Web Accessibility Laws in Massachusetts

Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 151B prohibits discrimination in places of public accommodation on the basis of disability. The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) enforces these provisions and has increasingly considered digital accessibility complaints.

Massachusetts also has the Massachusetts Equal Rights Act (M.G.L. c. 93, Section 103), which provides a private right of action for disability discrimination in public accommodations. This dual framework — administrative enforcement through MCAD and private litigation through the Equal Rights Act — creates strong compliance incentives. Over 170 federal web accessibility cases were filed in Massachusetts districts in 2024, primarily in the District of Massachusetts (Boston).

Massachusetts is home to some of the world's most prestigious educational institutions and healthcare systems, both of which face significant web accessibility obligations:

• Higher education: Massachusetts has over 100 colleges and universities, including Harvard, MIT, and the UMass system. These institutions face OCR complaints over inaccessible learning management systems, admissions portals, and course materials. The DOJ has entered into multiple consent decrees with Massachusetts universities
• Healthcare: Mass General Brigham, Beth Israel Lahey, and other major health systems operate extensive patient portals. Healthcare accessibility lawsuits in Massachusetts have increased significantly, with telehealth accessibility becoming a major focus
• Biotech and pharma: Massachusetts's biotech corridor (Cambridge/Boston) includes companies whose clinical trial portals and patient information sites must be accessible
• Financial services: Boston's financial sector, including Fidelity and State Street, faces accessibility requirements for customer-facing digital platforms

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has been relatively proactive on government digital accessibility. Mass.gov, the state's unified web platform, was redesigned with accessibility as a core requirement. However, many municipalities and local agencies operate independent websites with varying accessibility levels.

The ADA Title II deadline of April 24, 2026 requires compliance across:

• 14 county governments and their associated services
• 351 municipalities — from Boston to small towns — all must meet WCAG 2.1 AA
• Public school districts with parent portals and student information systems
• State agencies beyond those already on Mass.gov, including independent commissions and authorities

Massachusetts's strong tradition of progressive governance may accelerate compliance efforts, but resource constraints in smaller municipalities remain a challenge.

Start with a free CompliScan scan to identify WCAG 2.1 AA violations. Automated tools catch 30-40% of accessibility issues, and CompliScan's AI provides actionable fix suggestions for each violation.

Massachusetts-specific priorities:

• Education: Audit learning management systems, admissions portals, and financial aid interfaces — Massachusetts universities are frequent OCR complaint targets
• Healthcare: Test patient portal workflows end-to-end, including appointment booking, lab results, and telehealth
• Municipalities: Begin WCAG 2.1 AA compliance work for the April 2026 Title II deadline — CompliScan Shield ($49/mo) provides affordable ongoing monitoring
• Tech companies: Boston/Cambridge tech firms should audit both marketing sites and product interfaces

Shield Pro ($149/mo) adds daily scans and PDF reports for compliance documentation. The Agency plan ($299/mo) is ideal for Massachusetts IT consultancies managing multiple municipal and enterprise clients.