2020 Complete Guide On ADA compliance: What Is ADA Compliance?

In today’s competitive marketplace, site owners are aware of the fact that they need to make their website accessible to every user. But when we talk about accessibility businesses that are mainly operating in America often ask about What is ADA compliances? Why should websites be concerned about meeting ADA compliances? And what does it mean for a website?

If you are surfing the internet to get detailed ideas about ADA compliances in simple English then you have landed on the right article where we are going to highlight every small detail about ADA compliance? How can businesses create a website that meets ADA standards? And the cost involved in building those websites. 

But before we move ahead let me offer you a brief intro about who we are? SFWP Experts is an award-winning website design company that has helped more than 400+ businesses to build a strong online presence with an attractive, effective, and conversion-centric web design.

Table Of Content:

An Overview Of ADA (American Disability Act) Compliance

sfwpexperts.com-2021-Complete-Guide-On-ADA-compliance-What-Is-ADA-Compliance

In recent years businesses and websites have found that the litigation surrounding the accessibility of the website is continuously increasing mainly after the introduction of ADA website compliance. If you have not considered ADA compliance then you are not alone because there are many websites that are not aware of the ADA (American With Disabilities Act).  

Today there are many websites and mobile apps that didn’t pass the accessibility compliance standard which is actually disappointing. During the COVID19 when the whole world was shifting to online platforms making use of the web for service, education, gaining information, and most importantly access to their jobs. 

Most people with disabilities were not able to access the website and apps just because websites were created for ADA complaints. We have a lot of cases where parents complained that their children (suffering from autism) were struggling to understand the teacher assignment and other activities. 

Not only for the children but teachers, employees, and many more were struggling to access the badly designed website they were not accessible. People were not aware of the COVID pandemic but the ADA complaints were launched in the year 2010 by the US department of justice. Making it essential for businesses to create websites for ADA compliance. That is the reason why most businesses look to hire a highly experinced wordpress web design company that can help them to create a highly responsive web design that can be accessed by anyone and everyone. 

Many businesses, schools, and web design agencies have started to realize the importance of the Americans with Disabilities act. That’s why it has become one of the trending topics among internet users. If you are looking to know more about  ADA compliance then you have landed on the right article. 

In this article, we are going to highlight every small detail about what is ADA compliant? How it helps people with disabilities? and what business can do to create a website for ADA complaints? So make sure you stick till the end of this article. 

What is ADA Compliance? 

The ADA compliance or American with Disabilities Act doe accessible design was released in the year 2010 by the US Department of Justice there states that all the information on electronic devices should be accessible by the people with disabilities. The law primarily governs accessibility in the US. 

Remember ADA differs from Section 508 regulation but till now there is no formal federal prescription on what businesses need to do to make their website ADA compliant, however, using WCAG 2.1 AA you can make your website compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. In the coming paragraphs, we are going to give detailed information about how to make your website compliant with ADA. 

If you are planning to make your website ADA compliant then we recommend you to take the help of a website design company by getting an ADA website compliance audit. Because we have come across many cases where the website owner tries to make their website ADA compliant and end up losing their existing website data. 

Who is subjected to follow ADA Website compliance? 

sfwpexperts.com-2021-Complete-Guide-On-ADA-compliance-What-Is-ADA-Compliance2

Now that you have an idea about what ADA compliance means and when it was launched for the website. The next thing you might look to find is who needs to follow ADA requirements. Today, there are all types of businesses some of them are product-based, others are service-oriented. Apart from that business and website also vary depending on the size, revenue, ROI, and more.

You might be working with a small group of employees whereas there are enterprise-level businesses as well. With the increase in the number of online shoppers, most ecommerce websites will also look to find whether they need to follow ADA compliance or not.  So, let’s take a look at what type of organization and business need to follow and fulfill ADA requirements. 

  • State and local government (agencies operating under state and local government) 
  • Nonprofits and charities with 15 or more employees
  • Private business operating with 15 and more employees
  • Companies that are publicly made available (mainly for the benefit of the public) 

Even if your business or website is not listed we recommend following the ADA complaints because it can also bring a lot of value to your business. While creating your website you need to ensure that your website is accessible by anyone and everyone. By doing this you get to target a larger group audience and there are many benefits that you can get if your website meets ADA requirements.

By now you might be having a clear idea about Who is subjected to follow ADA Website compliance? Remember even if your website is not listed we insist you follow ADA compliance. Next, we are going to highlight some important points on why your website needs to be ADA compliant?

If you are looking to get the ADA website compliance audit and build a website that meets the requirement of ADA then we recommend you to consult with an experienced and reliable WordPress web design company that helps make your existing website ADA compliant. 

