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Risks of Not Having An ADA Compliant Website
Posted on By Author ADA Support Categories Articles

Risks of Not Having An ADA Compliant Website

ADA-compliant websites are assets to an organization. They can ensure better service, user experience, and overall performance of your websites. Many of us are familiar with the ADA compliance feature for websites. If you are unaware of ADA accessibility for websites, you may be wondering about the risks of not having an ADA-compliant website.

There can be multiple risks to your website and organization without ADA accessibility. It is now more than a way to accessorize your websites. ADA compliance is an obligatory feature for websites to follow. Otherwise, your website and organization can be susceptible to ADA lawsuits, penalties, and many other risk factors.

What Are The Risks Of Not Having An ADA Compliant Website

When a website is not ADA compliant, it fails to target a large pool and diverse customer base. This can be crucial for businesses, especially if your business is in a growing phase. Additionally, there are multiple other risks associated with not having an ADA-compliant website. Some of the major risks that you may face without ADA compliance are given as follows.

ADA Lawsuit

One of the biggest risks of not having an ADA-compliant website is the threat of ADA lawsuits. In simpler words, a disabled person can lodge complaints or sue your website if it is not ADA compliant.

According to the Supreme Court’s decision in 2019, all firms and organizations must have ADA-accessible websites. So, if you are not following the ADA guidelines, you are not complying with the law either. In such cases, a disabled person has the right to file a lawsuit directly to the federal court for violations of the ADA. So, you may face ADA lawsuits without ADA compliance.

Non-Compliance Penalties

Similar to ADA lawsuits, another major risk that you face without ADA accessibility is non-compliance penalties. For violating the ADA compliance guidelines, your business may need to pay penalties.

An ADA inaccessible website can have severe penalties. The penalty fines can go as high as $75000 for the first violation. In case of subsequent violations, the fines can go up to $15000. Not only that, these fines are reviewed annually to match the present inflation. Hence, paying these penalties can be a serious risk for businesses.

Missing Opportunities For Brand Exposure

The opportunity cost of not having ADA compliance for your websites is a non-quantifiable risk. That is, when your websites are not ADA accessible, it drives away potential buyers and customers.

Your organization fails to attract a diverse pool of customers when the website is not ADA compliant. A lion’s share of those people is disabled people. So, you immediately lose all disabled people as your customers. This can have many negative impacts on your organization. So, the opportunity cost is a major risk of not having ADA-compliant websites.

Discrimination Against The Disabled People

According to the reports of the CDC, 1 in 4 adults in the USA lives with a disability. That is nearly 61 million Americans living with one or more than one form of disability. So, when your websites are not ADA compliant, such a large population of disabled users fails to access them.

Screen readers, people with assisting devices, and other restraints can not receive your services and features as easily as other users. This creates discrimination against disabled users. Thus, your organization can cause discrimination against disabled people without ADA accessibility.

How Can You Have ADA Compliant Websites?

ADA-accessible websites are now a necessity for organizations and business firms. You can mitigate the risks of not having an ADA-compliant website by simply following the ADA accessibility guidelines on your website. It is one of the smartest investments that you can make in your website.

To have an ADA-compliant website, make sure that you are aware of the ADA compliance guidelines and checklists. You can follow the checklists and add the recommended features to your website accordingly. Finally, you can check your website’s accessibility with tests and checkers.

Additionally, you can also consult with firms that have expertise in creating ADA-compliant websites for you. You can also test and audit your websites with these firms. Thus, you can easily have an ADA-compliant website and rule out all the risks of not having one.

Conclusion

ADA website accessibility is an obligatory feature for your websites. By knowing about the risks of not having an ADA-compliant website, you can understand its necessity.

So, make sure to keep your websites ADA accessible. Contact us to learn more about ADA accessibility for your websites.

The Importance Of ADA Website Accessibility Compliance
Posted on By Author content@adaforweb.com Categories Articles

The Importance Of ADA Website Accessibility Compliance

ADA website accessibility compliance falls under the use of an ADA compliance website checklist to make your website inclusive to everyone. It prevents discrimination against people with disabilities and ensures equality in every sector. It also improves the overall usability and user experience of your websites.

Many ADA compliance companies can help you ensure ADA accessibility for your website. Without ADA accessibility, a large part of the general people fails to attain the services and features of your website. This, in turn, negatively impacts your company.

Why Your Websites Need To Be ADA Accessible
If you are new to the concept of ADA accessibility, you might be wondering about the importance of ADA website accessibility compliance. To many people, it is the feature of making websites user-friendly for the disabled and the impaired people. However, the importance of ADA accessibility goes further than that. Some of them are discussed below.

