Ep 13, S3 - ADA Title II Deadline Extended: What Government Video Teams Need to Know

Michelle - Intro: This podcast is for city communications teams and video professionals in government. We talk about expanding service delivery with video and streaming, media accessibility, gear, broadcast and streaming workflows and more. It's all right here on the Government Video Podcast. Michelle: Hey guys, welcome back to the "Government Video Podcast". I'm Michelle Alimoradi, and I'm here today with Dana Healy. Today we're gonna talk about something that kind of shook up the timeline on a lot of folks' compliance work this year, which is the adjustments of the compliance deadline that happened from the Department of Justice back in April. So the original ADA Title II deadline that was moved. We're gonna talk a little bit about that today for those folks that are still kind of getting up to speed. Answer some questions about what changed, what didn't, and how that looks for the work that you need to be doing leading up to now April 2027 for a lot of folks, or April 2028 for some smaller entities. But before we get into that, it's been a while since Dana and I have, been here on the podcast together, so just wanna get caught up. Dana, you've been up to a lot in the last few months. And I just wanna tell people, you know, we, we do these podcasts actually pretty far in advance. I like to tell people it's 'cause we're like just really that organized, you know? But a lot of times it's actually just because, you know, we're really busy and so we do a lot of these, when we're not out traveling and doing all this other stuff around the country. And then we come back and we do a lot more when we have that time and space again. So this, this change that we were talking about happened back in April. As we're recording this, it's July. And so obviously we wanted to touch on this 'cause it's a, it's a big deal for our listeners. But we also just wanna like catch people up on, on what's been going on since April. You've been out doing a lot. Dana: Yeah. Well, besides, you know, it being summer and beautiful and in Minnesota because it's, it beautiful summers over here, speaking a lot, espe- especially around the ADA Title II deadline for WCAG 2.1 AA. Talked at MACTA pretty recently in Minnesota, talked at Alliance for Community Media about this subject as well. Also planning on in September to talk at NATOA, and this week, our first time working with the government social media group that is one of the largest, groups related to social media and best practices for government, and they're really interested about learning video accessibility. So having an opportunity to talk to, to those folks this week as well. It's still on people's mind. Like, so we ha- have experienced the deadline pushback, right? The rule isn't softened, it's just giving people a little more time to get their ducks in order, and people are really thinking about the workflows, which is why we're seeing an influx of, us being able to continue to answer people's questions and to go to these speaking events and provide clarity for folks. Michelle: yeah. And I think a really cool thing that you got to do this year, Dana, is, also get to do some education with the integrators that a lot of our customers are working with to actually implement some of these solutions. So folks are out there working with system designers, AV integrators. we're out there making sure that they're up to speed on this work as well. And it was really cool that you were selected, out of, I, I don't know how many people, apply to present at InfoComm, you know, one of the leading AV conventions in the US. And, it was really cool to see that a, a major platform like that was making a statement that this accessibility work is a priority and making space in their session content this year to accommodate education for integrators about this stuff as well. So congratulations on that. Dana: Thanks. I mean, that was definitely a group effort, right? But it, it was a fabulous opportunity to be able to bring that information to folks that are trying to solve, people's problems, like around, government. So the video accessibility conversation is, I mean, it starts at the microphone, it ends all the way down at the, the end of the compliance chain, which is out to the video, and there's a lot of pieces in between, and that was the nature of the conversation. And having that with so many folks that came to that, that presentation was awesome Michelle: Yeah. And, you know, we talk about this, it's a recurring theme on this podcast, you know, this, this work isn't falling on just one person, right? There's always many stakeholders. There's a whole team of people that have to collaborate to bring these accessible workflows into practice. And so it's cool to be able to bring that education not only to these daily users, practitioners, but also the people that are helping set up these systems so you're setting up your team for success from right out the gate. So so yeah, you've been, you've been super busy. And, and you're right, it, it's summer, it's been beautiful. We're actually recording this as one of our first episodes coming back from a little summer break, so we all had some time to get some, some R&R in. And one of the first things we wanted to tackle was, you know, making up a little bit of our, our topic debt, I guess we'll call it, to make sure that we cover this deadline extension, as we've been so closely covering the, the timeline of these new, DOJ rules that are coming out and the enforcement that deadline that's now been shifted. So, um, so catch us up on the, on the basics of this, Dana. Where, where were we, you know, at, in January of 2026 and, and where are we now? Dana: Well, in, in January 2026, a lot of folks were beginning to panic. So when you have the impending deadline, which was in April 