An ADA Compliance Website Checklist will help you get ADA website complaint issues addressed immediately. People with disabilities have special needs and sometimes cannot interact with websites.  That’s why most businesses today need to create or modify websites that even those with disabilities can use easily. Firms in the United States are required to make their websites ADA compliant.

But what is ADA compliance, and how can you achieve it? We’re going to take a brief look at this topic in the following sections. We’ll even include an ADA Compliance Website Checklist.

What Is ADA Website Compliance?

The question of ADA compliance is related to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA.) Standards for Accessible Design. This was released in 2010 by the US Department of Justice. These standards lay down a set of criteria that any website needs to follow to be accessible to persons with disabilities.

Without going into the legal nitty-gritty, it’s enough to say that the ADA looks to ensure that all electronic and digital technology, such as websites, are also accessible to persons with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act helps to provide inclusive service to all and works to expand the reach of electronic media beyond just those with regular faculties.

Who Should Be ADA Compliant?

So, now that you’re clear on what ADA Compliance is, the next question that’s sure to crop up in your mind is whether your website needs to be ADA compliant or not. In a nutshell, your website needs to be ADA compliant if it falls under any of the following segments:

• Local or state government agency
• Private businesses with more than 15 employees
• Public benefit business

As the ADA covers all information and electronic technology such as websites on the web, it affects all website owners equally. And in most cases, any lapses in compliance are not intentional but rather stems from ignorance about the ADA rules. So, even if your website doesn’t fall under any ADA compliance requirements, it’s better to stick to the rules and create ADA Compliant websites that all visitors can use.

Consequences Of Not Having An ADA Compliant Website

In case your website is not ADA Compliant, you risk an ADA website compliance lawsuit. Your business might have to face a lawsuit if a disabled person is unable to access your website.

In such a situation, even if you’ve not been intentional in ignoring ADA guidelines, it could prove costly to your business. The trouble is, there aren’t many clear guidelines on the subject. In fact, even the US Department of Justice has only provided recommendations for ADA compliance. As a website owner, it’s your responsibility to make your website ADA compliant by following these guidelines.  In addition, you want all visitors to have full access to your website!

ADA Website Compliance Guidelines

So, if there are no firm ADA Website Compliance Guidelines, what can you as a business do?  The use of an ADA Compliance Website Checklist will help you manage to get an ADA compliant website.

What most organizations can do is to follow the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). The WCAG is not precisely a legal must-do, but it can be used as a suitable reference frame based on which ADA website compliance requirements can be fulfilled.

Now, as far as the WCAG is concerned, there are three versions that you can go with, WCAG 1.0, 2.0, and its extension, 2.1. Whatever version you choose, you can also select any one of the following three levels of conformance:

• A – Minimum Accessibility
• AA – Required Legal Level Of Accessibility
• AAA- Exceeding Levels Of Accessibility

There are also software solutions such as accessiBe that can get you compliant quickly.

The POUR Accessibility Principles

Since WCAG 2.1 is the most robust version of the guidelines, let’s look at what it seeks to achieve. The WCAG 2.1 works to make sure your website follows what we call the POUR principles:

1. Perceivable

This principle seeks to ensure that the content present on your website can be perceived and utilized by those with disabilities. For people with visual impairments, your website can have audio alternatives to text and images.

2. Operable

This means that your website should be easy to navigate and operate by all persons. Your website visitors with locomotion disabilities should be provided with voice-based assistance.

3. Understandable

This refers to making content easy enough to understand. It can include making content predictable and readable and also offering help for providing inputs.

4. Robust

This final tenet ensures that your website content is available on multiple devices and platforms. It should be compatible with assistive technologies that most people with disabilities usually use.

ADA Compliance Website Checklist

• Ensure all video, audio and images have alt tags
• Provide text transcripts for video and audio content
• Mention the site’s language in the page headers
• Offer clear instructions in case of input errors
• Make sure your content is laid out in an organized manner

Summary

It’s clear that ADA compliance is essential for all websites. However, in the absence of fixed guidelines, the task is easier said than done.

Big Customer Network will help you get ADA compliant. Our ADA Website Compliance experts are well versed in the technical guidelines that should be followed for effective ADA website compliance. With our help, your website can become more inclusive for persons with disabilities.

Please contact us to learn more about our ADA Website Compliance Solutions.