Is Your Website ADA Compliant?
Is your company looking towards the horizon to extend its marketing reach while avoiding potential legal action? Lawsuits against companies is an emerging trend when they fail to provide accessibility for disabled people. Businesses worry about the expense and time in ensuring accessibility, especially for online and digital platforms, but for disabled people, it potentially locks them out of opportunities from employment to entertainment.
- In 2018, more than 470 suits involving digital accessibility were filed between July and September.
- UsableNet estimates that in 2019, a new ADA website lawsuit was filed every working hour, totaling 40 a week and more than 2,000 per year.
These numbers demonstrate the need for websites and apps to be accessible for everyone.
Finding representatives from a target demographic to test online and digital content is strongly recommended. Using real-life people who understand accessibility is key. Accessibility should be worked into the creation of platforms. Expectations with collaborators should be set up-front, which includes graphic designers, content managers, and writers. Some key accessibility concerns to work on include:
- Avoid “click here” links and vague link names
- Reduce cluttered pages
- Use headings
- Keep formatting simple
- Use tables selectively
- Include descriptive alt-text for graphics including photos and icons
Outlook Business Solutions provides accessibility testing for organizations and companies. Skilled technicians will test various aspects of your online/digital platforms and provide suggestions you can implement to ensure your content meets with ADA and WCAG guidelines. We can:
- Conduct a thorough review of your website to identify any accessibility obstacles including missing alt text for images, incorrectly labeled buttons, and navigational errors.
- Run diagnostics to analyze the accessibility of your website and/or app.
The digital world is moving toward a standard of full accessibility for websites and platforms. Be a leader in your community and your industry by ensuring your company adopts best accessibility practices, and reap the added benefits of an expanded market and reduced legal risk.
Call today for a free initial evaluation of your website.