The Americans with Disabilities Act was first signed into law in 1990 in order to prohibit discrimination against people with either mental or physical disabilities. This law was amended in 2008 to help cover an even broader range of disabilities and impairments for individuals.
One area that may not have been envisioned when the law was first enacted, but was certainly a major factor when it was revised in 2008, is website accessibility.
While the ADA itself does not set out specific guidelines for how businesses must adhere to these regulations when it comes to web design, such guidelines are publicly available. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) of 2019 defined four principles of digital accessibility and compliance pertaining to websites, apps, and other public-facing digital tools.
These four principles broadly state that accessible web content should be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.
Thanks in part to these developments, businesses and organizations are now much more aware of accessibility issues and the importance of ensuring digital accessibility in website design.
Given the importance of website accessibility, the potential for lawsuits that could come from designing a non-compliant website, and the need to understand the fundamentals of accessible design, we asked a panel of experts from the UpCity community to share their expertise on these topics and more.
Here’s what we learned about everything from assistive technologies to WCAG 2.0 and WCAG 2.1 compliance.
What is ADA compliance?
The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities of all kinds, whether those disabilities are temporary or permanent. This means that everything from transportation to building access, government activities (jury duty, licensure, voting, etc.), and more must be accessible to everyone, and that all reasonable accommodations have been made to help ensure this access.
If it seems like ADA compliance has a broad definition, that is by design. Imagine all of the different types of public-facing businesses, organizations, activities, and facilities in this country, and then think about how difficult it would be to predict every possible accommodation that would need to be made to ensure accessibility in every situation.
That’s why the term “reasonable accommodations” is always included in the language around ADA compliance, to cover important but unforeseen scenarios.
This is also why digital accessibility is so important. Because there are so many different types of web pages, apps, and digital tools online in the modern world, it would be virtually impossible to spell out every potential situation calling for compliance or accessibility. Fortunately for businesses, the WCAG does provide guidelines and accessibility standards that can help make it a little easier to include accessibility as a part of your web design and user experience processes.
“ADA compliance ensures that individuals with disabilities can access and use websites on an equal basis with others. It promotes inclusivity and allows people with visual impairments, hearing impairments, motor disabilities, or cognitive disabilities to navigate and engage with website content effectively. It not only promotes accessibility for individuals with disabilities but also brings numerous benefits to businesses.” – Aakash Goyal, Designated Partner at Cloudester
Why is ADA-compliant web design crucial for SMBs?
ADA-compliant web design is critical for small businesses for a number of reasons beyond just satisfying requirements.
“The internet is for everyone, which means every website should be accessible to everyone. Roadblocks such as missing alt-text or navigation issues need to be a thing of the past as more and more people gain access to the web. By not complying with ADA guidelines, you’re alienating a large chunk of the population. And that equals losing a number of leads without even having a chance to show off your products or services.” – Elijah Litscher, Founder and Chief Digital Strategist at The Loop Marketing
In other words, ensuring that your website is as accessible as possible for as many people as possible isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s also good for business. An accessible website allows your digital content to reach more existing and prospective customers.
In addition, ADA website compliance also offers an SEO boost through alternative text, alt tags, audio descriptions, and closed captioning. Because sites are frequently reviewed and ranked by search engines like Google based on how easy they are to navigate, how functional they are, and how interactive the content is, inclusive design can actually improve your search rankings.
Finally, a well-designed and accessible website is just one way of showing the public that your business is inclusive and socially responsible.
“ADA compliance is not just important; its value must not be understated. Having an ADA-compliant website shows your clients, customers, and the world that your business is inclusive and forward-thinking. While the web has traditionally been a difficult place for differently abled users, ADA-compliant websites show that your business is compliant as well as conscientious. ADA compliance results in a more usable website for everyone, while also bolstering your SEO work and audience targeting efforts.” – Rosie Van Schoor – Owner, Founder, COO of Rosie’s Creative, LLC
What are the benefits of having an ADA-compliant website?
Our experts covered some of these above, but the benefits of having ADA-compliant websites and apps are plentiful and important to be aware of.
