Accessibility requirements for Arkansas government procurement
Arkansas does not stop at requiring its own websites to be accessible — its rules reach the technology it buys, which puts a vendor's conformance report inside the requirement.
What binds a Arkansas purchase
ADA Title II — WCAG 2.1 Level AA
Applies to the web content and mobile apps of every state and local government entity in Arkansas, whoever built the software. Compliance dates:
- 26 April 2027 — entities serving 50,000 or more
- 26 April 2028 — entities serving under 50,000, and special district governments
Software bought today will still be in service on those dates, which is what makes this a procurement question rather than an IT one.
Section 508 — where federal funds are involved
Governs federal procurement and reaches a great deal of Arkansas spending through federal funding, including most public universities. It incorporates WCAG 2.0 Level AA, and adds chapter requirements that WCAG does not cover — functional performance, software, and support documentation.
If your solicitation cites Section 508, a WCAG-edition conformance report does not answer it. The editions explained.
Arkansas Technology Access Clause (Ark. Code §25-26-201 et seq.)
Ark. Code Ann. §§ 25-26-201 to 25-26-206
Act 1227 of 1999, amended by Act 308 of 2013, states the policy of Arkansas that information technology bought in whole or in part with state funds be accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired. The nonvisual access standards track 36 C.F.R. §1194.21 and §1194.22 as they existed on 1 January 2019 — the pre-refresh Section 508 standards, not WCAG.
Read Arkansas’s own pageWhat Arkansas names, and what the ADA now requires
Arkansas’s own standard
36 C.F.R. §1194.21 and §1194.22 as they stood on 1 January 2019
ADA Title II, from 26 April 2027
WCAG 2.1 Level AA
The state standard is the lower bar
A vendor can satisfy what Arkansas names and still not satisfy what ADA Title II will require of you. If your solicitation cites only the Arkansas rule, the conformance report you get back is scoped to the Arkansas rule — and the federal gap becomes yours to close after award. Cite both.
Beyond the website
Arkansas regulates the technology it buys
What the rule requires of a purchase
A technology access clause must be included in every contract for the procurement of information technology by a covered entity. State funds may not be spent on a system that does not meet the standard.
Ark. Code Ann. §§ 25-26-201 to 25-26-206
Why this changes the review
A requirement that binds only your own website is satisfied by fixing your own website. A requirement that binds the purchase is satisfied by the vendor, and the only evidence you will hold is the conformance report they hand over — so whether that report is accurate stops being a technical question and becomes a contractual one.
How the review worksWhat this means when a vendor sends you a report
- Name the standard in the solicitation. The edition a vendor sends back is chosen to match what you asked for. Ask for nothing specific and you will get the edition that flatters the product.
- Ask during evaluation, not after award. Before the contract your leverage is the award itself; after it, your leverage is a change order.
- Keep the record. What you required, what the vendor disclosed, what you challenged and when. If conformance is ever questioned, that record is the useful artifact — not the software.
Section508.gov — State-level Accessibility Law and Policy does not list Arkansas. The entry above was researched from Arkansas’s own statute, regulation or policy page in August 2026 and links to it directly. General guidance for procurement planning, not legal advice — verify against the statute or policy that applies to your entity, and check the current status of any pending legislation named above.