What is Website ADA Compliance?

Website ADA compliance refers to the state where a website is accessible for people with disabilities. While websites have been cited as areas of public accommodation as provided in the ADA, the law does not provide clear instructions to ground Education Accessibility.

Despite this, several lawsuits are being brought against websites that do not comply with the ADA, and the impacted firms are being compelled to pay enormous sums of money in penalties and compensation. Businesses can no longer use ambiguous regulations as a justification for not making their websites accessible to those with impairments.

A number of ADA court cases have cited the international web accessibility standards that are relevant to US websites. The Web Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are now a widely accepted benchmark that US businesses and organizations use when adding accessibility to their Digital Accessibility In Education. Therefore, WCAG compliance enhances ADA compliance.

What is Website WCAG Compliance?

WCAG compliance refers to making a website’s content more accessible to people with disabilities. This accessibility involves consideration of a wide range of disabilities, including auditory, visual, physical, language, cognitive, learning, neurological, and speech disabilities, among others.

WCAG is a set of guidelines and a road map for how businesses and organizations can improve their websites for accessibility, and it is a requirement for ADA compliance for websites.

WCAG recognizes three levels of accessibility: A, AA, and AAA, with the minimum level to ensure ADA compliance being AA. Level AA means that a website is accessible to almost all users.

Website accessibility levels range from level A (only some users can access it) to level AAA (all users can access it). Achieving WCAG compliance level AAA is the ultimate objective of website ADA compliance for businesses and organizations.

WCAG Core Principles

There are four core principles on which ADA compliant websites are to be built: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.

The "perceivable" principle refers to the ability of the website’s visitors to see, locate, and view all the website’s information and content, including text, images, and videos.

It means that in the event a user cannot read the website’s text or listen to a video on the website, the website should offer an alternative way of consuming the content. This could be through listening to the written content or reading the video’s transcriptions.

The "operable" principle refers to the ability of users to successfully and easily navigate the website and use all of its features and functionalities. It means that the developer of the website should be aware of the ADA compliance standards to enable them to write the operability standards into the HTML code.

The "understandable" principle refers to the content on the website, including images, videos, calculations, forms, tools, etc., being understandable to all users. Implementation of this concept requires the provision of instructions relating to the navigation menu, forms, and other features on the website.

The "robust" principle requires that the website provide the same overall user experience to people with disabilities as is the case with non-disabled visitors.

Website ADA Compliance Test

If you want to carry out a website ADA compliance test, there are three approaches you could take: using a free WCAG checker, doing a manual audit, and requiring a professional evaluation.

You may be able to get the essential website ADA compliance test with the help of one of the many reputable ADA compliance experts' free website ADA compliance check tools. For instance, anytime our company makes changes to our websites, we like to use ADA Compliance Pro’s test website for ADA compliance tool. It assists us in deciding which areas to concentrate on when conducting manual website audits and hiring expert assessors.

Online WCAG compliance checks are helpful in locating accessibility problems on a website, however they are only about 40% accurate. A manual audit ensures that you identify every accessibility issue so that you may address it, making it the most thorough ADA compliance test for websites. Manual audits usually involve reading the ADA documentation and ensuring the following:

• All media files and maps have an “alt” tag.
• That all online forms have descriptive html tags.
• That hyperlinks have a descriptive anchor text.
• That all pages on the website have “skip navigation” links.
• All the text content should be structured using proper heading tags.
• All PDF files should be accessible.
• All videos should have subtitles, transcripts, and audio description.
• The color contrast of the web pages should be sufficient in line with WCAG.
• All fonts should be accessible.
• All html tables should be populated with column headers, row identifiers, and cell information.
• All audio files on the website should have a written caption.
• All CTA buttons on the website should have an accessible name.
• The website should be accessible with keyboard navigation.
• A website accessibility policy page exists.
• The website has easily locatable contact information to allow users to request accessibility information.
• A website ADA compliance test is performed according to WCAG.
• The website ADA compliance check is automated to prevent missing critical accessibility issues.

The best way to test your website for ADA and WCAG compliance is seeking the services of a professional evaluation. A professional ADA audit involves hiring a team of specialists, usually an agency that can independently evaluate your website’s accessibility.

Professional ADA auditors, like those at ADA Compliance Pros, can give you a detailed action plan so you can make your website ADA compliant or they can carry out the implementation for you. Because businesses and organizations might not have the time or resources to assess their own websites, this method of ADA and WCAG compliance testing is the most efficient.

Need more help with website ADA and WCAG compliance?

You can get more information and help by clicking this link or calling (626) 486-2201 today. Reach out and get the assistance you need to make your website ADA and WCAG compliant.