2026, we were seeing an influx of, "What do I do? Who do I talk to? What are the pieces that I need to get ready?" And there was some drastic holes in people's workflow and process, just having the right people on the team. So like, who do-- who's in charge of this? There was a lot of those conversations. And it, it was very clear that the… Well, one, it was deemed that the technology was not quite there yet for people to automate everything, which was a big, uh, propo- big piece of why it got backed up a little bit. And, and the thought was that there's a lot of people working towards this, but they're just not going to be ready. So what if we just give them a little more time? But I-- Michelle, I think a big piece of it, though, is the rule and the deadline, it, it's not like it, it got softened. It's not like the parameters were stepped down. Everything still remains the same. The foundation of the purpose of the rule, the purpose of the, the specs and providing equal access and accessibility of the, this content on your website, it's just giving people a little more time. So, and now we have a little more time. So Michelle, what are you seeing since this deadline did get extended? What has happened? Michelle: Well, so first of all, just to, to piggyback off of what you were saying about, you know, some of the technology felt like it was not quite there, or at least people didn't even have the time to do the research about the technology. Some people were still just educating themselves about the specs themselves, and what was in scope. And so in addition to, you know, folks really… It, it took a while for everyone to understand that they were being regulated under these rules, what the scope was, and then try to figure out, okay, what are the tools that are gonna get us there? This-- The funny part about this was the timing, right? Like, so January 1st, the deadline for entities, serving populations of 50,000 or more was April, was it 24th? Yeah, April 24th, 2026. And on April 20th, I think, um, Dana: We were, we were at, we were at NAB when we heard the announcement. So NAB is one of our biggest trade shows that we're involved with. So we're telling Michelle: Which happened to coincide with this deadline, actually, the original Dana: think of that, that, I mean, that's a lot already. But we're telling people in real time about the deadline being pushed back at that event. Sorry, Michelle, go ahead Michelle: No, it's-- Yeah. So I'm, I'm on a call actually consulting with some people, you know, helping them figure out their workflow, again, days before this deadline when I start getting these messages coming in that it had been moved, like literally in the middle of a conversation about this with someone. So I just wanna say how, you know, that was a big shocker, and I think, worth talking about because I think some people were just really like panic slamming stuff in at that point. Then all of a sudden they hear they have a year to go and like I think different people reacted to that in different ways. Some people were like, "Oh, okay. We're just really throwing this on the back burner again now." And some people are continuing to, to chip away at that progress. But so the things that if we get into the nitty-gritty of, why this was pushed out a year and what might change and what probably won't change is, again, we talked about some people just didn't think the technology was ready. The DOJ vastly underestimated how many people were even close to being in compliance. And they realized like, "Oh, like the vast majority of people that are going to be regulated under this rule are, are not even close to being in compliance. So let's give them a little bit more time." And the other aspect of it was like a little bit of a lack of clarity about what, where to find the definitive spec, right? The WCAG 2.1 AA definitive spec, because that is something that like the way that it lives online is somewhat dynamic. So people were kind of chasing like, "Oh, what, what is the most current spec?" So some of that has to be clarified. And then it also just gives people, again, more time to educate themselves about what all of those things are within the spec and what are the tools available, how are you going to incorporate that into your workflows, your, you know, finding the right, the right experts to, to work with and audit everything, but also educating your team so that they understand not just, the, the part of accessibility that's implemented by tools, but the part of accessibility that actually comes with just understanding the purpose of, of these things that you're now adding to your digital media. So, I don't know if that answered your question, Dana, but there's my long rambling response. Dana: It's, it's perfect. Michelle: yeah. So I just think that again, we see some people who have continued to chip away at this and continue to educate themselves because there's gonna be time that is needed for budgeting, for getting buy-in from all the stakeholders that are involved in implementation. And there's some folks that have just decided to forget about this and probably go through the same panic slam again in Q1 2027. Dana: different types of people, right? So, and th- that's just how we are built as humans. But the other thing too is you mentioned this, there, there wasn't even really helpful resources when that first deadline was coming around. And since then, an example, like we've developed MediaScribe Academy to help folks, really understand what is needed from them around like tactical operational activities in order to make their video compliant. But the other piece too is, WCAG, the standard covers not just your video, but it covers everything on your website. So the scope is large. But just knowing that we have a little more time, let's be intentional about that scope and how we're going to be able to