Improving Your SEO Efforts
When your website meets the ADA accessibility guidelines, screen readers can easily understand, access, and interact with the website. Websites that are ADA compliant attract these screen readers across the world. It is becoming more appealing to all users due to its user-friendly features.

This allows your website to improve its SEO efforts. As a result, search engines, screen readers, and the audience of the website interact with your website and its content more. Eventually, the SEO traffic of the website improves. This outcome is highly beneficial for the company.

Better Website Usability
The websites that are ADA accessible have the feature of assisting disabled people to attain the services of the website. Not only that, it creates an overall improvement in your website’s performance and its usability.
ADA accessibility compliance allows your websites to have better navigation. It also ensures improved functioning for all people. Everyone, including the visually impaired and people with other physical constraints, can find what they are looking for. This ultimately creates better usability for your website for all of its audience.

Complying With The Law
ADA accessibility compliance is more than a tool for making your website more user-friendly. It is an obligatory feature that your websites must contain. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act states that the websites of federal agencies must be ADA accessible.

To the 2019 Supreme Court decision, ADA compliance is required for a firm’s websites. Any company, firm, or organization can face lawsuits if their websites are not ADA accessible. So, the importance of ADA website accessibility compliance is immense. It is a means of complying with the law of the country and preventing penalties against your website.

Ensuring Brand Exposure And Awareness
Your websites need to be ADA accessible to enable brand exposure. Simultaneously, ADA accessibility compliance creates inclusion and awareness for your company. It is a means of protecting the digital rights of disabled and handicapped people.

When you design your websites in a way to be ADA compliant, you allow your brand to express its concern for the rights of impaired people. So, it ensures a notion of trust and inclusion in your company. Consequently, your company can ensure brand exposure through the means of an ADA-accessible website.

Qualifying For A Tax Credit Available
One of the most important features of an ADA-compliant website is the qualification for a tax credit. If you have an ADA-accessible website, you can qualify for a tax credit. It is a feature for you or your firm to directly deduct from the taxes that you owe.

Businesses and firms that have an ADA-accessible website can qualify for this feature. As a result, it enables your company to attain the benefits of a tax credit. This is a crucial service for many organizations and firms. Without following the ADA compliance guidelines, your firm fails to qualify for a tax credit. So, ADA website accessibility is vital.

Conclusion
The importance of ADA website accessibility compliance is immense for multiple reasons. Many ADA compliance companies can help you to ensure that your website is following the ADA website checklist.
Therefore, make sure to attain the numerous benefits of an ADA-accessible website by designing your website to be ADA compliant.

Website Accessibility For All—Is Your Company ADA Compliant?
Posted on By Author content@adaforweb.com Categories Learn About Web Accessibility

Website Accessibility For All—Is Your Company ADA Compliant?

In this era of technology, ensuring that your websites are accessible to a diverse range of visitors should be a top priority if you happen to be a business owner. So, if you are wondering whether your company is ADA compliant or not, you’ve come to the right place!

In this article, we’ll discuss how you can check if your company is ADA compliant, along with some other ADA compliance consulting and helpful information you might need.

Why Is ADA Compliance Vital For Your Business?

In designed to safeguard your company from penalties and lawsuits, ADA compliance is essential. Additionally, it helps businesses expand their web presence and improve their reputation.

Businesses that violate the rule also run the risk of paying over $100,000 fines for each violation, as well as being subject to legal action and negative press. The disabled community also values ADA compliance since it enables them to use your products and services both in person and online.

Additionally, having an ADA compliance website increases visitors and profitability. Again, the Internal Revenue Service provides write-offs and tax credits for companies that are accessible to people with disabilities.

For example, a business can benefit from the $5,000 USD Disabled Access Credit, which covers costs incurred to increase accessibility for disabled people. It covers expenditures for both real-world and online locations.

Furthermore, companies can take advantage of the job opportunity credit by actively employing individuals with disabilities. Thus, you can claim a tax credit for a disabled employee’s pay in your first year of employment.

However, ADA compliance is not only legal but also ethically right. Companies must abide by the laws and guarantee that everyone has access to resources. Therefore, ADA compliance is beneficial for your company and brand reputation and also essential to ensure the human rights of your diverse range of clientele.

How To Check If Your Company Website Is ADA Compliant

Regarding ADA website accessibility, there are not any precise guidelines. However, most organizations, including governmental institutions, follow the WCAG standards. You can use automated testing, human testing, or a mix of the two to ensure your website conforms to the ADA standards. The following are a few ways to check if your company is ADA compliant or not:

● Try Using Free Tools
Numerous freely accessible ADA compliance checkers are available for businesses to utilize, which examine your site’s text size, image alt text, color contrast, and other factors. . For example, Lighthouse and WAVE. The drawback is that they only assess a single page at a single time rather than your entire website.
Moreover, anyone wishing to perform an ADA site test can access various other tools. These tools assist in determining whether or not the website complies with the WCAG guidelines. Besides,you may even install ADA compliance plugins if you have access to a WordPress website.

