• Making sure the fonts you use are easily readable and the colors you use have sufficient contrast for users with low vision or colorblindness
• Having text descriptions of images ’ content so that they are compatible for devices like screen readers
• Including labels ( such as “ name ” or “ address ”) on form fields so a visitor knows what each field is for if they are using assistive technology
• Having closed captions on videos or transcripts available , especially for meetings
• These requirements apply not only to your website , but also apply to PDFs and documents uploaded to your site
The impact of ignoring online requirements
Ignoring accessibility issues , even online , can be costly . One retirement community in Sacramento was hit with a demand letter for $ 6,500 for its website from a user with limited vision in Southern California . But while confident that its site was compliant , with so much uncertainty around disability laws , the organization decided to settle rather than go to trial . And they ’ re not alone . Thousands of actions have been filed across California , following a string of similar cases in Florida dating back to 2015 where trial lawyers targeted small local government websites after laws requiring websites came into effect . The technical specification , referenced by the laws , is WCAG 2.0 AA , an international accessibility guideline developed by the World Wide Web Consortium ’ s Web Accessibility Initiative . The WCAG 2.0 AA can be used as a test on a website by any trained user , and is currently held as the gold standard in web accessibility .
Ensuring a truly accessible experience for your website visitors is actually quite a hard problem to solve . Fortunately , many platforms and web providers already take care of this as part of their service offering .
Trade associations such as the California Restaurant Association have been providing training for their members , including how to test their websites and how to defend against ADA claims . Industry associations like CRA tend to have a pulse on industry-specific requirements and the most frequent causes of action .
And best of all , there are free testing services that can give you a quick snapshot of your site ’ s accessibility . While the scanners aren ’ t perfect , they are the same ones used by trial attorneys looking for targets , so it ’ s not a bad idea to ensure you comply .
Steps you can take today to ensure your site is ADA compliant
• Ensure your website provider certifies that your website is WCAG 2.0 AA compliant
• Test your website with a free scanner such as Lighthouse or UserWay
• If your organization has lots of online traffic ( more than $ 10 million in revenue and more than 10,000 members of the public accessing ), consider a third-party ADA audit , which usually runs around $ 2,000- $ 10,000 , but can end up costing far less than a lawsuit
• Encourage staff updating your website to attend trainings on creating accessible websites , so they know how to make accessible PDFs or how to enable closed captioning on YouTube videos or social media posts
• Include an ADA compliance unit to all staff so they have a better understanding of why their document may need to look and interact differently online The World Wide Web opens so many possibilities to access information . At the same time , care must be taken to ensure that the information can be made reasonably accessible to all . Great strides have been made by organizations to create an accessible internet that overcomes a wide range of disabilities . Continuing education and awareness will ensure your business or organization can be reached by anyone .
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 .
Mac Clemmens is a Sacramento-based entrepreneur and CEO of Digital Deployment , a web development firm that advocates for small businesses . He was awarded Disability Rights California ’ s 2019 Access Award for his company ’ s work creating accessible websites . He is also a member of the Comstock ’ s Editorial Advisory Board .
What steps has your company taken to make your website more accessible ?
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December 2021 | comstocksmag . com 23