Web accessibility, it’s a thing! And guess what, it can be a problem. If your website is not compliant with the ADA website standards, you are not only neglecting a valuable percentage of potential customers, but you are also opening yourself up to a possible lawsuit.
What does web accessibility mean?
Web accessibility is a set of rules, behaviors, code standards and design guidelines, that are meant to allow people with disabilities to effectively use websites. It means your website must be able to be used by people with disabilities. This means all people with disabilities including:
What does an accessible website do?
Accessible websites provide information to users through multiple sensory channels, such as sound and sight, and they allow for additional means of site navigation and interactivity by using keyboard based control and voice based navigation. This allows disabled users to access the same information as nondisabled users.
You can see an example of how it works by clicking the blue person icon on the side of this website.
Why should making my website accessible be a priority?
By making your website accessible, you are allowing all of your potential users, including people with disabilities, to access and navigate your website. Web accessibility is now required by law in many situations.
In what legal experts have called a litigation tsunami, it’s mostly small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that have been hit with thousands of lawsuits and demand letters relating to website accessibility over the past 2 years. This increase in cases has triggered an alarm for SMBs and even prompted the National Retail Federation to issue a warning to businesses urging them to start taking web accessibility seriously. Learn more