Businesses often overlook website accessibility. One in five people worldwide have some sort of disability and providing them with a seamless experience on the web is essential for businesses to remain competitive as well as legal.
Understanding the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in all areas of public life. This includes commercial facilities, transportation, state and local government, and telecommunications. Although the ADA does not specifically mention websites, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued guidance that the ADA’s requirements apply to all goods, services, privileges, or activities offered by public accommodations, including those offered on the web. Therefore, it’s ethical and good business practice for businesses to ensure their websites are accessible to people with disabilities.
Color Blindness and Website Design
In the United States, color blindness is considered a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This means that employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations for employees who are colorblind. Around 8% of men and 0.5% of women worldwide have some form of colorblindness, according to the National Eye Institute. So, a significant portion of website users may have difficulty distinguishing between certain colors, particularly red and green. When designing websites, ensure that color is not the only way to convey important information. Designers should use other methods such as text labels, patterns, and symbols to make sure that all users can understand and access the content.
Accessibility Properties for Websites
There are several common accessibility features that businesses can implement to make their websites accessible to people with disabilities.
- Alt text. Provides a text description of an image for users who are blind or have low vision.
- Headings. Helps structure the content of a web page and makes it easier for users to navigate.
- Links. Should also be properly formatted and descriptive.
- Contrast. Text and background should be sufficiently contrasted for easy reading.
Accessibility Tools
There are a variety of website checkers to analyze accessibility, both free and paid. A free one is the WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool that will analyze visually analyze one page at a time. Also, there a several WordPress plugins that will also help with accessibility issues.
Furthermore, screen reader applications will read the text on a web page aloud. A Chrome extension, such as Screen Reader by UserWay, is one such application. If you believe that a significant part of your target audience may use a screen reader, consider testing your site for compatibility.
ADA Compliant Resources For Websites
Many available resources can help businesses ensure their websites are ADA compliant. The DOJ has published guidance documents on web accessibility, and companies that offer website accessibility testing and remediation services can also be consulted. It’s important for businesses to make their websites accessible to everyone–it’s the right thing to do. But also, websites that are accessible to people with disabilities are more likely to be used and viewed as reputable and trustworthy.
Morgan Web Solutions includes website accessibility checks in all its designs.