deliver, a true accessibility to the, the end users that are, are on your website. Yeah, and hopefully not panic slam right at the end, right? Michelle: Right. And, and I think a true testament to that, you know, that knowledge gap is just the hunger that there's been for the content that, that we've been making, right? So we, we do this podcast, and we continue to see people might discover us on, you know, episode 30. And then we suddenly see, like, our last 10 episodes get a huge boost in, in listens because suddenly they've discovered our whole series about the WCAG spec and what other cities are doing and, you know, first steps or what, what enforcement is actually looking for as you get started with this. And they-- they're hungry for this, for this content. And it's also why, Dana, you've been so busy, at all of these different conferences and conventions in the last, really the last year and a half, is because, people are hunger, hungry for, like, subject matter experts on, on this topic. And we continue to find people every month, every week that we put this stuff out, that are just finding out about it for the first time. And no shame in that at all, right? That's why we're here. That's why we're doing this. And now it's just as important to make sure that folks know what the new deadline is and, what they can do now that they've been given this, this gift of extra time to plan. Hey, GVP listeners. Before we get back into today's episode, Tightrope Media Systems, the sponsor of Government Video Podcast, has a special offer to help you in your video accessibility journey. Tightrope is the maker of MediaScribe, a platform that makes your government video accessible with automated captioning and audio descriptions. And today, they are offering a 30-day extended evaluation period of MediaScribe Narrate, their solution for automated audio descriptions, just for our listeners. So by going to app.mediascribe.ai, you can sign up for this offer with code GVP30. Now, this offer includes training and support, and is designed to help you start planning your compliance workflows today. There's no obligation to buy, and this is Tightrope's commitment to helping teams start figuring out their accessible media workflows right now, instead of waiting until the last minute due to budget or procurement limitations, or whatever else might be holding you back from getting prepared. MediaScribe Narrate generates audio descriptions for your pre-recorded, on-demand public meeting content, and it's built around how councils and boards actually run. So it prioritizes the most important context like agenda slides, name graphics, and speaker transitions, and that grounding is what helps keep your review steps short, so the accessibility work fits inside a small team's existing schedule rather than adding to it. And solidifying that workflow now instead of waiting until right before the ADA Title II deadlines means less to manage later. Tightrope also runs MediaScribe Academy, which is a free resource to anyone working on their content remediation at no cost and regardless of which tools you use to get there. And Tightrope also offers regular educational sessions for MediaScribe users at no added cost. So to redeem this offer, sign up again at app.mediascribe.ai with code GVP, like Government Video Podcast, 30 and start building your workflow today. Now back to the episode Michelle: So you, you recently wrote, a very nice blog post about this, uh, what, what folks can do with the added time. Can you just give us, like, some high-level points on, on what you covered for folks that are just getting into this now? Dana: Sure. Yeah. So w- we have this gift of time, right? But we don't wanna squander it. So how can you use this time as a, a real foundation to roll out a quality project around accessibility? And I shouldn't say project, because accessibility really is a journey. There shouldn't be an end point. And I think that is the, the foundation and the basis of going into this, is understanding that this isn't a box check. This isn't something that you should just bolt on to the end. So what can you do to really develop an infrastructure of accessibility on your, your website and in your organization? Well, a big piece of it is finding the champions. So we're finding that a lot of people are, bestowed this, the WCAG tech standard saying, "Go and, go forth and do." But they may not, not have had any accessibility experience, and that's okay. Like, so they n- we need to find those people, we need to find the champions, and we need to gain that, that buy-in. And then also it's like, I mean, eating an elephant. You take it a little bit at a time. What are we gonna tackle first? And documenting. So Michelle, you, you would definitely say this a lot, is we need to document the whole process as we're going along because ultimately that's what's going to help you if anything goes sideways past the deadline. So documenting how you are making accessible, who is on the team, who's responsible for what, and what's your remediation process, when that comes into play. So I would say that's the very holistic strategy around it is players, process, documents, to start. Michelle: Yeah, and I-- As you're saying all this, I'm reminded that we don't always mention this in the podcast, but we have a lot of great conversations on the podcast, but we get even more in-depth on some of this stuff in our webinar series that we do. So we're on a little bit of a summer break from those right now too, but we have so many webinars available on, mediascribe.ai about these topics, about educating your staff, about how to think about accessible design, about what you were mentioning just now about documenting your process and what auditors actually want in an audit like that. So it's not just, looking like you're kicking the can. It's looking like you actually are, you