The National Federation of the Blind—represented by Brown, Goldstein & Levy attorneys Eve Hill and Michael Abrams, along with co-counsel from Democracy Forward—has filed a lawsuit challenging the administration’s abrupt delay of critical website accessibility regulations designed to ensure blind people and people with other disabilities can access essential government and healthcare services online.
The lawsuit challenges actions by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that postponed long-anticipated compliance deadlines under federal disability rights laws without public notice or input. Regulations finalized by DOJ and HHS in early 2024, after years of public engagement and rulemaking, required state and local governments and those who receive federal funding from HHS to make their websites and mobile applications accessible to people with disabilities, including those who are blind and rely on screen readers and other assistive technology. However, on April 20, 2026, and May 11, 2026, respectively, DOJ and HHS issued interim final rules delaying the compliance deadlines by a year.
The delays threaten access to critical services that millions of people depend on every day, including voter registration, healthcare portals, telehealth appointments, unemployment benefits, educational materials, public records, licensing applications, and emergency information. The complaint explains that inaccessible websites and apps create significant barriers for blind people and can undermine equal participation in civic life, education, healthcare, and employment.
“For over fifty years, our laws—specifically Section 504 of the Rehabilitation act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act— have promised blind Americans and other Americans with disabilities equal access to all areas of life, including digital spaces and services. Yet today this promise remains unfulfilled, and now our government is compounding the outrage by asking us to wait even longer,” said Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind. “We will not wait. We will fight to ensure that the promise of America’s laws, and indeed its founding documents, finally becomes reality for blind and disabled Americans.”
“We are proud to support the National Federation of the Blind’s important challenge to the Trump-Vance administration’s illegal roll-back of duly considered and important regulations. If regulations can be either adopted or discarded without notice and an opportunity for the public to comment, the people lose their voice in government, and their lives will be subject to the whims of politicians,” said Eve Hill of Brown Goldstein & Levy.
“For years, people with disabilities have fought for equal access to the digital services that increasingly shape everyday life — from healthcare and education to voting and public benefits,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “The Trump-Vance administration’s decision to abruptly delay these protections at the last minute is harmful, unlawful, and deeply disruptive for people who have already waited far too long for equal access. Disability rights are civil rights, and government agencies cannot simply ignore years of work, public input, and legal obligations. We are proud to represent the National Federation of the Blind to defend equal access and ensure that people with disabilities are not shut out of essential services and opportunities.”
The lawsuit argues that the administration violated the Administrative Procedure Act by issuing the delays without required notice-and-comment procedures and without adequately considering the significant harms to people with disabilities. The National Federation of the Blind is asking the court to block the delays and restore the original accessibility compliance deadlines.
Earlier this year, Eve and NFB President Riccobono co-authored an article for Law360’s Expert Analysis feature, entitled, “DOJ Delay Of ADA Web Rule Undermines Equal Access,” explaining how the DOJ’s delay of compliance dates for its final ADA web rule is harmful, not helpful.
BGL’s work with the NFB extends as far back as 1986, when founding partner Dan Goldstein first took on the role of the organization’s counsel. He remained the NFB’s counsel until his retirement in 2017 and was the first lawyer to successfully argue that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applied to the virtual realm. Following his retirement, Dan passed on his work with the NFB to Eve.
ABOUT EVE HILL
Eve Hill is one of the nation’s leading civil rights lawyers, known especially for her work with clients with disabilities and LGBTQ+ clients. She has been recognized by Law360 as one of just 12 “Titans of the Plaintiffs’ Bar” for 2023, as well as by Lawdragon as one of the 500 Leading Lawyers in America (2022-2026). Her wide-ranging experience complements Brown, Goldstein & Levy’s decades of dedication to high-impact disability rights cases and its advocacy on behalf of individuals with disabilities and their families. Eve also leads Inclusivity, BGL’s Strategic Consulting Group, which works with organizations to promote the education, engagement, and employment of people with disabilities. Learn more about Eve here.
ABOUT MICHAEL ABRAMS
Michael Abrams rejoined Brown, Goldstein & Levy in March 2026. He is an experienced litigator with a diverse practice covering disability rights, criminal law, commercial litigation, employment discrimination, police misconduct, and all kinds of appeals. Michael has argued in federal and state appeals courts, most recently as counsel for the ACLU of Maryland at oral argument before the Fourth Circuit on a class action challenge to ICE enforcement practices. At the trial level, he has played a key role in significant team achievements, including: a novel ruling on the police killing of a person in a mental health crisis; state compensation for a man wrongfully sentenced to life in prison; and transformation of a university’s accessibility practices for students with disabilities. Learn more about Michael here.
ABOUT BROWN, GOLDSTEIN & LEVY
Founded in 1982, Brown Goldstein & Levy is a law firm based in Baltimore, Maryland, with an office in Washington, D.C. The firm is nationally recognized in a wide variety of practice areas, including complex civil and commercial litigation, civil rights, health care, family law, and criminal defense. Above all else, Brown Goldstein & Levy is a client-centered law firm that brings decades of experience and passionate, effective advocacy to your fight for justice.