ADA Laws for Automotive in Rhode Island

State Law Summary

Private Business Websites Are Governed Primarily by Federal ADA Law

Rhode Island does not have a specific state statute that directly requires private business websites to meet accessibility standards.

Instead, website accessibility obligations generally come from the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Two sections of the ADA apply:

• Title II – state and local government services
• Title III – private businesses that serve the public

Under Title III, businesses classified as places of public accommodation must provide equal access to goods and services. Courts increasingly interpret this requirement to include websites and online services, especially when the website is tied to a physical business location.

Businesses commonly covered include:

• restaurants
• hotels
• retail stores
• banks
• healthcare providers
• professional service providers.

Typical website accessibility issues cited in ADA lawsuits include:

• images without alt text
• inaccessible forms or checkout processes
• navigation that cannot be used with a keyboard
• insufficient color contrast
• incompatibility with screen readers.

Because the ADA does not specify a technical standard for websites, courts and settlements typically rely on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 or 2.1 Level AA as the benchmark for accessibility.

Website Compliance Rules

Rhode Island Government Website Accessibility Policies

Rhode Island has long maintained accessibility policies for state government websites.

The official state portal states that the government must ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to public information available online and that developers should follow accessibility guidelines when building official state websites.

State websites typically follow:

• World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) accessibility guidelines
• Section 508 accessibility standards

The state portal also emphasizes features such as:

• compatibility with screen readers
• text-only versions of content
• high-contrast viewing options
• accessible navigation without requiring plug-ins or scripts.

These policies apply to:

• state agency websites
• online government services
• public information portals
• digital documents and forms.

Damages & Penalties

Proposed and Developing State Legislation for Government Websites

Rhode Island has considered legislation to formally mandate WCAG standards for state government websites.

Proposed legislation would require:

• new state government websites to meet WCAG accessibility guidelines
• existing websites to achieve compliance by a specified deadline.

Some versions of proposed legislation also require:

• WCAG 2.2 Level AA compliance certification
• accessibility verification after major website redesigns
• accessibility requirements in government web-development contracts.

Municipalities are generally encouraged to adopt similar accessibility standards, although the requirements primarily target state agencies.