Why Do We Have to Be Compliant

There are numerous motivations to be compliant with accessibility guidelines. We will summarize them with the following two reasons:

  1. Compliance is Mandatory.Access to information is a civil right. There are several laws that require website to meet accessibility guidelines. Each of the laws listed here mandate the use of electronic accessibility.
    • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
    • Section 504 (applies specificially to education)
    • Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (applies specifically to government agencies)

    The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) offers strategies, standards, and resources to make the web accessible. Among the recommended resources listed, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are techniques we use to bring the web to its full potential. Together laws, WAI, and WCAG promote coherent navigation, legible presentation, complimentary colors, and a consistent layout for websites.

    If school or business owners do not comply with accessibility guideines, they are at risk for non-compliance complaints being filed in federal and/or state courts. There were over 2250 federal lawsuits filed in 2018 for website accessibility. This nearly tripled the number of complaints filed in 2017.

  2. Compliance Removes Barriers

    The intention of disability laws is to remove barriers to people with disabilities. The laws are intended to provide equal opportunity for access to all users. A website designed with accessibility in mind will allow as many as possible to participate regardless of disability or the type of assistive technology device being used.

What are disabilities affecting website use?

Understanding why websites need to be accessible will make the actual creation of an accessible site much easier. Some disabilities affecting website use are:

  • Visual disabilities
    • Blindness (either complete or partial loss of vision)
    • Weak vision (due to extreme near or far sightedness, dimness, tunnel vision, etc.)
    • Color blindness
  • Hearing disabilities
    • Deaf (complete hearing loss)
    • Hard-of-hearing (hearing sounds only at certain frequencies)
    • Deaf-blindness
  • Mobile impairments (for example, inability to use a mouse)
    • ALS
    • Parkinson’s disease
    • Multiple sclerosis
    • Arthritis

To help you understand why accessibility is important, view the video below to gain more perspective on how it benefits everyone in a variety of situations.

How does someone with a disability access the web?

Assistive technologies (AT) are available for users with disabilities to access content on the web. Common AT used by many disabled people include:

  • Screen readers
  • Voice recognition
  • Screen enlargers
  • Retinal scanning devices