Healthcare Accessibility under the ADA and Section 504

What this entry covers

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 bars disability discrimination in programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance; the HHS Office for Civil Rights enforces it for HHS-funded health and human services programs under 45 CFR Part 84. The Americans with Disabilities Act covers state and local government services (Title II) and public accommodations (Title III), with regulations issued by the Department of Justice; HHS OCR also enforces Title II for public health care and social services programs. Together they set requirements on program access, physical access, effective communication and, under the 2024 Section 504 rule, accessible web content, mobile apps and medical diagnostic equipment.

MyRHC indexes this framework so practitioners, auditors, and automated agents can find the authoritative primary sources in one place. This page is a navigation aid. It is not legal advice and is not a substitute for the official text.

Official documentation

• Primary official source: https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/for-individuals/disability/index.html
• ADA.gov (Department of Justice): https://www.ada.gov/
• Section 504 regulation text (eCFR, 45 CFR Part 84): https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-A/part-84

Recent changes

• 2026-05-11: HHS published an interim final rule (91 FR 25496, effective 2026-05-07) moving the Section 504 web content and mobile app accessibility compliance dates to May 11, 2027 for recipients with 15 or more employees and May 10, 2028 for recipients with fewer than 15 employees. Federal Register
• 2026-04-20: The Department of Justice published an interim final rule (91 FR 20902) moving the ADA Title II web content and mobile app compliance dates to April 26, 2027 for public entities with a total population of 50,000 or more and April 26, 2028 for smaller public entities and special district governments. Federal Register
• 2024-05-09: HHS published its updated Section 504 rule (89 FR 40066, effective 2024-07-08), adding standards for accessible medical diagnostic equipment and requiring web content and mobile apps to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Federal Register

How to use this index entry

1. Open the official link above (or the agency home if the deep link drifts).
2. Confirm edition / revision date against your program scope.
3. Map applicability by sector and jurisdiction listed in the metadata.
4. Follow related frameworks only after checking their own official sources.

Disclaimers

• MyRHC does not host proprietary standards text (ISO, some industry bodies).
• Where standards are paywalled, we link to the publisher’s catalog page.
• Always verify current requirements with counsel and the issuing authority.