Website Compliance Law: Everything You Need To Know
ADA Web Compliance Services Orange County
New updates and interpretations of the Americans With Disabilities Act ADA have led to increasing concern among business owners. The law now opens the door for lawsuits for businesses that fail to make their websites accessible to those who have disabilities. Big companies from Reebok to Domino’s Pizza have already been hit with litigation for operating websites that are not easy to use by this cross-section of the American population.
If you are the owner or manager of a business website, you need to start by getting up to speed with what the ADA and the law imply for your site. It is also worthwhile to read the appropriate legislation yourself. This will ensure that you do not miss anything and that you get the information right from the source. In terms of your website, consulting with professional WordPress web designers in Orange County is a good step to take to avoid overlooking anything.
However, to give you a jump start with some highlights, here are five things that you absolutely need to know with respect to website compliance law.
Know What ADA Compliance Means In Terms Of Legal Status
At the moment, there are no enforceable components of the ADA legislation that you can directly infringe and thereby be sued. However, the ADA wording makes it open to the interpretation that websites need to be accessible to all. In this regard, your business may still be served with a lawsuit if those with disabilities find it difficult to use and this is already happening to many prominent companies.
Without adequate or tangible steps to follow to ensure that your website is ADA compliant, it is difficult to gauge whether or not your site is up to speed, even if you make every effort to make it accessible to all. Orange County web design professionals will do everything they can to provide you with the best practices in the industry and make sure that your site is as ADA compliant as possible.
Many Disabilities Are Covered
When you are thinking about what changes you might need to make in order to turn your website into an accessible one, then it is worthwhile to know what specific disabilities are outlined in the ADA legislation. While you will ideally be open to feedback from your users who may have disabilities that do not fall on the existing list, it is important that you certainly take the conditions that are outlined in law seriously. These include blindness, hearing impairment, mobility and musculoskeletal conditions, epilepsy, neurological and cognitive impairments, and cerebral palsy.
Naturally, quickly coming up with ideas for how to improve your site and make it accessible to such a diverse array of conditions is very difficult. With so many areas to cover when considering your pages, you might initially be overwhelmed. However, a professional Orange County web design team will be able to translate the legal jargon into practical steps for you to take for your website.
Know About Section 508
If your business works with the federal government, then you need to read up on Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act as well. This piece of legislation requires that anything electronic or IT-related that is used by the federal government must be accessible to people with disabilities. This includes web-based services.
As part of this legislation, any business’s private contractors who work with the federal government must also abide by this law. If this applies to you, then contact professionals in Orange County web design to provide you with the best insights into how to make the necessary changes that you need.
There Are No Guaranteed Solutions
Although professionals in WordPress web design in Orange County have identified some best practices to follow when making accessibility changes to your pages, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for businesses that are concerned with ADA compliance. Some suggest that there is a degree of flexibility in how you choose to approach this legislation, though there will likely be more firm guidelines to follow in the near future.
There are already some useful tools available online that have tried to make it more straightforward for business owners to see where their websites are not accessible in a clear way. However, there is no substitute for professional advice, and the teams versed in WordPress web design in Orange County will provide you with excellent guidance in this regard.
Consider Going Beyond The Best Practices
The ADA guidelines and best practices that are starting to be adopted across the internet should only be a starting point for your accessibility efforts. With many changes expected in the near future with respect to ADA interpretation, and pending the outcome of recent lawsuits, it is best to be at the cusp of these developments.
The law is in a flexible state and the changes that might be brought about by a sudden ruling could cause some businesses some serious stress if they are trying to make updates overnight. By taking the time to think about these things now and starting to implement new changes when your team thinks of them or in response to customer complaints or requests, you will be ahead of the curve.
Orange County web design professionals are known for being ahead of the game when it comes to these types of changes. As such, it is wise to seek out their professional advice to seek new ideas and avenues for how to boost the accessibility of your website.
Put Your Accessibility Plans Into Action With WordPress Web Designers Orange County
As long as you make the effort to look into ADA compliance, understand the law, and start moving in the right direction in terms of making your pages accessible, then you will be on your way to adjust to these and future ADA compliance guidelines.
To help the website of your business move towards ADA compliance with fewer complications, contact our team of WordPress web designers in Orange County today.