How to Tell Your Website is ADA Compliant

If you have a website, you’ve probably heard the term ADA compliant. You may even know ADA stands for the Americans With Disabilities Act. But did you know that ADA compliance also applies to websites? And websites that are not ADA compliant risk being slapped with a lawsuit. If you think your odds of being sued are slim, know that the number of lawsuits filed for ADA non-compliance jumped 177% between 2017 to 2018.

Keep reading to learn more about ADA compliance and how to make sure your website is up to date and adheres to all current guidelines. 

How To Tell If Your Website Is ADA Compliant

The list that follows helps to identify non-compliant website items. This does not cover every single item, but it does point out the most common problems.

Can someone use the tab key to navigate your site?

Visitors who rely on keyboards and screen readers to navigate the links on your website should be able to do so without having to click multiple times to access the information they need. For example, individuals who cannot use their arms or are vision-impaired are entitled to the same access as someone using a mouse. 

One way to accomplish that is through the use of skip links. By including a link at the top of your page, screen readers and keyboard users can seamlessly go to the content they’re looking for with much fewer steps.

Do images include alternative descriptions? 

Vision impaired users should be able to access verbal descriptions of images on your website. This is done through the use of alt text. By providing a detailed description of an image, these users can enjoy the same experience as others on your website.

Are there alternatives to audio and video content (Closed Captions)?

Your website should give equal access to hearing-impaired users through the use of captions for pages with media. Be aware, your captions should be accurate. Using a program that provides automatic speech-to-text captions isn’t enough. All captions should be compared to the corresponding media for accuracy.

Is there content that could trigger seizures or other physical reactions?

Ensure that your website doesn’t trigger seizures, nausea, dizziness, migraines and other physical reactions in users. There are several ways to do that. One of the most effective is to avoid content that flashes, flickers or blinks. It also shouldn’t flash, flicker or blink more than 3 times within a second. Another guideline is to keep areas with any flash elements small (under 341 by 256 pixels).

Even static images, such as a black and white striped pattern or variations of the color red can provoke negative physical reactions. You want your website to provide safe viewing for all visitors.

Do your text and background colors have enough contrast?

Can a user with moderate vision loss make out the text on your website? Is there enough contrast between your text and background colors so they can easily read what’s on your page? There are specific guidelines for doing this.

You also have to take colorblind users into account. They may not be able to read a color-coded chart that only provides information through visual cues, written explanations should be included too.

The best options for business owners

Your best option is an audit of every element of your website. That will identify the non-compliance issues that need to be fixed. A comprehensive audit is time-intensive. It’s also important that the person conducting the audit be up to date on the latest ADA guidelines. Non-ADA compliance lawsuits have been filed over just one non-compliant element.

There are a couple of ways to go about this: 

Hire a professional to manually audit your site

You can use a 3^rd party company to conduct a thorough audit of your website.

Hire an ADA-compliant web design agency

A web design agency that is knowledgeable in the WCAG can find and fix issues with compliance.

However, you decide to proceed, making your ADA website compliant will not only provide many benefits but will also give you peace of mind as well.