Web accessibility and ADA compliance are confusing topics when it comes to the real-time application of the same. Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 or ADA specifies that all the public accommodations need to be accessible for people with disabilities. This clause comes under Title III of ADA along with various other titles specifying accessibility compliance requirements for various other utilities. In mentioning accessibility and websites’ compliance with ADA, experts interpret websites also come under the definition of public accommodations. Many court rulings also justify this interpretation as the websites should be compliant with the accessibility needs of people with disabilities. As it is a confusing topic, here we will explore a few frequently asked questions about ADA compliance and expert answers for the same.

Some frequent questions on ADA compliance – AccessiBe

Q: Is it necessary for websites to be accessible?

Even though it is not specifically mentioned in the law about websites, there have been many legal rulings that refer to the accessibility compliance of websites. In the famous Winn-Dixie case, as referred to by AccessiBe, the service provider was asked to make their site accessible by considering the special accessibility needs of people with impaired vision. Worldwide Web Consortium also specifies that web accessibility is a fundamental requirement on public websites and also provides a guideline for the same. It is advisable for all websites to be accessible to be compliant with the rule.

Q: What are the advantages of web accessibility?

Ensuring your website is accessible can make you compliant with the law and may help avoid any legal complications or penalties. However, this is not the only advantage of being ADA compliant. It is found that about 10% of Americans have some sort of physical or cognitive disability. This is a sizeable part of the population with a big purchasing power. Addressing this category of customers’ special care needs will help businesses enhance their reach and help them leverage the purchasing power of this unique market segment.

Q: How to make a website accessible?

There are many specifications given in this guideline, which will help ensure the accessibility of websites. You may refer to the WCAG 2.0 and WCAG 2.1 standards in terms of accessibility to be ensured while building a website. If you already have a website, it is recommended to conduct an audit and get recommendations for needed changes for compliance. Incorporating accessibility features may not be that challenging if you take the support of a knowledgeable and expert web accessibility consultant.

Q: What are the consequences of not being ADA compliant?

As we discussed, a few lawsuits were filed by people with disabilities against business corporations that were not compliant with their special accessibility needs. The court had ruled in favor of the complainants by charging some penalties for noncompliance as well as giving instructions to the respondents to make their websites compliant. In the future, we may expect that the definition of accessibility under ADA may become broader and mandate all websites to be compliant with the accessibility needs.

So, AccessiBe specified that in all possibilities, we might consider accessibility as a necessity, not just in terms of legal compliance but also to help businesses to leverage the potential of a marginalized market segment.