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I’ve seen how quickly a school can end up facing an ADA complaint over something they never expected — like a missing caption or an inaccessible PDF. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) doesn’t just focus on deliberate discrimination. It flags digital barriers that prevent students, parents, or staff with disabilities from accessing important information.

If your school’s website isn’t usable for everyone, that alone can trigger a federal investigation.

What Is the OCR, and Why Does It Care About Your Website?

The OCR is part of the U.S. Department of Education. Its job is to make sure public schools, charter programs, and universities that receive federal funding comply with civil rights laws — including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the ADA.

Both laws require equal access to digital content. If a website blocks someone from getting a class schedule, filling out a form, or understanding a policy update, that’s a compliance issue — even if it wasn’t intentional.

I’ve worked with education administrators who had no idea their calendar widget or enrollment PDF was creating legal risk. Most of these problems come from simple oversights. But they don’t get treated like small mistakes once a complaint is filed.

What Kind of Website Issues Trigger ADA Complaints?

Here are the common accessibility gaps that show up in OCR complaints:

• Images with no alt text, especially when they include information
• Videos without captions or transcripts
• Forms without labeled fields
• Menus or dropdowns that can’t be used with a keyboard
• Scanned documents that screen readers can’t access
• Content with low contrast or poor text structure

All of these can prevent people with disabilities from using your site effectively. And when that happens, you’re not just failing to meet WCAG guidelines — you may be violating federal law.

What Happens If the OCR Opens an Investigation?

Once a complaint is filed, the OCR may:

• Send a notice letter explaining the alleged barrier
• Request a copy of your website or specific pages
• Ask for details about how your site is managed
• Offer a resolution agreement that includes deadlines, training, and audits

These investigations are real. They don’t happen behind closed doors. Many end with public findings. And if your school doesn’t comply, your federal funding could be on the line.

As an ADA defense lawyer, I help schools understand what these letters mean — and how to respond before things escalate.

Why Schools Get Caught Off Guard

Most education websites are built for convenience, not compliance. Templates are reused. PDFs get uploaded without testing. Calendars and buttons are visually styled but unreadable by assistive tech. And since staff often wear multiple hats, accessibility testing falls through the cracks.

But once a parent or student files a complaint — or a disability rights group audits your site — those oversights become liabilities. The fact that you didn’t mean to exclude anyone won’t matter.

What I Tell Schools and Universities

The best time to fix accessibility issues is before they’re named in a formal complaint. The second-best time is as soon as you realize the problem.

If you’re not sure whether your website meets the OCR’s standards — or if you’ve already received a notice — we can help. Our ADA defense law firm works wit_