Website accessibility means that everyone, regardless of their ability, can use the web as it is meant to be used. Web accessibility is the practice of making websites usable by people with disabilities.
Those with disabilities of vision, cognition, mobility, hearing as well as changes in abilities associated with aging are helped by an ADA compliant accessible website.
Here are some types of disabilities that are helped by an ADA compliant accessible website. Do you know anyone with any of these disabilities? If so, then you know someone who will be helped by an ADA compliant accessible website.
ADHD
Dyslexia
Color blindness
Trembling hands
Epilepsy
Autism
Loss of motor skills
Low vision
Short term memory loss
Blindness
Deafness
And so many other common impairments
ALL websites need to be ADA compliant accessible. If your website is open to the public (not password protected) it is legally required to be ADA compliant accessible.
You betcha!! U.S. companies implementing web accessibility can get up to a $5,000 tax credit per Title 26, Internal Revenue Code, Section 44.
You are eligible for the tax credit if
you have gross receipts of less than one million dollars
OR
employ less than 30 full time employees
And this tax credit can be used every year!
Absolutely. Things that are done to make a site ADA compliant make the site more readable and useable. And search engines what to deliver results that are usable by the largest number of people. Plus, a more readable site for humans is also more readable for search engines crawlers.
A recent study by Semrush analyzed over 800 accessible websites and revealed a dramatic increase in site traffic. The graphic below summarizes the results of the study.
Absolutely not.
Toolbars use AI (Artificial Intelligence) which can only address about 30% of accessibility issues. Many businesses install these toolbars and believe they are accessible…until they get sued. And what businesses don’t know is some of these toolbars actually make it worse for people with disabilities.
“We are fully aware of the concerns regarding false advertising and deceptive marketing issues by some overlay vendors and the dangers that they may present.” — IAAP (International Association of Accessibility Professionals
So, buyer beware. Toolbars/widgets/overlays leave you wide open to lawsuits AND they do not help the 25% of people with a disability use your site with ease.
Request a complimentary review of your site and we will let you know about the accessibility of your site. There is no cost for this and happy to answer any questions that arise from the review.
People live and work in ways that require the use of digital tools. When digital spaces like websites and apps are not usable by people with disabilities, they can not do things like work efficiently, pay their bills, attend school, find information, schedule a ride, apply for jobs, access health care, order food and so much more. Think of all of the ways you use a website or app in just one day. Now, imagine not being able to do that.
25% of the world population has a disability. That’s 1 billion people.
25% of the US population has a disability. That’s 61 million people.
25% of people in the UK have a disability. That’s 14 million people.
25% of people in Canada have a disability. That’s 6 million people.
And the list goes on.
Hell yes. Let’s consider some spending power.
Worldwide, people with disabilities have a $7 trillion spending power.
Older Americans, many of whom struggle to use the web because of trembling hands, low vision, memory loss, might not have a registered disability, but their struggles are solved by an accessible website, have a $9 trillion spending power.
Disposable income of people with in US with a disability: $645 billion
30% of professional millennials have a disability. The U.S. spending power of millennials is $420 million.
For more details about the ROI in website accessibility, check out our blog post “The Business Case for Website Accessibility.”
Getting sued. Ouch.
Blocking or offering a frustrating experience for 25% of the population
Missing out on big ROI that comes from making your website usable by the 25% of the population that has a disability.
Reduced SEO compares to accessible sites.
And a lot more. Check out our blog post “Ignoring Web Accessibility is Seriously Costing Your Business”
It takes a very skilled and trained accessibility technician to make a website accessible. The same way that a layperson couldn’t make a building accessible, the layperson can not make a website accessible. But, getting your site accessible is easy! Found out how in our blog post “How Do I Make My Website Accessible?”
They are the same thing, just different terminology.
The global standard is Website Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2 (WCAG 2.2). There various criteria under each standard.
Physical accessibility refers to making physical places like stores, offices, airports, etc usable by people with disabilities. Some physical accessibility remedies are ramps, larger bathroom stalls and braille on elevator buttons.
Digital accessibility refers to making digital spaces like websites, apps, videos, kiosks, electronic documents, etc usable by people with disabilities. Some examples of digital accessibility remedies are alt tags on images, captions & transcripts for videos and making sure websites can be used by screen readers and are keyboard navigable.
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires federal agencies to ensure that their information and communication technology (ICT) is accessible to people with disabilities. This includes all digital communications, such as websites, documents, videos, software and hardware. Private companies may also need to comply if they provide services to the government or receive federal funding. Find all of the details on our blog post “Understanding Section 508 Compliance: What You Need to Know.”
Contact us immediately. We will connect you with a skilled and experienced ADA website defense lawyer and help you fix your website. Businesses that are sued once for a noncompliant sites are often sued a 2nd and 3rd time, so getting your site compliant is essential.
Avoid digital ADA lawsuits
Increase market share by 25%
Boost SEO
Increased website traffic
Create a better user experience for ALL site visitors
Uplevel your DEI (diversity, equity & inclusion) and CSR (corporate social responsibility) efforts overnight
Show you care about everyone’s experience on your website
