ADA Compliance Options for Your Website

by 10 Best Design

Are you interested in ADA or Section 508 compliance, or having you website meet WCAG standards, congratulations. You want to give all of your visitors the best experience possible.

For ADA compliance, state and local government websites must be accessible to disabled individuals under the Americans with Disabilities Act. WCAG standards are a shared, worldwide standard for accessibility by the World Wide Web Consortium. Section508.gov explains the government-wide accessibility accessibility program.

There are several accessibility testing tools you can download and use for free online. ANDI (Accessible Name & Description Inspector) can help you d detect accessibility issues and provide suggestions to improve your website. Sa11y is an in-page accessibility checker that integrates with all content management systems. You can also get a readability score. Sa11y is open source and free.

If you go to the W3C website, there is a list of web accessibility evaluation software. While they don't endorse any specific program, W3C lists options so individuals can find the tool they need, whether they are a developer, content creator or usability tester.

If you are looking for a free tool to test website accessibility, make sure it will check all conformance standards you want, or are required, to meet. If your website has PDF documents for users, make sure the tool you use can check them as well. You may need to find a paid tool to do this, as many free tools have limited features.

In 2020, a record number of lawsuits were filed against organizations with websites and/or apps that were not accessible. Federal law requires websites maintained by governments, including federal, state and local to be accessible. Sometimes, ADA regulations can apply to private companies; it is always best to consult an attorney, as many of the lawsuits involve private companies. Better yet, just make your website accessible to all potential customers. For more information click here https://ryersondmp.github.io/sa11y/.