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On Wednesday, April 15, 2026 from 12:00-15:00 EDT (16:00-19:00 UTC) the Digital Government Network at the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University hosts an online event ‘Accessibility Jam‘ (A11yJam).
On April 24, 2024, the United States Federal Register published the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) final rule updating its regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The final rule has specific requirements about how to ensure that web content and mobile applications (apps) are accessible to people with disabilities.
This ruling impacts state and local government offices, courts, police departments, public schools, community colleges, public universities, and public hospitals. State and local governments with 50,000 or more persons must make sure that their web content and mobile apps meet WCAG 2.1 by April 24, 2026. State and local governments with less than 50,000 persons and special government districts must be compliant by April 26, 2027.
A11yJam participants will learn from leading accessibility experts, connect with peers across state and local government, and dive into practical demos and roundtables led by teams actively remediating real systems, including permits, benefits, licensing, court sites, to see what’s working in the field, with concrete ideas be applied immediately, no matter team size or budget.
PROGRAM (all times EDT = UTC-4)
12:00 Welcome / Opening Panel – What the DOJ Accessibility Deadline Really Means for Your Agency
Lynn Overmann – Executive Director, Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation
Kristopher Adams – Chief Accessibility Officer, Commonwealth Office of Digital Experience (CODE PA)
Marie Cohan – Statewide Digital Accessibility Officer, Texas Department of Information Resources
Laura Hemler – Deputy City Attorney – City of Arvada
Hailey Leek – Innovation Team Lead, Salt Lake City Corporation
Keely Quinlan – Staff Reporter, StateScoop
VIDEO
13:05 What’s Happening in Local Governments Across the U.S.
Crosby Burns – Chief Digital and Innovation Officer, County of Marin
Katie Patterson – Communications Manager, Infrastructure, City of Arvada
Michal Perlstein – Senior Manager, Digital Engagement, City of Seattle
Jennifer Waters – Assistant Hennepin County Attorney, Hennepin County Attorney’s Office
Kirsten Wyatt – Senior Director, Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation
VIDEO
13:05 What’s Happening in State Governments Across the U.S.
Sara Hall – Executive Director, Commonwealth Office of Digital Experience (CODE PA)
Dan Heisel – Web and UX Manager, Washington Technology Solutions (WaTech)
Melanie Mazanec – Software Engineer, New Jersey Innovation Authority
Ariel Kennan – Senior Director, Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation
VIDEO
14:15 Show and Tell Roundtables (Government Employees Only)
AI Tools for Accessibility
Design Systems to Drive Accessible Engagement
Inclusive & Ethical Usability Testing
Remediating PDFs at Scale
Working With Vendors
#a11yjam #a11y
