To maximize your site’s usability for all people – no matter their ability – your website needs to be designed, built and maintained against current website conformance guidelines.
Title III of the ADA & WCAG
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Prohibits discrimination on the basis of disabilities in places of public accommodation, commercial facilities and select private entities
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WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) were established to provide site owners with a set of guidelines for site accessibility
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Together, these attempts to prohibit discrimination and create a fairer digital experience
In a study of 10 million web pages:
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98% had non-compliant menus
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89% had non-compliant popups
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83% failed to utilize accessible buttons
A recent survey found that 69% of individuals with disabilities click away from a site with access barriers.
It is estimated that 13.1% of the U.S. population (more than 43 million Americans) have some form of disability, such as a vision, hearing or cognitive impairment.
Is Your Website Meeting Accessibility Guidelines?
Technical Requirements
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Upload documents in a text-based format (HTML or RTF- in addition to PDF) as they are most compatible with assistance technologies
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Heading tags should be used for ordered and unordered lists
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Content should be organized in a logical hierarchy so that the sequence reads properly
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Include a “skip navigation” link on top of each page so people using screen readers can go directly to the desired content on the page
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Allow websites to expand to 400% without degradation
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Target inputs (like buttons and accordions) on mobile devices must be at least 44x44 pixels
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All functions on website need to be accessible by keyboard only
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Use the site’s CSS for styling, avoiding the <b> and <u> for example
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Users must be able to turn adjust time limits.
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Each page needs to have a unique and descriptive page title
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There must be multiple ways to access site pages (search bar, navigation menus, sitemap, breadcrumbs, links)
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Appropriate fields in forms need to provide an autocomplete option
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The website must be accessible in both landscape and portrait views as well as in all screen sizes
Image/Table/Form Rules:
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Include alt-text for every visual (photos, logos, maps, charts)
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Data tables must have headers and layout tables must be marked as “presentation”
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Form controls (buttons, check boxes, drop-down menus, text fields) must be labeled
Audio/Video Guidelines:
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Videos need to include audio descriptions and captions
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All video-only and audio-only content must have text transcripts
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Audio must be able to be paused, stopped or muted
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Any animation must have a pause/play button or last less than 5 seconds
Design Standards:
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Avoid dictating text colors and settings (users need to be able to change color and font settings to what’s readable for them in their browsers and operating systems)
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Minimize distracting features like blinking, flashing and moving objects (or allow users to control these)
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Information that requires only color to convey its meaning must also include text or symbols
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Establish a color contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 between all normal text and background
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Establish a color contrast ratio of at least 3:1 between all large text and background
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Non-text content needs 3:1 contrast with background
Website ADA Violation Lawsuits
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2,000+ website accessibility cases were filed in 2019
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From 2017 to 2018, lawsuits for ADA website non-compliance increased 177%
No excuses for violations:
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Beyoncé lawsuit reason: beyonce.com not equally accessible to visually-impaired consumers
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Burger King lawsuit reason: Website was not fully accessible and wouldn’t work with screen reading software
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Domino’s Pizza lawsuit reason: Blind individual unable to place a customized pizza order or take advantage of online-only discounts because website and mobile app wouldn’t work with screen reading software
Redesign vs. Retrofit
Redesign Your Site
Retrofit Your Site
Website ADA Ongoing Testing & Reporting
Your business should have a formal website ADA plan and process in place:
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Enlist software and train employees on interpreting results, or hire an agency for regular site testing
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Quickly address any issues discovered in an audit or reporting
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Keep up to date on the latest guidelines
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Train administrators on guidelines
Sources:
Medium, Entrepreneur, ADA.gov, AccessiBe.com, Clickawaypound.com, Statista.com, ADATitleIII.com, montereyherald.com
Visit www.zaginteractive.com for more information.