Well, ADA stands for Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. With the increase of internet use, it’s crucial that the web is accessible to everyone.

According to Accessible, 98% of websites are inaccessible and 25% of websites sued more than once.

What are some of the common problems in website accessibility?

1. Images without Text

It may be easy for you to look at an image online and understand what is happening in the photo, however, blind people or people with low vision are unable to see it. This can affect their ability to read a computer display. They often use different technologies so they can access the information displayed on a webpage, this is why you have to add a text equivalent to each image on your website.

2. Documents are not posted in an Accessible format

It’s common to use a PDF format, yet unfortunately, PDFs are unable to be read or seen when someone is using a screen reader. So, if you are posting a document, make sure to have multiple ways of accessing it beyond just a PDF format.

3. Colors and Font Sizes

Make sure that your website can be easy to manipulate with color and font settings in the browser, for people with disabilities. Some websites are unable to change for people with low vision. It may be time to double-check that your website can be used by everyone.

4. Videos and Multimedia

Photos are common use on the internet, but so are videos. Many government entities use their websites to post training videos or videos to inform people. For people with hearing disabilities, this can be impossible to use. To make them useful for everyone, add a visual and audio transcript.

It may seem surprising, but many users don’t consider that not everyone has the same ability to read or hear everything they see on the internet. To make sure you’re reaching the entire audience, following these steps can help you be ADA compliant.

Assorted Design can help establish an ADA-compliant website as well as making it easy to use and stylish.

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Assorted Design is a company that is honest, hard-working, and transparent with all of its clients. Typically, a company’s core value is performance. Although that is essential to be a successful business, Assorted Design’s core value is transparency.

What does transparency mean to us? Well, it’s all about being honest, candid, and straightforward. Assorted Design believes in articulating the best way to market your brand and company. We are always kind and polite but believe that being truthful and forthright will create the best business for you.

With transparency, comes a learning and teaching world. It’s essential to Assorted Design that we teach our clients about what they’re doing and how they’re improving their company. We don’t want to do all of the work for you, we want you to gain knowledge and we want to demonstrate how we are working with your brand.

Communication is essential when it comes to transparency and how Assorted Design wants to work with you. Communication brings strong relationships and the best quality work for clients.

As I write this blog, I think it’s important you know that I am an intern working for Assorted Design. I am a junior in college and have had the best possible experience. It has been all about transparency with Assorted Design. I have learned, experienced and now have the authority to write this blog because of how honest and resourceful the team at assorted Design has been.

Beyond honesty, having transparency is ethical when it comes to strong relationships with clients. Sometimes, Transparency can be difficult for companies when they face adversity, but it is crucial for fostering an ethical culture.

Being Transparent at Assorted Design has improved trust, boosted engagement, built a culture, and created strong ties with all of their clients. Assorted Design is a place you can trust and learn from, we care about you are your company.

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Definitive regulations for website accessibility are still in development, but there are still a few agreed-upon measures that your business can take to fit the needs of the ADA.

Now before we jump head first into tools and regulations, it’s important to first understand what websites require these accommodations. There’s two sections of the ADA where you can find the answer to this question, title I and title III. Title I describes businesses that operate for 20 weeks or more out of the year, and that have 15 or more full-time employees on their staff. Title III describes businesses that provide “public services” like hotels, banks, and public transportation.

The next step is finding a source where regulations are listed. Unfortunately there aren’t any guidelines due to the ADA website compliance being a new development. This can make the process of evolving your website very frustrating. Not to worry, there are still some actions you can take to make your website more accessible. Not only does it expand the opportunity for more customers, but it also shows the effort your business is making to follow the ADA guidelines.

So what are some measures you can take to make your website ADA friendly? First off you can organize your website to be consistent. Make all buttons, widgets, menus, and links easy to find and access in order to ensure that your website isn’t hard to navigate. Making your fonts bold and clear to read will also help potential customers navigate your website. You will also want to pay close attention to the header code. Numerous text readers use the headers to determine what language the website is written in. By using numerous header “tiers” assists the reader through the page’s content. You can also provide transcripts for audio and video content so a user who is hard of hearing can read what is being said in the audio of the video clip.

Making sure all your documents are text reader accessible can also be a measure you can take to ensure that your documents are easy to read.

A final advantage you can give is by making sure your website offers alternate options if there is an input error. Many users with disabilities can encounter a lot of issues navigating. So by giving them alternative “routes” for them to navigate can make sure they get the information they need.

So what will happen if your business doesn’t follow these steps? Well without an ADA compliant website, this leaves your business exposed for lawsuits. You can’t just hope to fly under the radar and escape lawsuits. Attorneys are constantly on the hunt for non-compliant businesses both physically and digitally. Not only will you spend thousands of dollars in an effort to bring your website to their standards, but you’ll also have to pay the attorney fees.

In addition to making your business vulnerable to lawsuits, you also create a barrier between your business and potential clients. Having an ADA compliant website boosts your clientele and well as bumps you above potential competitor’s websites.

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As companies worldwide work quickly to bring their websites into compliance with the WCAG, the focus has shifted to existing accessibility regulations. The ADA in the United States is one such example of a visible and complicated piece of legislation. The best way to explain is to shed some light on the ins and outs of what it takes to operate an ADA compliant website in 2020. Or, if you prefer to take a deep dive into the gritty details of any accessibility issues on your site, you can request a free ADA website audit report from Assorted Design.

Website compliance with the ADA

The ADA does not expressly state that a website must maintain ADA compliance, event after amendments were made to it in 2008. Though, Title III of the ADA requires that a place of public accommodation allow easy access to people who meet the standards of the ADA for disability. With individuals increasingly making online purchases, one might make the assumption that this idea then must be extended to a website. However, from a purely legal perspective, there is an ocean of grey area. This means the courts are typically responsible for determining how the standards set forth in the ADA apply to a website, or if they apply at all.

There has been court rulings around the United States that commercial websites are indeed places of public accommodation and, due to this fact, they are subject to ADA guidelines. In other cases, the courts have concluded that a website is bound by regulations if a close physical proximity exists between the site and a brick and mortar location. With no clear federal rules, it has been difficult to make a clear line in the sand about whether a website is governed by the accessibility rules in the ADA.

While the impact of ADA regulations online is likely to remain unclear for the immediate future, there is no question that more cases regarding equal digital access will continue to be filed. In lieu of waiting for clear national guidelines, choosing to act proactively is the recommended approach for most organizations. Taking action early is the best way to try to avoid an accessibility lawsuit and any potentially negative publicity. Contact Assorted Design today to learn more about your current level of ADA compliance, and be sure to ask how we can help you achieve compliance.

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