Did you know that you could be violating the Americans with Disabilities Act? Even if you have a physical location that is in full compliance with the law, your website might not be.
Companies are getting sued more often because they don’t provide accessibility for people with disabilities.
You need to understand what the website accessibility laws are so you can update your site. Read on to find out more about website accessibility and the law.
What Is Website Accessibility?
Website accessibility means that your site has certain features enabled to allow people with sight or hearing issues to see the content of your site.
For example, a person who has issues seeing would need to use assistive technologies to understand images and interpret text.
About Website Accessibility Laws
The reason why website accessibility laws are being challenged in court is that more of our lives occur online. We bank, shop, and entertain ourselves online.
For people with disabilities, an inaccessible website means that they’re cut off from these activities.
The primary law that governs website accessibility is Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This law requires public spaces to be accessible to people with disabilities. Doors must be a certain width, ramps must be installed, and there are many more accessibility requirements.
The law was initially created in 1990, long before the internet became a massive part of our lives. The argument that is being made in court is that websites are also public spaces.
The problem with website accessibility compliance is that there isn’t an explicit law that states whether or not a website has to comply or not. The lack of clarity and guidelines from the Department of Justice forced many people to take companies to court.
Unfortunately, court decisions tend to be mixed and don’t give clear guidelines, either.
What Can You Do to Avoid a Lawsuit?
Your best defense until a law is in place is to make your website accessible. That should prevent future lawsuits.
There is one set of standards that are applied in court cases in the U.S. and around the world. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
You make your site available for all users by adding alt-text to your images and videos. You also have to limit the amount of flashing on your website, as that could trigger a seizure.
There are many other guidelines that WCAG includes. You should look through the guidelines and put your site in the best position to abide by website compliance laws.
Website Accessibility Is Important
Not only is website accessibility essential to protect your business, but it’s also good business. You get to reach out to a new audience because you took steps to make your site more accessible.
It’s best to keep following the website accessibility laws because they will keep changing. By following the WCAG guidelines, you put your business in a position to serve more people and be immune to lawsuits.
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