ADA Website Accessibility
ADA Compliance: The Internet
Did you know your website needs to be accessible to everyone? Is YOUR website as accessible to everyone as you THINK it is? Did you know that if it isn’t, that you may be open to a lawsuit?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (the “ADA”) was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush in 1990. Lawsuits have since been filed alleging that companies’ websites are not equally accessible to the blind or visually impaired. This violates Title III of the ADA which prohibits discrimination based on disability in “places of public accommodation” 42 U.S.C. § 12182(a). It is now contended that a company’s website qualifies as a place of public accommodation. Websites with access barriers, such as no compatible screen-reading software, denies the right of equal access and can cut off your communication with many potential customers.
When the ADA was enacted, Congress did not anticipate the vital role the internet would have in how we live today. Title III set the standards for how a business needs to physically adapt to disabled people in a brick-and-mortar location.
Unless you update your website to be complaint, you could be targeted or even sued for thousands of dollars
After compliance scanning and updating by Edge Digital, your site should be accessible to all visitors according to current regulations – plus it’s that much easier for anyone and everyone to give you business!
Is Your Website ADA Compliant?
- Perceivable: Content is presented in an easily perceivable manner. Examples include offering alternatives to text, such as audio alternatives or assistive technology, that allow sight-impaired individuals to perceive your website’s content.
- Operable: Navigation is easy to operate. Examples include offering keyboard accessibilities so users with disabilities can easily navigate your website and access content.
- Understandable: Content is easy to understand. Examples include making content readable and predictable, and offering input assistance if needed.
- Robust: Your website’s content can be interpreted by various devices and platforms. For example, you want to ensure content is compatible with user agents like assistive technologies.
Is Your Website ADA Compliant?
The World Web Consortium (W3C) created a series of guidelines – Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 – for improving web accessibility. The criteria to gauge whether websites are accessible have 50 requirements.
- Perceivable: Content is presented in an easily perceivable manner. Examples include offering alternatives to text, such as audio alternatives or assistive technology, that allow sight-impaired individuals to perceive your website’s content.
- Operable: Navigation is easy to operate. Examples include offering keyboard accessibilities so users with disabilities can easily navigate your website and access content.
- Understandable: Content is easy to understand. Examples include making content readable and predictable, and offering input assistance if needed.
- Robust: Your website’s content can be interpreted by various devices and platforms. For example, you want to ensure content is compatible with user agents like assistive technologies.
Is Your Website ADA Compliant?
- Perceivable: Content is presented in an easily perceivable manner. Examples include offering alternatives to text, such as audio alternatives or assistive technology, that allow sight-impaired individuals to perceive your website’s content.
- Operable: Navigation is easy to operate. Examples include offering keyboard accessibilities so users with disabilities can easily navigate your website and access content.
- Understandable: Content is easy to understand. Examples include making content readable and predictable, and offering input assistance if needed.
- Robust: Your website’s content can be interpreted by various devices and platforms. For example, you want to ensure content is compatible with user agents like assistive technologies.
Web Accessibility
Assistant Attorney General, Stephen E. Boyd, stated in a letter of Congress that entities (individuals, businesses, companies, organizations, etc.) have flexibility in how to comply with web accessibility.
If users with disabilities struggle to complete forms and make purchases on your website, you could be losing out on potential customers.
Many of the rules for ADA compliance also help websites with search engine optimization – getting found in Google searches.
Website Accessibility
Assistant Attorney General, Stephen E. Boyd, stated in a letter of Congress that entities (individuals, businesses, companies, organizations, etc.) have flexibility in how to comply with web accessibility.
If users with disabilities struggle to complete forms and make purchases on your website, you could be losing out on potential customers.
Many of the rules for ADA compliance also help websites with search engine optimization – getting found in Google searches.
Website Compliance Analysis
Everything is coming under scrutiny – websites, apps, etc. All of these are susceptible to lawsuits.
Edge Digital can help you protect your business from lawsuits. It’s best to go ahead and spend the money now to get your site all fixed up than it is to find yourself paying lawyers and court fees for what could turn into years. Edge has the tools you need to check for compliance and then ensure your website becomes compliant before we call the job done.
Web Accessibility Solution for ADA and WCAG Compliance
Take the first step and get a FREE Accessibility Assessment
From there, if you so choose, Edge Digital can use our powerful software to run over your entire website and work through it all to ensure complete ADA & WCAG compliance.
