For Immediate Release: May 12, 2026
Contact: Jess Davidson, jdavidson@aapd.com; 202-465-5528
WASHINGTON – On Thursday, May 7, 2026, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued an Interim Final Rule (IFR) extending the compliance deadline for the digital accessibility provisions established in the 2024 regulation titled “Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance,” focused on Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. The IFR also signals the agency’s intention to take further action to weaken the regulation in the future.
The 2024 regulation requires healthcare entities that receive federal financial assistance to provide services, refrain from discrimination on the basis of disability, and ensure that individuals with disabilities have equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from covered programs and activities. For example, hospitals and nursing facilities should provide services in the most integrated setting, including in people’s homes and communities. People with disabilities should also be able to receive treatment, vaccinations, therapy, and other health or human services from clinics, local governments, or childcare centers without discrimination based on disability.
A central component of the rule established clear requirements for these entities to make their web content and mobile applications accessible to people with disabilities. Entities with 15 or more employees were required to comply with these accessibility requirements by May 11, 2026, while entities with fewer than 15 employees were required to comply by May 10, 2027. The HHS IFR extends the compliance deadlines to May 11, 2027, for entities with 15 or more employees and to May 10, 2028, for entities with fewer than 15 employees.
This follows a similar approach to the Department of Justice’s recent IFR, which likewise extended the compliance deadline for the Title II web accessibility rule. Notably, this action was taken just days before the May 11, 2026, compliance deadline, continuing a pattern of last-minute changes that create uncertainty for covered entities and the communities they serve.
In the two years since HHS released its original rule, digital accessibility has only become more critical to accessing care, and the technologies covered by this rule have become increasingly central to accessing nearly every form of healthcare. This extension of compliance deadlines will entrench unnecessary exclusion, causing clear and immediate harm.
Delaying enforcement of these accessibility requirements has significant and immediate consequences for people with disabilities, prolonging barriers that have persisted for far too long. When healthcare websites, patient portals, check-in kiosks, and mobile applications are not accessible, individuals with disabilities are unable to schedule appointments, access test results, communicate with providers, or obtain critical information about their care.
These barriers lead to delays in treatment, diminished quality of care, and, in some cases, the outright denial of services. By extending compliance deadlines, this action risks entrenching systemic inequities and further excluding people with disabilities from full and equal participation in healthcare at a time when timely, accessible provision of services is essential.
This administration’s use of IFRs to make significant policy changes without meaningful public engagement also raises serious concerns. These actions are being taken without adequate input and expertise from the disability community and other affected stakeholders, removing crucial transparency and accountability from the rulemaking process.
AAPD President and CEO Maria Town said, “Delaying accessibility is denying care. Healthcare providers have had years to adapt; as digital services expand, digital accessibility has become increasingly central to accessing healthcare and human services. Postponing these requirements creates critical gaps that leave disabled people behind.” Town continued, “In a digital-first world, if your telehealth systems, patient portals, and client platforms aren’t accessible, you are not providing true care, nor human services.”