How to make your websites and apps accessible

August 10, 2023

How to make your websites and apps accessible

All organizations, whether in the public or private sector, need to prepare to make their websites and mobile apps accessible, if they want to remain competitive and compliant.

As of January 1, 2021, the AODA requires public, private, and non-profit organizations to ensure their websites and web content comply with WCAG 2.0 Level AA.

Organizations that do not comply risk fines of up to $100,000 for each day of violation.

What's web accecibility?

Web accessibility means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them.

More specifically, people can: perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and ADA

– The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was the first time in US history that the law prohibited the discrimination of people with disabilities.

– Then in 1998, the Section 508 amendment was added to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. It requires Federal agencies to ensure their electronic and information technology is equally accessible to people with disabilities. s. It also now includes the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), an international standard for accessibility.

– A thing to note is that Section 508 does not apply to private organization’s websites unless the organization receives federal funds or is employed under contract with a federal agency.

– The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a law enacted in 1990 to ensure people with disabilities are not discriminated against:

* Title I of the ADA covers discrimination in the workplace.

* Title II applies to State and local government entities.

* Title III of the ADA ensures that places of public accommodations and commercial facilities, such as restaurants, movie theaters, and doctors’ offices, are accessible.

– Although web accessibility is not explicitly stated, if a business offers products and services on their website or mobile apps, they must still ensure that people with disabilities have equal access.

Common Examples:

Common examples of important accessibility features include: Image alt text. High Contrast between text and background, Keyboard accessibility. Sequential heading structure and avoid broken links.

One of the cornerstones of an accessible website is keyboard navigation. To be considered accessible, users must be able to navigate your site without a mouse. This is because many assistive technologies depend on keyboard-only navigation. Hitting the Tab key should let you jump to different areas on the site

How can I become accessible today:

When people talk about solituons for the accebility problem, the first tools that appear is Accesibe. Accesibe is an easy to implement library, that could be up and runnign in your website in a coupke of minutes. It includes: – the option to select, as an user, the right accesiblty profile for you – Content Ajustment – Color Adjustment – Orientation Ajustments In this video I show you how to implement Accecibe in your web-site

This is a great option is you need a quick solution to achieve the accessibilities standards ins your organization.

If you have access to edit your website, there is an more comprehensive (And Cheaper) solution for you. Wave: Web Accessibility evaluation tool.

You can user the Browser Extensions or you can go to https://wave.webaim.org/ and start testing your site.

Conclusion

The exact repercussions for failing to maintain an accessible website vary from country to country, since the laws are not all the same. However, with more laws protecting the rights of people with disabilities, also comes greater chances of having legal action brought against your organization if your websites and mobile apps are not accessible.

In the US alone, there was a 23% increase in ADA-related lawsuits in the year 2020. Accessibility lawsuits brought against big names, such as Netflix in 2011, Harvard and MIT in 2015, Domino’s in 2016, and Parkwood Entertainment’s Beyonce.com in 2019, have brought significant attention to web accessibility.

Over a billion people world-wide live with some form of disability and that number is expected to grow due to an increase in chronic health conditions and aging population. Awareness of disability rights has gained traction and with it an increase in accessibility laws and regulations, as well as lawsuits.

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