Why does your website need to be ADA Compliant? 

As mentioned earlier the ADA was signed in the year 1990 and was introduced in 2010 ensuring that people with disabilities have the right and feel to access the website as anyone else. So if you are serving the public then you need to ensure that their website is easily accessible to people with disabilities of any kind. 

Mainly after COVID19 people will look more towards online platforms so it will automatically become essential for websites and mobile apps to create a design that meets ADA compliances. When we say disabilities that means your website should be accessible to people suffering from problems like hearing, vision, or physical capacities.  

Today almost every country provides laws or acts protecting the civil rights of disabled people and it is universal and used by various countries. But when it comes to website accessibility the facilities are not universal.  The Internet has become one of the vital sources to offer access to various information, online stores, education, financial, entertainment, and more which is already being accessed by billions of users. But still, it remains restricted to accessibility for millions of people. 

In the US, a ruling has been passed that declares the official standard of website accessibility or the web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG 2.0). The American disability act has become a mandate and stated that businesses that are publicly made available or working with more than 15 employees are required to remove the access barriers that would restrict persons with disabilities to access the website and their product/services. 

ADA compliance can be introduced to help people with disabilities but it can also help websites to gain more audience. So let’s take a look at how ADA compliances can business and site owners: 

1. Helps you to increase your target audience

sfwpexperts.com-2021-Complete-Guide-On-ADA-compliance-What-Is-ADA-Compliance1If your website doesn’t pass the ADA requirement then you are losing millions of potential customers because they are not able to access your web page or website due to their disabilities. Remember there are high chances that they can be your paying customers as well. Today in the US there are a total of 50 million people suffering from disabilities. Well all of them may not have a similar kind of disabilities but more than 19% of the US popularity has different kinds of disabilities. 

Even though they are disabled their needs can be the same as other people’s. They may need your product and services more than others do. But what if they are arriving on your website but not able to interact with the web page or navigate to other options to purchase the product. 

So if they are not able to navigate your product and service then probably they won’t be able to make the final purchase just because your website and web pages were not accessible to them. On the other hand, if your competitor’s website is created with ADA compliance then they will shift to your competitor and without any hesitation. Not only that but they will start recommending your competitor’s website to their known one as well. This way you will end up losing lots of customers.  

For example, if you are advertising your product and service through a video and if the video does not contain any caption then a person who can’t hear or are deaf will not be able to understand how effective and helpful your product is. In the same way, if your image doesn’t have any alt text then a blind won’t be able to determine what your image is about using the screen reading tool. So if you are trying to target a large group of the audience then make sure your website meets ADA requirements. 

If you are looking to know how you can create a user-centric web design then make sure to check our blog on User-Centric Website Design Guide: How To Create A Website Design That Relates With Target Audience?

2. Helps you to enhance your SEO efforts 

sfwpexperts.com-2021-Complete-Guide-On-ADA-compliance-What-Is-ADA-Compliance9

If you optimize your current website for search engines then you must have come across various factors like making your website user-friendly, optimizing the website image, text, title, and more. Search engines like google always ask websites to optimize their website for users so that they are able to navigate and access all the elements in the website. One of the key elements of WCAG (Web content Accessibility Guideline) includes making your website accessible for screen readers. 

If your website meets WCAG guidelines then it enhances your website efforts and also allows you to make your website and web pages accessible to every user out there. Search engines also give preference to the website they are built for users. If you are creating your website to meet ADA requirements then it will generally include things like adding meta-tagging, alt text, video transcripts, and more. By doing so you are not only following ADA complaints but also optimize your website for search engines so that it can rank better on the search result page.

3. Help you to improve your reputation

sfwpexperts.com-2021-Complete-Guide-On-ADA-compliance-What-Is-ADA-Compliance8 

ADA complaints are not limited to helping a website to reach a wide range of audiences but also help you to improve your reputation among the audience. By creating a website for ADA compliance you’re not only gaining new customers but also letting the people know that they are valuable to your business. People that are falling under ADA complaints might have browsed several websites either to find some information, purchase a product, and more. There are high chances that most websites might not be created for ADA compliance that could have disappointed them as they were not able to access the content.  

But if your website meets ADA requirements then it makes the viewer feel happy and there are high chances that they will tell their friends and relatives about how they found your website. Once people start knowing about your website and business then it will help you to gain reputation and trust among the audience. With your efforts, you can set your website apart from the competitor’s websites and gain praise from a lot of people who are not able to access the website and web pages due to their disabilities. 