● Requesting A Professional Evaluation
A professional assessment is yet another method you might use to determine whether or not your website complies with the ADA. Some numerous qualified individuals and organizations may analyze your website or websites in-depth and offer advice accordingly.
According to your terms, the agency may make suggestions on your company’s behalf. However, your company will choose if you should spend money on an audit.

● Performing Manual Audits
You can also do a manual audit to check the ADA compliance of your website. To do this, examine the URLs on your company’s website. Using the WCAG, a physical audit entails assessing the usability of each page on the website. Although WCAG seems to be a sizable checklist, it serves as the foundation for ADA compatibility.
However, a manual audit is typically unrealistic for businesses, considering the consequences of not complying with ADA regulations. Using ADA compliance software or spending money on an expert audit ensures your company develops the most acceptable ADA compliance strategy.

● Request Testing From Family & Friends
It’s a less well-known but helpful method of determining whether or not a site complies with the ADA. So, try to select a variety of users, both able-bodied and impaired, and decide whether or not they can easily browse your app or website.

● Compare Your Website To The WCAG Guidelines
You can also use a WCAG test to determine whether your website complies with ADA standards. It will enable you to identify any website areas that don’t adhere to the ADA standards. There are four core principles of WCAG, which further create specific recommendations. These are: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.

How To Develop An ADA-compliant Website
Making sure a new website conforms with the ADA is among the most crucial considerations when launching it. So, now, let’s discuss how to develop an ADA-compliant site for your convenience:

1. Include Image Description
Images on websites are essential for conveying information. However, that will be challenging for those who are blind. Adding “alt text” to every picture is a simple fix.
Well, for someone to use a screening tool to comprehend the intended expression of the picture, alt text offers a detailed description.

2. Activate The Keyboard Navigation
Many disabled people using the internet depend on keyboards or other input devices instead of computer mouses for navigating. People often use the ‘Enter’ and ‘Esc’ keys as keyboard shortcuts for opening and closing drop-down menus, respectively.
They can move between different page items by pressing the “Tab” button.

3. Simplify The Website Visuals
One of the most significant issues people with disabilities face is ill-defined visual features. A business owner must make their material accessible to all clients, regardless of whether they have visual or cognitive disabilities.
Ensure that all your website visuals are simple and have improved color contrast.

4. Offer Video & Audio Content Substitutes
There are other types of media as well as images that need a flexible response solution. For instance, transcripts of audio-only material should provide the same information. Besides, videos ought to include captions.
Another valuable method for facilitating access to media for the deaf is sign language translation.

5. Hire A Professional
Hiring a professional company for the job is the most straightforward choice for most businesses. You may update your website quickly and confidently by working with a reputable expert website design company. Thus, you won’t have to worry about assembling an internal project team or managing enough time.
Although cost is a consideration that every business must recognize when considering employing an agency, you need to evaluate the return on that investment. You risk facing costly fines and legal action if your website isn’t ADA compliant. You may reduce this risk by working with an ADA-compliant website design company.

Conclusion
By now, you’ve got to know the significance of ADA compliance for your business and ways to check it. So, if you are considering hiring a professional company to make your website ADA compliant or need ADA compliance consulting, don’t hesitate to contact ADA for Web. We’re looking forward to doing business with you.

ADA Website Remediation Guide
Posted on By Author content@adaforweb.com Categories Articles

ADA Website Remediation Guide

If your website is not in compliance with the ADA, you could be looking at a potential lawsuit. Fortunately, you can take some simple steps to bring your website into compliance.

This guide will walk you through the most important things to consider when remedying your website.

We’ll also provide some tips for making sure your website is accessible to everyone. Let’s get started!

Making Websites Accessible Is the Law

Your website must follow ADA guidelines to provide equal access and opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) enforces the ADA through investigations and lawsuits. If DOJ finds a violation, they may sue you to obtain court orders and monetary damages to stop the discrimination.

An accessible website reduces your risk of being sued by the DOJ or an individual with a disability. However, even if you are not at risk of legal action, it is still the law to make your website accessible.

We provide specific protections for existing websites built before April 21, 2010. Newer sites must comply with current standards (i.e., Section 508).

Understand The ADA Website Requirements 

The ADA website requirements are split into four categories:

  • High Priority
  • Medium Priority
  • Low Priority
  • Extra Credit

Each of these categories is explained in detail below. Let’s get started!

