The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has been around for a long time. The goal is to provide equal access and opportunities to people with disabilities. Unfortunately, since the dawn of the Internet, these people have been somewhat deprived and left behind. Hence, in 2010, the Department of Justice created standards to ensure accessible design. These standards suggest that electronic data and IT must be available to people with disabilities. From PC equipment to programming and web design, companies should consider them.
If you run a company and wish to launch a website, ADA compliance is necessary. You don’t want to end up with problems because you didn’t follow the standards. In addition, the government checks websites to ensure accessibility is a priority.
Changes you need
If you want a compliant website, start with simple changes. It includes the font color and size. Make sure the letters are big enough or are available to zoom for people with vision problems. Voice navigation must also be available for people who are blind. If you post videos, use subtitles to cater to people with hearing problems. Don’t forget to caption and alt text the images to help people understand them better. Some people only have Internet access through larger devices such as computers. The website should be easy to use with the preferred device. Keyboard-only navigation should also be available for people who can’t use touchscreen devices or scroll using a mouse.
Ask for help from experts
If you don’t know where to begin to be ADA compliant, don’t worry. You can always work with agencies to offer ADA compliance services. Instead of figuring out how to make the website compliant, these agencies will do the job on your behalf. You can still learn the process to help you do it on your own next time. In the meantime, you should let these experts do the job. They understand what it takes to avoid issues.
You may also work with a Pittsburgh website design company if your business is based in the area. Apart from expertise in web design, you can also expect the company to understand the target audience. Again, your local business will stand out with these services. Work with them in making your vision for the website a reality.
Bottom line
You might not feel good about having to deal with all these details to comply with government regulations. However, you should see the bigger picture. These website changes are for people with disabilities. You want to be more inclusive. They’re deprived of so many opportunities and have to sacrifice a lot. These small changes to your website can do so much for them.
Besides, you also want to increase your target audience. There are millions of Americans with disabilities. Considering them when dealing with website changes will increase your chances of becoming more visible online. They might also buy your products and services. So, improving the website to help them will be an advantage in the long run.
