What Are ADA Requirements For Website Accessibility?

W ebsites should not be accessible to only those who are typically able. There is a huge portion of differently-abled people that have as much access to the internet as the typically abled do, and it is important to create websites that are also accessible to them as well. In the United States, this right is codified in the American Disabilities Act or the ADA. Although the ADA was signed into law before the existence of the internet, a core feature of this law is accommodation in the public infrastructure, which includes the internet. If you are unsure if your website complies with ADA regulations, here is everything you need to know about ADA website accessibility. 

Website Compliance Standards 

The website compliance standards break down into four essential features: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. These are internationally recognized standards for accessibility and if you wish to avoid major litigation with the government, you must follow them. The following is a detailed description of the four features we just listed. 

Perceivable 

Information that is presentable on a website must be such that it can be perceived. What does this mean? Well, the common way we access a website is through our sight. Most people don't have access to that, and hence arrangements must be made so that it accommodates one or more senses. Your website must have options that allow users to access non-text images with text. It must have closed captions or audio descriptions for the visually or auditory impaired. Every content you make must be such that it can be accessed in multiple ways, not just one. Having Assistive technologies or supporting assistive technology platforms such as audio website guides also go a long way in accommodating the differently-abled. 

Operable 

The user interface must be designed in a way that it accommodates all users. This means that the interface must not be such that it inhibits the actions of any particular user. This could mean a lot of things, for instance, all functionality must be available for use on keyboards. For any content, users must be given enough time to use it. Please ensure that your website does not contain any content that can cause seizures. Such content may include flashing lights, sharp noises, etc. If such a form of the content does exist, please ensure that you give a warning before the content is accessed. 

Understandable 

The information that is available to the user must be easily understandable. This includes information such as the contents of the user interface. An important part of this includes making the contents of the user interface as predictable as possible. It should not break away from conventions set by other websites, as many users form unconscious habits after using certain websites. It should also contain features that allow users to avoid or correct certain mistakes they make while using your website.

Robust

There are multiple technologies out there that aid the differently-abled in various ways. Your website, no matter how hard you try, cannot account for all of them, but what you can do is have the option of accommodating as many of these technologies as you can. Make your software such that it accommodates not just current assistive technologies with ease but also any potential future ones.

Is My Website Compliant To The ADA?

Well, maybe not really. If you are reading this article, that means you were not aware of these complicated regulations, and hence, when you did design your website, it did not have the ADA in mind. Websites that are ADA-compliant, have to be specifically designed with various nuances in coding that cannot be added in without any awareness. But do not worry, you can still get your website audited so that you can know where you lack, and you can edit your code accordingly. There are many automated tools available online, but we would not suggest using them because they only account for about 30% of web accessibility standard issues. Get a manual review of your website done, preferably from a government agency so that you are absolutely thorough. 

Conclusion 

As you may have noticed while reading through these regulations, not even the most popular websites abide by them. However, government scrutiny over these regulations is soon to increase, particularly under the Biden Administration. It is best to not look around and make sure your website is clean before anyone else cleans up their own.

• This post is tagged in:

• Disability
• web accessibility
• differently-abled
• ADA