Updated on 5/28/2025
All Parts of the Colorado Government Must Embrace Digital Accessibility by July 1, 2025
As of May 24, 2024, the Colorado General Assembly passed HB24-1454, granting public entities a one-year grace period to ensure ICT in active use conforms with the state’s Technology Accessibility Standards and to demonstrate a good faith effort toward compliance under HB21-1110. This means agencies now have protection from liability until July 1, 2025, provided they:
- Publish quarterly progress reports
- Create a redress process for inaccessible digital content
The extension doesn’t delay the need for action; it reinforces it. The expectation is still meaningful progress toward accessibility and responsiveness to users’ needs.
In May 2025, Colorado’s Office of Information Technology updated its Technology Accessibility Standards to clarify the requirements of HB21-1110. This includes defining alternative ways for public entities to meet compliance requirements in situations where it’s not feasible for a digital product to fully meet technical accessibility requirements. The updated standard goes into effect on June 30, 2025.
What is HB21-1110 Colorado Law for Persons with Disabilities?
Originally passed in 2021, HB21-1110 is an interpretation of Colorado’s existing laws against discrimination toward people with disabilities. Now, the law states that:
- It is discrimination to exclude an individual with a disability from participation in or being denied the benefits of services, programs, or activities provided by any Colorado government entity.
- It is discrimination for any Colorado government entity to fail to develop an accessibility plan by July 1, 2022, and to fail to fully comply with accessibility standards developed by The Governor’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) by July 1, 2025.
Every part of the Colorado government will need to make digital content “that is used by the public or used by a government entity employee” accessible per the WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines. This digital content could be websites, applications, kiosks, digital signage, documents, video, audio, third-party tools, text, links, images, forms, PDFs, documents, embedded third-party applications, and more.
Unlike past Colorado legislation on accessibility, these new laws will require accessibility for all disabilities and have a clear system of enforcement and consequences for inaccessible digital content.
Putting accessibility in place will be a collaboration; OIT “will provide resources, training on the state standards, and tools to assist with accessibility, but state agencies and local governments will need to implement the changes and improvements to their digital content.” Governmental entities may also request funding to help put accessibility in place before the July 1, 2025, deadline.
Even with the HB24-1454 extension, the pressure is on. Entities that fail to show progress or transparency may lose this legal buffer. OIT continues to offer training, resources, and tools but implementation is in your hands. Let TPGi’s accessibility experts help you achieve accessibility conformance before the 2025 deadline. Contact us today!