COMPLIANCE
Is Your Website Compliant ?
Here ’ s how businesses can comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act on the web , too
BY Mac Clemmens
SHUTTERSTOCK ILLUSTRATION
The Americans with Disabilities Act impacts not only the lives of the 26 percent of Americans who identify as having a disability , but also the businesses and organizations that serve them . But one area that too often gets left out of the conversation is how the shift to digital technology can also introduce new barriers for those with disabilities . Just as wheelchair ramps are required for buildings , businesses must ensure their websites are up to code .
The legal foundations of accessibility in general are defined in the ADA , passed in 1990 . The ADA was then clarified with regard to online accessibility by a 1998 revision to the 1973 U . S . Rehabilitation Act , known as Section 508 . In California , the laws are made even clearer by the Unruh Civil Rights Act , passed in 1959 , providing a statutory basis for monetary damages .
While many of the laws around accessibility aren ’ t new , they are being increasingly enforced by government agencies at all levels , putting business owners and other organizations at risk for any number of infractions . This could lead to a site owner receiving noncompliance letters or being sued for offenses of which they may not be aware — even online . But in the digital world , what could that mean ?
In the case of your website , being ADA compliant means taking a wide range of disabilities into account . This includes , but is not limited to :
22 comstocksmag . com | December 2021