March 02 2018

Comparing Website ADA Levels

comparing website ADA levels When you provide an ADA conformant website, you embrace the 38% of Americans with disabilities that are actively surfing the web. You also protect your business from the increasing threat of lawsuits. Despite the DOJ announcement in July 2017 to not immediately make this a definitive law, making a website conformant to WCAG 2.0 is not only a way to protect a business from potential lawsuits, but is also the right thing to do for the millions of disabled website visitors.

Website ADA compliance is not one size fits all. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) outline three standard conformance levels: A, AA, and AAA. Similar to baseball, level A is weaker and AAA is stronger. While you might immediately want to strive for the strongest level, it is important to understand that the level of conformance can affect your site’s current design, feel and functionality. We’ve outlined a few things to consider when deciding which ADA level to strive for:

Level A conformity has minimal effect, but also minimal impact. While WCAG 2.0 Level A allows screen readers to more effectively scan a site, it will not make your site compliant to the current standards the DOJ or lawyers want to see.
Level AA is a happy medium that most businesses currently strive for. Level AA conformance satisfies all Level A criteria and more, while still allowing for more flexible design choices, making this level not too light but not too restrictive in its effect on your site design. This is the most popular level of conformance most projects strive for.
Level AAA captures all conformance factors at the highest level. While this is the most comprehensive level of website conformance, it is also the most restrictive on key interactive elements which can contribute to design and functionality of your site.

Below is a broader comparison of exactly what website features are configured on a site to meet each level of conformance included in the WCAG. If you have questions on website ADA conformance or are looking to talk services with us, our team at ZAG is happy to help you.

Feature	Level A	Level AA	Level AAA
Provide text alternatives for any non-text content	✔	✔	✔
Provide alternatives for video-only and audio-only content	✔	✔	✔
Add captions to all prerecorded videos with sound	✔	✔	✔
Describe movements that provide extra information in prerecorded video that not are audibly explained in the video.	✔	✔	✔
Live videos include captions		✔	✔
Provide sign language translations for videos			✔
Record alternative video with extended audio description			✔
Provide a transcript for video and audio content			✔
Include closed captions with live audio			✔
All content has intuitive page structure and formatting	✔	✔	✔
Use meaningful sequence of content	✔	✔	✔
Provide instructions via more than one sense	✔	✔	✔
Do not rely only on color to convey information	✔	✔	✔
End-user control of audio	✔	✔	✔
Use minimum color contrasts		✔	✔
Resize text up to 200%		✔	✔
Limit images of text		✔	✔
Contrast is at least 7:1 relative to the background			✔
Limit background noise on video and audio content			✔
Allow users to customize their view			✔
Restrict images of text			✔
All parts of a site must be keyboard-accessible	✔	✔	✔
Allow keyboard user to navigate away from all parts of a site	✔	✔	✔
All parts of a site must be keyboard-accessible with no exceptions			✔
Time limits are user adjustable	✔	✔	✔
Moving, blinking, scrolling, or auto updating can be user paused, stopped, or hidden	✔	✔	✔
No time limits are enforced			✔
Ensure no interruptions of content consumption			✔
If re-authentication is necessary, data entered is saved			✔
No content may flash more than three times in a second	✔	✔	✔
No content may flash more than three times in a second with no exceptions			✔
Provide Skip to Content links	✔	✔	✔
Page titles must be descriptive	✔	✔	✔
Focus order must be logical		✔	✔
Every link’s purpose is clear	✔	✔	✔
Multiple ways exist for users to find pages		✔	✔
Headings organize content and all elements are labeled		✔	✔
Keyboard focus must be clear		✔	✔
Ensure user always knows location on the site			✔
Every link’s purpose is clear even when using the link out of context			✔
Every new topic has a heading			✔
Every page has a defined language	✔	✔	✔
Language changes on a page are communicated		✔	✔
Avoid or explain all jargon			✔
Explain all abbreviations			✔
Write for reading level of 9 years of school			✔
Explain words that a screen reader will have trouble pronouncing			✔
Content does not change on focus	✔	✔	✔
Content does not change on input	✔	✔	✔
Menu usage is consistent across site		✔	✔
Icons and buttons are obviously icons and buttons		✔	✔
Elements on the site do not change unless the end-user asks			✔
Clearly describe form input errors	✔	✔	✔
Provide clear form input instructions with labels	✔	✔	✔
Clearly describe form input errors and how to fix them		✔	✔
On forms, validate input and allow input to be changed	✔	✔	✔
Provide instruction for completing tasks, especially forms			✔
On forms, validate input and allow input to be changed without exception			✔
HTML is validated against standards	✔	✔	✔
All content generated by scripts must be accessible	✔	✔	✔

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Website Compliance

posted by

Dan Seagull

Sr. QA & Certified Accessibility Analyst

ZAG Interactive is a full-service digital agency in Glastonbury, CT, offering website design, development, marketing and digital strategy to clients nationwide. See current job openings.