4. Help you to improve your overall website usability 

If your website is more accessible, operable, and navigable then you are ultimately optimizing the overall experience of your website. By following WCAG guidelines you are ensuring that your website can be accessed by anyone with or without disabilities. Not only that but with the help of WCAG guideline your web pages will become easy to comprehend that will help you to get more leads, convert more site visitors, and most importantly gain the trust of the audience and convert them into a loyal customer.  

What happens if my website is not ADA compliant?

By now you might be aware of why you need to have an ADA-compliant website and how it can help you to grow your business. But site owners often ask what happens if they don’t have an ADA-compliant website. Well, the American with disabilities act tells business and site owners that all publicly available websites need to be accessible to the person with disabilities. 

The Internet is a big space. It’s common to expect many websites that don’t meet ADA requirements. But if you are a small or enterprise-level business owner or running a nonprofit organization and looking to reach a wider range of audiences using your website then it’s important to know the ADA and the risk behind not complying with the law. 

One of the biggest nightmares of any business and site owner is getting sued. If any person with some disabilities files a complaint stating that they are not able to access your website then there are high chances that you could face a lawsuit. Yes, you read it right if your website does not meet ADA requirements and if a disabled person files a complaint against you then your business and website may fall into legal proceedings. 

Why it’s a nightmare is because once a website gets into legal proceedings then they have to go through legal fees, settlement, public relation problems, and redesign the website so that it complies with ADA requirements. There are many companies and businesses out there who have already faced these legal issues. Even if your business is not trying to discriminate or exclude people with disabilities from accessing your website there are high chances that your website can come across legal problems if a user fails companies against your website. 

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0 Level AA guideline)

If you are reading this article from the beginning then multiple times you might have come across terms called WCAG or Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Well, making your website ADA compliant is not an easy process as there is no dedicated tool or software that can help you make your website meet WCAG guidelines. But yes with the help of a reliable and experienced WordPress web design company you can achieve that. 

As we have mentioned earlier that to meet ADA requirements that are no federal prescription but the website can still make use of WGAC guidelines to meet ADA requirements. According to WGAC guideline to be compliment a website must be: 

Cognizable 

No matter, whether you are optimizing your website for ADA or search engines it has become essential for websites to be cognizable. If a website is cognizable then it can be accessed and processed easily by any user. By using components like meta tags, alt text, and more you can easily describe the purpose of the web page and image. Users that are not able to see anything make use of the screen reader tool and that is when alt text can help them to identify the purpose of the image.

Apart from that, you should always offer multiple ways to consume content. If you are offering a video or podcast or webinar then make sure you have a transcript. Apart from that, you can also make sure that your video contains the caption so that if a deaf person is interacting with your video then it becomes easy for them to consume the content. The more options you offer the higher chances are that more and more people will engage with your content. 

Operable 

We don’t have to mention how important it is for websites to have a web page that can be easily operable. If your website is operable then it means one can easily navigate and land on the right option without getting lost or confused. The website should be operated via keyboard and mouse and should not have an automatic scroll or usability limit. Apart from that a website is adaptive to technology and can be accessed through a touch screen or by the screen reader tool. You need to ensure that your website does not ignite a physical trigger. 

Understandable

Having a website that can be easily connected with the user helps you to drive more traffic and sales. If your website is understandable then the site visitor can easily understand the language and read the content.  Today it’s common to find children suffering from problems like autism and more if your website is easily understood then it can help them identify what you are trying to convey. Users accessing your website should be able to understand the layout of your website without wasting time on it.

Robust 

Lastly, your website needs to be robust that means the content inside the website and the web page itself should be able to load on all browsers, assistive technologies, and all the other ways through which your content can be accessed. If a user is using some other technology to access your web content then they should be able to do that. Even if a user is using a voice reader then they should be able to access the content inside the web page. 

By following the above principles you can make your website eligible for ADA compliance. Meeting these standards will help you to improve the accessibility of your website for individuals who are visually impaired with vision, hearing, and other cognitive disabilities problems like autism, language understanding, and more.   

How to develop an ADA-compliant website? 

By now you might have a clear idea about why it is important to have an ADA compliant website and what happens if your website is not ADA compliant. We have also highlighted a brief idea about WCAG and the 2.0 guidelines. Next, we are going to give detailed information about how you can develop an ADA-compliant website for your business. 

Today it has become essential for businesses to have a website that can be easily accessible and navigable. If you are looking to improve the accessibility of your website for individuals that are visually impaired, can not hear properly, and for those who use text reader tools or the voice to consume the content then it can be done in multiple ways. 

No matter whether you have a website for your IT company or running an ecommerce website for shoppers your web pages should be accessible by anyone including people that are suffering from certain disabilities. Now you might be wondering how it’s done? Well, when it comes to making your website accessible you can make use of technology. For example, if a sight-impaired user wishes to consume your content then web design can make use of technologies like screen readers that will allow the user to consume the content through voice. 

