Is Your Website Positioned to Meet ADA Compliance Standards?

ADA Website Compliance In Long Island & New York City

Understanding how to get ADA compliant and why it’s so important

Today more than ever, businesses of all shapes and sizes and across all industries are working to be as inclusive and accessible as possible. Most businesses probably think that as long as their physical office is accessible to anyone – especially those who are disabled – then they’ve done all they need to. However, as technology continues to revolutionize the business space, company websites are subject to inclusivity and accessibility standards as well.

What is ADA Compliance?

Definitions – What’s Involved in ADA Compliance

In September of 2010, the Department of Justice (DOJ) published the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) – Standards for Accessible Design. This section of the ADA requires that all publically available electronic information technology must be accessible to people with disabilities of all kinds, including the blind, the deaf, those with limited mobility and dexterity, and all others.

For businesses like yours, ADA compliance largely means that your public-facing company website must be designed in a way that ensures disabled patrons can easily access and navigate all the information and content published on your website.

Jurisdiction – Whose Subject to ADA Compliance Standards

ADA Compliance applies to the following US organizations:

• Private companies with 15+ employees
• Public sector organizations at the local and state levels
• Public facilities and non-profit businesses
• All online business entities that do business in the US

Compliance Levels – What Kind of Compliance is Required

There are three levels of ADA Compliance:

• Level A: This is the minimum, baseline level of compliance. Level A compliance largely focuses on basic mechanisms that ensure easy navigation and readability. Level A compliance is achieved primarily through implementing preferential options to change font size, color, and content language.

• Level AA: Level AA compliant websites are designed with more sufficient accessibility features like text-to-speech mechanisms or text additions attached to non-text content. Level AA compliant sites often also include other mechanisms like error identification alerts and color contrast viewing options.

• Level AAA: Finally, Level AAA compliance ensures absolute full-coverage accessibility for all disabled patrons. With Level AAA compliance in place, company websites are fully accessible to almost all people with disabilities of any kind. These websites include sign language mechanisms for all website multimedia and offer content presentation in multiple formats that support different accessibility barriers.

Depending on the nature and size of your business and the resources available to you, you should aim for the highest level of compliance possible to ensure that all patrons visiting your website are able to access and navigate the content you publish.

Business Websites & ADA Compliance: Why It’s So Important

Now that you have the lay of the land, let’s get down to why implementing ADA compliance standards is so important. The fact of the matter is, ADA compliance is more than just ensuring accessibility and inclusivity. ADA compliance can actually be a HUGE benefit for your business reputation and bottom line.

Here are the top reasons why ADA compliance is good for the public AND for business:

• You’ll be prioritizing equality – When you prioritize ADA compliance, you’re prioritizing equality and accessibility for all. What better example could you set for other businesses in your industry? Accessibility starts with you and inclusivity breeds inclusivity.
• You’ll be expanding your public network – When your website is accessible to all, your network of potential clients grows massively. Inclusion and equality with a side-order of lead generation? What more could you hope for?
• You can take advantage of tax benefits – Yes, you heard us right. Businesses who implement ADA compliance standards are entitled to tax benefits. The tax rebates you receive can even be used to further your website accessibility. An improved website and lower taxes? This is a no-brainer.
• Your team, clients, and competitors will notice your priorities - Overall, when ADA compliance is on your radar and you implement compliance standards on your website, people will take notice. You’d be surprised how many people you work with who either has a disability or know someone who does. Recognizing the prevalence of barriers to access and implementing stringent accessibility standards will result in increased respect for your business overall.

Tips & Tools for Getting & Staying ADA Compliant

We’ve covered the basics of ADA compliance. We’ve also covered the main reasons why it’s a great idea – not just for the public, but for your business. So how can you and your team go about prioritizing ADA compliance and implementing compliance standards in the design of your website and customer-facing content?

Here are some tips and tricks to help you implement an ADA compliant website:

• Keep ADA compliance in mind whenever you’re designing web content
• Consult with different people and organizations that understand accessibility
• Make sure your team knows how important ADA compliance is
• Maintain an open-door policy – be open to suggestions and constructive criticism

Even with these tips and tricks in mind, implementing ADA compliance may still seem like a daunting task. That’s why, above all, we recommend partnering with a managed IT services professional who knows all the ins and outs of maintaining an ADA compliant website. With the right partner in your corner, you’ll rest assured knowing that all the customer-facing content on your website is accessible to anyone who visits.

If you’re ready to get on top of ADA compliance, don’t hesitate to reach out to the team of compliance experts at LI Tech Advisors. At LI Tech Advisors, we value accessibility and strive to help every client we work with prioritizing it as well. That’s why we’ve partnered with My Blind Spot. My Blind Spot is on a mission to make digital platform accessibility a reality for all. Using the My Blind Spot resources as our compass, we work to connect all our clients with strategies for maintaining digital accessibility, and in turn, ADA compliance.

If you’re ready to make your online content accessible for all and uphold ADA compliance standards, reach out to our team at (631) 212-8377 or Contact Us.

Anthony Buonaspina, BSEE, BSCS,CPACC

Anthony has been in the MSP business since before the acronym existed. Managed IT once started as break-fix solutions and some light phone support.

Since then, he has seen the industry flourish into a landscape of platforms, cloud servers, software tools and AI . Tailoring network configurations and software stacks to the specific needs of each business.

In his current role, he focuses on proactive planning, ensuring clients can avoid potential issues altogether. This involves meticulous planning for enhanced business continuity, allowing swift resolution of any unforeseen challenges. What initially began as addressing "fires" through break-fix solutions has evolved into a proactive approach, ensuring that such issues are prevented from arising in the first place.