ADA Compliance

What is ADA compliance?

Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulates businesses to provide a website experience that works well for citizens with disabilities.

The ADA states, “no individual shall be discriminated against on the basis of disability in the full and equal enjoyment of goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of any place of public accommodation”.

In simple terms, the act itself was put in effect to ensure that no digital property discriminates against people with disabilities. So, if a company has a website, it needs to be accessible to everyone, period. Last but not least, as of 2018, these rules & regulations apply to ALL web content & designs.

Why your website must be ADA compliant
1. It’s the right thing to do
As of 2018, there are over 25 million people in the USA who are visually impaired. Visually impaired is defined as those whose vision is less than or equal to 20/20.

Simply put, if you or a friend had a disability would you want companies to make reasonable changes to their website so that it was accessible?

2. You are legally required to be compliant
Legal precedent has been clearly set over the last 10 years, that has shown that ADA rules do apply to websites. If your site is not ADA compliant, you are breaking the law and are at risk of civil class action lawsuits.

3. Lost business from local, municipal, and federal government organizations
You risk losing new business from government entities and conscious procurement departments across the United States.

If your website receives federal funding, assistance, or you have contracts with the government your website must be accessible. Or, you risk losing funding, assistance, and contracts with the government.

4. Risk a mad dash to fix your website
It’s not uncommon for courts to force a company to fix ADA compliance issues by a certain date. This often causes a mad scramble to get it fixed in time.

This mad scramble has real, negative impacts on your priorities and focus. Be proactive and get your website complaint before its forced on you.

5. Lose customers with disabilities.
There are over 25 million people in the USA with visual impairments. 1 in 8 people in the USA have a hearing impairment, totaling over 30 million people.

Just between these two disabilities, there are over 55 million people affected. Which is over 17% of the US population.

If you don’t ensure your website is compliant for any other reason, you should at least recognize the potential revenue loss you’ll experience from losing out on doing business with or serving almost 20% of the population of the United States.

What is ADA compliance website?

Failing ADA compliance creates poor and awkward experiences for people with physical disabilities. Simply put, ADA compliance is assuring your website falls within a set of prescribed accessibility standards.

Does ADA compliance apply to websites?

When it comes to ADA website compliance, there are no clear rules. That doesn’t let businesses off the hook, though; they still must provide an accessible website that accommodates users with disabilities. … “We only know that the ADA does apply to websites based on cases, such as [Gil v. Winn-Dixie].”

Who has to comply with ADA?

The ADA covers employers with 15 or more employees, including state and local governments. It also applies to employment agencies and to labor organizations. The ADA’s nondiscrimination standards also apply to federal sector employees under section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended, and its implementing rules.

Who enforces ADA compliance?

In addition to the U.S. Department of Labor, several other federal agencies have a role in enforcing, or investigating claims involving, the ADA: The U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces Title I of the ADA.