# Illinois Audit Flags Municipal Website Gaps

An independent audit found accessibility barriers on all 28 Illinois municipal websites it reviewed, including issues involving accessible PDFs, keyboard navigation, color contrast, and chat widgets. Under the U.S. Department of Justice’s ADA Title II rule, municipalities serving populations over 50,000 must meet WCAG 2.1 AA by **April 26, 2027 (184 days away)**; municipalities under 50,000 have until April 26, 2028. The report identifies no solicitation or contract award, but points to potential municipal demand for accessibility assessments and website remediation ahead of those deadlines.

- Municipal procurement teams can use the reported barriers as areas to assess in their own websites and in defining audit or remediation scopes; the audit’s findings are limited to the 28 sites reviewed.
- Contractors offering accessibility audits or remediation can describe capabilities tied to the cited issues, including accessible PDFs, keyboard navigation, color contrast, and chat-widget accessibility.
- Companies should distinguish the two compliance dates when planning outreach and delivery capacity: the earlier deadline applies to municipalities serving populations over 50,000, while the smaller-population group has until April 26, 2028.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Information Technology, Professional Services
**Topics:** Regulatory Compliance, Digital Infrastructure
**Published:** October 23, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
- Illinois municipalities

### Vendors
- Dark Black LLC (Accessibility audit and remediation provider)

### Key Quotes
> City websites are critical pieces of civic infrastructure.
> — Erica Dreisbach, digital accessibility consultant

### Sources
- [Independent Audit Finds Persistent Accessibility Gaps Across Illinois Municipal Websites Ahead of 2027 Federal Deadline - USA Today](https://www.usatoday.com/press-release/story/52315/independent-audit-finds-persistent-accessibility-gaps-across-illinois-municipal-websites-ahead-of-2027-federal-deadline) - USA Today