South · MD

Maryland

Draft research · Evidence tier A

Maryland has a formal executive-branch Digital Accessibility Policy using WCAG 2.1 AA, a statewide implementation initiative, vendor coverage, and education procurement rules requiring accessibility conformance reports.

Initial research category: State digital-accessibility policy plus nonvisual-access/procurement provisions

Structured draft values

At a glance

Each card pairs the conservative normalized value with the original research wording.

Enacted state law: Not yet verified
Research or expert verification is still required.
Original research wording
Mandatory policy plus statutes/regulations — Active; policy updated in 2025.
Mandatory state policy: Not yet verified
Research or expert verification is still required.
Original research wording
Mandatory policy plus statutes/regulations — Active; policy updated in 2025.
WCAG requirement: Not yet verified
Research or expert verification is still required.
Original research wording
WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
Government websites: Yes
The initial research states yes; claim-level source review is still pending.
Original research wording
Yes
Mobile applications: Yes
The initial research states yes; claim-level source review is still pending.
Original research wording
Yes
Electronic documents and PDFs: Yes
The initial research states yes; claim-level source review is still pending.
Original research wording
Yes
Software, systems, and other ICT: Yes
The initial research states yes; claim-level source review is still pending.
Original research wording
Yes
Accessible procurement: Yes
The initial research states yes; claim-level source review is still pending.
Original research wording
Yes
Education accessibility: Unclear
Available wording cannot be reduced to one conclusion without inference.
Original research wording
Yes, including accessibility-conformance reporting for certain digital-tool procurements
Local-government relevance: Federal requirement only
Only the separate federal baseline is explicit in the initial research.
Original research wording
Federal Title II; state policy is principally executive branch unless otherwise specified.
Funding and implementation: Unclear
Available wording cannot be reduced to one conclusion without inference.
Original research wording
Statewide initiative and agency implementation; exact funding can be added as a separate record.
Enforcement and accountability: Not yet verified
Research or expert verification is still required.
Original research wording
Agency compliance, vendor requirements, ADA/nonvisual-access processes, and reporting obligations.

Authority research

Laws, policies, and standards

Primary authority named in the draft

Maryland Digital Accessibility Policy; Maryland Nonvisual Access requirements; Education Article §7-910 for digital tools.

Instrument type

Mandatory policy plus statutes/regulations

Current policy status wording

Active; policy updated in 2025.

Technical standard wording

WCAG 2.1 Level AA.

Research notes

Implementation and accountability

Funding and implementation

Statewide initiative and agency implementation; exact funding can be added as a separate record.

Enforcement and accountability

Agency compliance, vendor requirements, ADA/nonvisual-access processes, and reporting obligations.

Responsible entities named in the draft

Maryland Department of Information Technology, agencies, education entities.

Named people or policy architects

The current policy is an executive-branch initiative; add legislative sponsors for specific statutory provisions separately.

Clearly labeled analysis

Strengths and research gaps

Draft Atlas analysis: notable strength

Modern standard, broad content coverage, third-party/vendor application, testing/training, and education procurement.

Unanswered questions and cautions

Publish clear agency compliance data and exception/remediation status.

Evidence trail

Official and supporting source leads

Reachability does not prove that a source is current, authoritative, accessible, or supports every claim in this profile.

doit.maryland.gov/initiatives/digital-accessibility-initiative/Pages/default.aspxResponded at last check
Current official initiative page retrieved and reviewed as supporting implementation context, not as a separate authority.
doit.maryland.gov/policies/Accessibility/Pages/Maryland-Digital-Accessibility-Policy.aspxResponded at last check
Official HTML publication of the current policy retrieved and reviewed; the signed/revision-controlled PDF is the authority record's primary source.
mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/laws/StatuteTextResponded at last check
Official current statute text retrieved and reviewed, including the temporary AI-tool exception and reporting, procurement, vendor-remediation, and oversight provisions.