibility
- Understanding the use of service animals
- Addressing the use of mobility devices
Digital accessibility deadline
The toolkit addresses a critical aspect of accessibility: web and electronic document accessibility. Many court websites include PDFs that lack proper screen reader tagging, images without descriptive text, and navigation that is not keyboard or assistive technology friendly. The CDC reports that roughly 1 in 4 U.S. adults have a disability, including hearing, vision, mobility, and cognition impairments.
A recent Department of Justice rule sets technical requirements for web accessibility and mandates that all state and local government websites—including courts—achieve Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA conformance by:
- April 2026 for jurisdictions with populations over 50,000
- April 2027 for jurisdictions under 50,000
Additional NCSC resources
To help courts meet these requirements, NCSC has developed Accessible Documents and Web Content for Courts: A Short Introduction. This useful guide identifies common accessibility problems in court documents and web content and lists tools to help remediate accessibility issues.
To further support courts in creating accessible environments, NCSC is hosting a webinar, Courts and Accommodations for Users with Disabilities, on May 20 at 3 p.m. ET. This session will explore how courts can handle accommodation requests and provide guidance on best practices for making informed decisions that enhance accessibility.
For more information on access to justice and to access the toolkit and other accessibility resources, visit our website at ncsc.org/accessibility.