Primary Department: Universal Services
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Sindhu Menon, Executive Director & CIO
Secondary Department: County Administration
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official: Erica Lee Carter, County Administrator
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Supplemental RCA
Type of Request: Transmittal
Project ID (if applicable): 210317
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): Protiviti
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): 0%
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable): 0%
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A - Not a grant item
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
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Transmittal by Universal Services of an update on the status of the Harris County Website Accessibility Project, including current progress, remediation efforts, and completion of the Accessibility Disability Act (ADA)/Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 compliance across County websites.
end
Background and Discussion:
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) published its final rule in April 2024 establishing specific state and local government accessibility standards to comply with ADA.gov-mandated website accessibility guidelines, specifically the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA. The rule sets a compliance deadline of April 24, 2026, for counties with a total population of 50,000 people or more.
Harris County Universal Services, in partnership with the Website Accessibility Compliance vendor, Protiviti, and County departments, launched the Website Accessibility Compliance Project to remediate accessibility across Harris County’s digital presence to be compliant with ADA and WCAG standards. The initiative included assessing County websites, identifying accessibility barriers, and coordinating remediation efforts across website development and document content. Through this collaborative effort, HCUS, Protiviti and departmental stakeholders worked together to strengthen usability, inclusiveness, and long-term accessibility across County online services.
On April 20, 2026, the DOJ extended the deadline for counties with a total population of 50,000 or more to April 26, 2027 .
Expected Impact:
All HCUS and department-owned sites are either complete, actively in progress, or have a defined plan for remediation, demonstrating full mobilization of internally managed portfolios and sustained progress across Harris County.
Alternative Options:
No alternative options.
County Strategic Plan Goal: 2. Connect our community with safe, reliable, equitably distributed, and well-maintained infrastructure.
County Strategic Plan Objective: N/A
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): N/A
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): N/A
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): N/A
Health Initiative (Goal 4): N/A
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): N/A
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): N/A
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan:
Prior Court Action (if any):
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Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
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12/11/25 |
156 |
Request for approval of an award on the basis of best proposal requirements with Protiviti for business and technology services for countywide website accessibility compliance management. |
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12/11/25 |
475 |
Request by Universal Services for approval for the Countywide Website Accessibility Management project, for compliance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, and Supplemental Budget in the amount of $1,290,000. |
Location:
Address (if applicable):
Precinct(s): Countywide
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County Attorney’s Office Legal Review (for Harris County Code Items only) |
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Anticipated Court Date: 6/11/2026
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): Click or tap to enter a date.
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Liz Lo, Chief Operating Officer
Attachments (if applicable): See attached