“An ADA-compliant website benefits businesses by expanding their audience reach, improving user experience, enhancing brand reputation, optimizing SEO performance, reducing legal risk, and offering a competitive advantage. By embracing accessibility in their website design, businesses demonstrate social responsibility and ensure they cater to the needs of all users, ultimately fostering a more inclusive online experience and equal access for everyone.” – Lucky Gobindram, General Manager at CXR.Agency
We understand that ensuring compliance in all of your online spaces can feel like a daunting task. But when broken down into its individual components, digital accessibility is relatively straightforward and achievable for any business.
From color contrast and contrast ratio considerations in your design to keyboard navigation options, screen readers, and alt text, the steps needed to provide equal access to your business’ site are very much within reach. And the benefits to everyone are certainly worth the effort.
“One of the main benefits of having an ADA-compliant website is to ensure your website is accessible to everyone. It also shows that your company cares about being inclusive. This can lead to an increase in traffic to your website and, in turn, a larger customer base by increasing accessibility. There are also legal ramifications in some instances for not being ADA compliant.” – Jen Stafford, CEO/Co-Founder at CTRL+ALT Digital
What are the risks of neglecting ADA compliance?
Just as there are numerous benefits to ADA compliance, there are also a number of costly pitfalls that can come from neglecting compliance in your website design. From basic functionality to search engine optimization and rankings, brand reputation, usability, and legal ramifications, website compliance is especially important for small businesses to not only consider but diligently enforce.
“It’s extremely important to have a user-friendly website in every meaning of the term. I have epilepsy and there have been several instances in which I’ve had to bounce out of a website due to the extreme movements (and) flashing images. In all cases, you are looking at the potential for a loss of revenue as well as potential for lawsuit.” – Kirstyn Mixa Yancy, Marketing Specialist at TMS Digital
In short, neglecting ADA compliance is a lose-lose for businesses and their customers, while ensuring compliance is a win-win.
“Neglecting ADA compliance for your website can lead to several risks and negative consequences, including legal issues and lawsuits, loss of potential customers, damage to reputation, limited reach and engagement, missed SEO opportunities, costly remediation efforts, and a lack of innovation and creativity. Prioritizing ADA compliance helps mitigate these risks while also opening doors to growth and innovation.” – Noah Watson, Founder & President of Watson Media
Tips for ensuring ADA-compliant web design
While the individual tasks that go into developing a compliant website are doable, getting started on a significant project like this can still seem overwhelming. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources and experts available to share their experience and offer guidance, assistance, and audits of your current site to help guide your efforts.
“To incorporate as many ADA accessibility best practices as possible, we always suggest a thorough review of the current recommendations by W3.org … And if possible, bringing in an accessibility auditor and consultant can offer maximum insights and a path forward.” – Shannon Sankar, Owner & Creative Director at Standout Arts, LLC
Beyond basic considerations, there are a number of tips to help your business work toward improved accessibility in your site design. These include best practices to incorporate whenever you create content, such as text transcripts and closed captioning for your videos, alt text and alt tags for imagery, easy-to-follow site navigation, and using plain language that screen readers are able to convey clearly.
ADA Compliance Website Checklist
One great place to start as you work toward improving your site’s accessibility and ADA compliance is with a checklist. Using a checklist makes it much more manageable to break down accessibility into different categories and track your progress as you go.
Starting with the WCAG’s guiding principles for digital accessibility as your roadmap is also a good idea. Their POUR guidelines—perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust—help to categorize and define the areas that matter most for web accessibility.
“Websites should work for all. This is the most important benefit. An ADA-compliant site should work for everyone, yield better performance, increase SEO, provide ample trust, and–quite frankly–reduce the likelihood of any litigation. Plus, it’s the right thing to do.” – Keith Glantz, President and Chief Creative Officer at Glantz Design
Web design with accessibility in mind
Whether a redesign of your business website is already in progress, or you are preparing to launch a new website and want to keep improved accessibility and compliance in mind, there are remarkable resources and organizations in the UpCity network available to help.
From web design to SEO content, graphics, video production, and beyond, the experienced and highly reviewed professionals on UpCity are ready to help guide you to a successful and inclusive site that benefits your customers and your company for years to come.
This article has been updated. It was originally published in February, 2021.