know, intending to, to make progress. You have real deadlines. And that's something that we started doing this year was, anytime we'd have a guest on the podcast and, you know, listeners were really hungry for, for that information, those were getting a lot of listens, then we would actually get those same guests, to do a webinar with us. And so we've got a huge library of those on the MediaScribe website right now, in addition to the MediaScribe Academy that you mentioned before, which is totally free. And, people might be thinking like, "Oh, this is just a, a big product plug right now." But actually the MediaScribe Academy is totally free. You do not have to give us your email, and it is not solely for people using a MediaScribe platform. It's actually a general education about WCAG 2.1 AA specific to video accessibility, which is a thing we like to focus on in this podcast because there's a wealth of resources and consultants out there that are very, you know, well-educated and very capable of guiding you through these, web auditing processes. But there's far fewer people who are educated around the black box of video and what it takes to make your video accessible. So we like to, as much as we can, make sure that people think about video and have it not be an afterthought as they're doing all of this work, especially because your video tends to be some of your most highly visible content, and some of the content that's updated the most often. And so as people are thinking, you know, "Oh, what are my-- what are the forms that get us- used the most or the, you know, PDFs that we have to remediate?" I think a lot of times they forget that video is actually some of the most, visible, like high-profile content that you have on-- in your digital presence. And Dana, you've done such a great job of bringing some of the most, prominent and, and I'd say really engaging guests on these webinars as well. I really enjoyed Kate DeForest at the beginning of the year. Dana: Oh, Kate was fabulous. She, she did a whole presentation on how to tackle, accessibility, making your content more accessible, but in a sustainable way. And, you know, so that's a, a really helpful framework, 'cause a lot of people are just looking for a framework on the how. Like, I know I have to, I know what it is, but now how do I get to it? And she did help a lot with that. We've, we've had some really fabulous guests Michelle: Yeah. And I really love how, you know, we can get into a lot of stories, a lot of, like, sort of case study conversations on the podcast. But when we get into the webinar space with some of these folks, we really get into, like, here, here are the tools. Here's what those tools look like. Um, here's how you can get started today. I remember Kate had some really nice takeaways for everybody that, that showed up for that webinar, that I think are still available in the on-demand version if folks want to check that out. So yeah, I think, you know, it was really important that we made sure to get on here and, and address this, major update to the deadline because this has really been our main focus for the last year or longer on the podcast. And, yeah, we, you know, we thought while we're, while we're in between beach days and summer hikes, let's, let's hop on here and, and talk about this, just to make sure that everybody understands what's changed and, and where there are some great resources to help you along on your journey. Dana: So Michele, one other thing I think we should talk a- talk about before we wrap is, we have had folks, say, "Okay, well, they moved it back once. They're probably just gonna move it back again." So we've had that conversation numerous times with folks. The technology is here, right? Like, so we're able to provide audio descriptions. We're able to provide captioning and streaming, and people are able to remediate large bodies of PDF documents. So the tech is not the problem at this point. Now, folks, the assumption is you've had an extra year to be putting these work, um, uh, workflows into place and h- building that team. So, for those of you that are like, "Meh, they're just gonna kick it down the can again," that's not the case. That's not what we're hearing, in DC. That's not what we're hearing from, from folks in, in government. So, I just urge folks to take this upcoming deadline seriously, 'cause it's going to come quickly. I mean, for us, it's, it's July right now, so we-- it's gonna be here in no time Michelle: Yeah. And I think the, on the encouraging side of that, saying that technology is here, it's really-- There's a lot of really useful technology, and AI is, you know, catching up so quickly with these particular needs in a way that I think is going to make this work feel a lot less, daunting for folks that have to-- that they see this as this huge extra layer that they have to add to everything that they're doing. There really is a lot of really efficient, purpose-built automation now in this space that I think is gonna help people really level up and not at the cost or, or time constraints that people have, have thought about in the past. Dana: For sure Michelle: all good things. Yeah. Well, thank you so much for hopping on with me, Dana. It's always nice to have these, these moments where we get to just catch up, the two of us you know? We're, we're usually, kind of on opposite schedules. You're always flying around the country, so it's great to get to, talk about this and, can't wait to do another one soon. Dana: Awesome. And these are great resources. So, and thank you for, for pulling this all together. So appreciate your time Michelle: Thanks everyone for joining us for this episode of the Government Video Podcast. If you found this information useful, we hope that you will please like, share, let a colleague know, and, we'll see you again next time on the pod. Thanks everyone