But the website also needs to add things like alt text in the image as a screen reader can’t tell the user about the image in the absence of alt text. We have mentioned earlier there is no regulatory guidance on how businesses can make their website ADA compliant. However, people make use of web content accessibility guidelines to make their website ADA compliant. 

Below we are going to list some of the common ways that are currently used by another website to meet ADA requirements for better accessibility. So here are some of the ways that business can use to solve accessibility issues: 

  • Include alt tags for all images, videos, and audio files: As we have mentioned earlier if a visually impaired person wished to consider your website content then they have an option called text reader tool. If your images do not contain the tag then the speech reader won’t be able to recognize the purpose of the image. On the other hand, having an alt tag allows the user with disabilities to understand the description of the content.
  • Offer text transcription for videos and audio content: There are high chances that a person that is not visually impaired but faces problems in listening might be interested in understanding the purpose of the content. Creating and offering a transcript of the video and audio allows you to help the hearing-impaired users to read and understand the purpose of the content.  
  • Identify the language of the site in the header code: By highlighting what language the site should be read helps the user that is utilizing the text reader. Depending on the code that you display in the header the text reader tool can analyze the coder and function accordingly. 
  • Offers an alternate suggestion when users encounter input error-related issues: It’s very common that users with disabilities may come across input errors because of their need to navigate the website differently. In this case, your website should be able to offer a different recommendation on how they can navigate to the content they need. 
  • Create an arranged and consistent layout: Make sure the menus and buttons are organized in a way they are clearly accessible by any user mainly people with some disabilities. 

We have listed all the important factors that you can consider to create an accessible website for people with disabilities. But if you need further help related to creating a website for ADA complaints then we recommend partnering with an experienced WordPress web design company for your business.

Conclusion: 

By now you might have a clear idea about what is ADA compliance? Why it’s important for your business and how you can make your website ADA compliant. If you are planning to create an ADA-compliant website of your own then we recommend taking help from an experienced website design professional. Many times business and site owners end up losing their existing data when making their website ADA compliant so we recommend hiring a website design company that can help you to make your website meet ADA requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Does ADC website compliance apply to business functioning with less than 15 employees? 

After the introduction of the ADA website compliances many websites, small business, and nonprofit organizations working with less than 15 employees wonder whether the act applies to their business and website or not. Well, it’s a common question to expect because when it comes to small businesses and nonprofits most of them work with limited budgets and with limited people.

After the introduction of the Americans with disabilities act most if the business thought it was meant for enterprise-level websites and businesses they are getting huge traffic and customers. But in reality, the ADA website companies can be applied to any type of business even if you are working with fewer than 15 employees. 

2. How do you comply with the ADA? 

ADA has become one of the legal requirements for websites. So, below we are going to highlight some important strategies that you can use to make your website ADA compliant:

  • Don’t go on assumptions try to avoid disability assumption 
  • Make use of the official process while creating an ADA compliant website
  • Offer different ways to consume content ‘ make your website understandable, operable 
  • Make sure you video content the captions and transcript 
  • Optimize your images with alt text 
  • Ensure that speech reader tools are able to read your website 
  • Offer transcripts for podcast and webinars 

3. What are the levels of ADA compliance? 

The particular criteria are categorized into three different levels 

  • Level A: It is considered to be the minimum level of accessibility that a website should have. Level A is the most basic web accessibility feature and the website is built for limited users. 
  • Level AA: The level is considered to be the mid-range and can be accessed by almost every user with the biggest and most common barrier for disabled users. 
  • Level AAA: It is the highest level of web accessibility where any user with any kind of disability can access the content.

4. How much does it cost to make a website ADA compliant? 

Business and site owners often question the cost behind making the website ADA compliant. Well, it totally depends on the size of the website. The cost of the ADA website compliance audit ranges between $1500 – $2000. Remember the audit plan never includes the compliance cost. Further, if you wish to make your website ADA compatible then the cost and go between $3000 to $10000, and if you have a fully functioning enterprise alive ecommerce website then the cost can go more further depending on the size of your website and the current state. 

5. How can I make my website more accessible? 

If you are looking to make your website more accessible then you can follow the below step or you can consider it while optimizing your website.  Here are the steps to make your website more accessible: 

  • Add image with the Alt Text 
  • Enable user to enlarge the font size (from all the devices)
  • Make sure to have a high contrast between foreground and background 
  • Include keyboard navigation 
  • Make sure the video and multimedia are accessible (offer transcript, cation, and more) 
  • Use Descriptive URL 
  • Don’t use placeholder  text in forms 
  • Make sure you minimize the use of table