Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Website Accessibility

How to Avoid ADA Website Lawsuits?

No one thinks it will happen to them until it does, and you get served with a federal lawsuit.

Ensure your website meets WCAG guidelines and provides people with disabilities an accessible experience. Contact us for your free ADA Website Compliance Audit.

How to Fight ADA Website Lawsuits?

“Surf-by” lawsuits are increasing by the day. Hire a good lawyer experienced in ADA cases. We can offer recommendations.

You still need to ensure your website is accessible.

It is good to share this information with your peers and other business owners to increase awareness of the dangers of ADA non-compliance.

Why You Need an ADA Compliant Website?

Firstly, it is the law in many jurisdictions.

ADA compliance is rooted in addressing discrimination against people with disabilities, knowing or unknowingly. As a business owner, organization, or government body, you want to follow practical and ethical business practices to make your business and website are accessible to everyone for a better user experience and without discrimination.

For more information, visit www.ada.gov

What is an ADA-Compliant Website?

If you are a business owner with an e-commerce website or any service/information website, you must make sure your site is ADA compliant.

It is not that difficult to ensure that all content and functionality is accessible to individuals with disabilities using WCAG 2.0 and above standards, but it is a time-consuming process.

Contact us for your free ADA Website Compliance Audit.

For more information on the DOJ’s guidance to accessibility, please visit: Ada web guideline

What is an ADA Compliance Plan?

ADA Compliance plan is the process of making your website ADA compliant and accessible for everyone. Compliance is not a one-and-done process. It requires diligence, training, and routine workflow checks.

These practices protect you from expensive litigation, fines, bad reviews, ratings, and public shaming.

This includes following a step-by-step guide outlined in our remediation process.

1) You fill out our free audit and consultation form
2) We conduct a Full Accessibility Audit of Your Website
3) Accessibility Repair
4) Launch revised theme/code
5) Website training
6) Accessibility Overlays and Statements

We can review your website and provide your custom plan.

Who is Responsible for Violations of the ADA?

As a business owner, it’s essential to understand your responsibilities regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

While violations can happen unintentionally, it is still your responsibility to be aware of what you can do to prevent them and what happens if you’re found to be in violation.

Do Small Businesses Need to Have ADA-Compliant Websites?

It is a common misconception that only larger businesses worry about ADA website compliance. The truth is all companies need to ensure their website is accessible to everyone, regardless of the size of the business. Lawsuits have been filed against businesses of all types and can be very costly.

What are Legal Issues for Non-Compliant Sites?

Any website that does not comply with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) regulations may be subject to legal penalties and/or class action lawsuits.
This could mean anything from a fine to a lawsuit. If your website is not currently ADA compliant, it’s essential to take steps as soon as possible to avoid such a situation.

Some members of Congress are trying to push through legislation such as H.R. 1100 — 117th Congress: Online Accessibility Act to create clear and better standards for businesses to follow.

What is WCAG?

More than 15% of the global population lives with disabilities that affect their daily lives, including online shopping and web browsing.

To address this need for accessibility, W3C has created Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) which are widely recognized as the international standard to follow.

WCAG 2.2 is an update to the previous versions of WCAG, and it aims to make online content more accessible for a broader range of people with disabilities.

ADA website compliance signifies that your site meets the standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and World Wide Web Consortium’s technical guidelines for websites.

How to Test Your Website for ADA and WCAG Compliance?

1) Install Google Chrome Extension tools such as WAVE from Web Aim and use Google Lighthouse.

2) Screen Readers: Screen readers allow users who are blind or have low vision to hear all of the content on your website. This requires proper alt-text
and other content tagging.

3) Keyboard Navigation: Keyboard navigation is an essential aspect of web accessibility. Correct ordering and focus indicators allow users to navigate
a website more easily.

4) Closed Captions: Captions are necessary to make videos and audio content accessible for people with hearing impairment.

5) Text-Zoom: Text zoom offers a way for people who are blind or have low vision to read the text more accessible by increasing its size.

6) Color Contrast: Ratio: Text and interactive elements should have a color contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1. There are various tools that designers can use
to address these issues, along with overlays and widgets such as UserWay.

What are ADA Standards for Accessible Website Design?

Website accessibility standards are often broken down into four basic principles: Perceivable, Operable, and Understandable. Below are a limited number of examples for an overview purpose. For more details, visit WCAG 2.2

Perceivable:

  • Make your website is accessible to everyone by providing text alternatives for non-text content.
  • Caption multimedia makes it easier for everyone to see and hear the content.
  • Without losing meaning, Create content that can be presented differently, including assistive technologies.
  • Make it easier for website visitors to see and hear content.

Operable:

  • Make all functionality available from a keyboard to navigate and find information faster.
  • Give Website Visitors enough time to read and use the content.
  • Do not use content that causes seizures.
  • Help users navigate and find content.

Understandable:

  • Make your website content readable and understandable.
  • Make website content appear and operate in predictable ways.
  • Help website visitors avoid & correct mistakes.

Robust:

  • Maximize website compatibility with current and future user tools.

ADA vs. 508 Compliance vs. WCAG: What Is the Difference?

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines ( WCAG ) is a set of website accessibility guidelines that are internationally accepted.

508 Compliance is shorthand for a law requiring federal government websites to be accessible for people with disabilities.

ADA Compliance is The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, or ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability.