Web Accessibility is often misunderstood and overlooked. When you run a web and marketing agency, your work goes beyond your brand. Your work has an impact on the success of your clients and the people that they serve. Holding the success and legal responsibility of someone else’s business is something all creative agency owners should take very seriously.
Web design and marketing as a whole can be a bit trendy. While techniques or a particular user experience that was popular last year, just won’t cut it today. One trend that is not going away, and in fact has increasing attention year after year is web accessibility.
ADA compliance once was treated somewhat like a luxury, or nice to have. It has now become something all web designers, developers, and agency owners should not only pay attention to but also implore their clients to take it seriously.
Providing accessible websites shows that your care.
Agencies that care, address the needs of those who require additional access to the content on the web. Caring for the needs of others is at the heart of what we do. We encourage our clients to do the same. One way of doing that is to make your website accessibility one beyond reproach.
Originally when the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed, it was meant to protect those individuals from discrimination. Discrimination initially meant places of business, schools, government buildings, etc. They were required to make accommodations to allow access for those with a disability. These accommodations were geared towards the physical accessibility of the locations people visited.
In turn, this has broadened into areas such as those with hearing or visual impairments. Implementing legal guidance for both physical barriers, but also barriers that included closed captioning, telecommunication changes. Eventually, it has now included the internet itself as an important accommodation for accessibility.
Web accessibility lawsuits have been growing exponentially across many industries. Many of whom impact small to medium-sized businesses such as our own clients. Lawsuits are expected to not only continue but to rise. Having the ability to provide everyone an accessible digital experience becomes more vital.
So How Do You Know You’re Doing Web Accessibility The Right Way?
Many elements and guidelines determine what it means to have your website to be compliant as it pertains to accessibility. One thing you can do is read up on the light reading over at the Web Accessibility Initiative Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 and determine if your website fall in line with their guidance.
When you are done there, there is also the ADA, Section 508, AODA, ACA, EAA/ENC301548, and IS5568 to read up on as well. By the time you are done reading and complying with all of these items that have to do with web accessibility, you likely will need to start over as the laws would have changed as well as your web design is probably no longer trendy.
A simpler way to Know You’re Doing Web Accessibility The Right Way, is to follow these steps:
- Scan your website for free here
- Contact us to discuss your report
- Add Accessibe to your current site
A line of code, no changes to your website. Using the power of AI (artificial intelligence), to ensure that your website follows accessibility guidelines both today and years to come. Your website will be WCAG 2.1 & ADA Compliant. You will receive an Accessibility statement and certification of performance for your site. Your site will be scanned daily for compliance monitoring and monthly auditing.
Or you could always spend countless hours and thousands of dollars to have someone change your website to be compliant. We personally recommend and are partners with Accessibe, and use it on our own websites as well.