High-Priority Requirements:

Your website must be compatible with screen reading technology.

Ensure the content is accessible to screen readers by using text instead of images for headers, links, and buttons. Use descriptive link text that includes the function of the linked page, not just the title of the page or subpage.

If you include graphics on your web page, use ALT text to provide an accessible description. The ATAG 2.0 – Section 508 Guide includes further recommendations for ensuring your website is compatible with screen readers.

If you are using Flash or other non-text elements on your site, ensure that they include alternative information presented in a text format.

Your website must be compatible with speech recognition technology.

Ensure your site is compatible with voice recognition software by limiting background noise and not using scripting, Flash, or other elements that may cause the screen reader to misinterpret data.

By making sure your website is accessible to individuals who use screen readers and voice recognition software, you can provide equal access and opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

Medium-Priority Requirements: 

Your website must be compatible with text magnification technology.

Users who have low vision may require enlarged fonts or larger images. By having these options available, everyone will have the ability to view your content.

Make sure to use scalable vector graphics (SVG) instead of bitmap graphics (PNG) to maintain the image quality even when it is enlarged. For further recommendations, refer to the W3C Mobile Accessibility Guidelines.

Your website must be compatible with color differentiation technology.

People who are color blind or have low vision may not distinguish colors well. Ensure that content is also available in black and white or grayscale to ensure everyone has access.

Low-Priority Requirements:

Your website must meet general requirements for text formatting and placement.

The text must be left-aligned, meaning that the reader starts from the same point on each line or paragraph. Headings, links, and buttons should be underlined, bolded, or both to show the text’s importance.

Wherever possible, use headings (H1-H6) to organize your content and make it more accessible. Do not rely only on color or font size to convey meaning because some users will not distinguish these changes.

Your website must provide captions for audio and video content.

Captions provide what is said in multimedia format (i.e., speech or background music). Refer to the FCC’s Online Captioning Best Practices Guidelines for further information on giving captions.

Extra-Credit Requirements:

Provide transcripts for video and audio content.

Transcripts are text created from the audio file. The text should be available in a separate document or included with the multimedia content so users can read along if they cannot hear the video.

Provide alternative representations of color-dependent information.

Some individuals may not distinguish colors well, especially if they have low vision. Make sure that all information is available in a format other than color.

For instance, a background contrasts with associated text or uses shapes to represent information instead of colors.

Your website must be compatible with screen magnification technology.

Use large fonts and high-contrast color models to increase the font size of their browser if necessary. Your website should be compatible with the text enlargement function on most modern browsers.

Should I outsource ADA web accessibility remediation?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the decision of whether to outsource ADA web accessibility remediation will depend on a variety of factors, including a budget, timeline, resources, and expertise.

However, many organizations find that outsourcing this work can be a more efficient and cost-effective way to meet their ADA compliance obligations.

The first thing to consider is who will do the website cleanup: your development team or an external ADA website maintenance firm? If you already have a team in place, we strongly suggest utilizing it.

If your team is overwhelmed, doesn’t exist, or you’d instead work with a group of WCAG remediation professionals, we can step in and provide the assistance you require.

ADA Website Remediation:

The first step is to categorize the audit results by task type and importance or urgency. In our documentation, we indicate the level of each item and then give a priority ranking so that project management may use it. Issues are classified into three categories: design, content, and development.

Design Issue: These issues include colour contrast, movement, and audio.

Content Issue: These issues include information missing from the screen-reader text file or other features that do not rely on the design.

Development Issue: These issues are typically coding errors in which a developer may have implemented a solution to a problem in a way that creates new problems.

For each of these items, we guide how to resolve the issue and include any relevant references to the WCAG 2.0 at Level AA success criteria or other sources for more information.

PDF Remediation: 

When it comes to PDFs, you need a company that can handle the job for an affordable price. There are specialists out there who will remediate your entire website in bulk at discounted rates if needed; we recommend using one of these services instead!

Choosing a Sect 508 / ADA Website Remediation Consultant:

To start, ask for references from an attorney specializing in web accessibility or an experienced website designer.

You’re looking for a person or team who can get both the code and how people with disabilities use assistive technologies to navigate websites – which isn’t your average developer!

Conclusion:

The ADA Website Remediation Guide is a comprehensive set of recommendations and best practices for making websites accessible to individuals with disabilities.

The guide offers an overview of the requirements of the ADA, explains how to make websites accessible, and provides case studies of organizations that have successfully remediated their websites.

If you’re looking for help remediating your website or want more information on the ADA, this guide is a great place to start.

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