Accessibility is something that is often an after-thought when it comes to building websites. But what many people may not know is that they could end up getting into serious legal trouble if they don’t offer equal service to all visitors, and that includes people with disabilities. The ADA guidelines have been set forth to make sure that everyone has equal access to the internet and website owners need to comply to avoid issues and offer the best experience possible to all visitors. Read on to find out a bit more about ADA compliance and some necessary steps to take.
ADA Compliance in a Nutshell
The Americans with Disabilities Act was drafted specifically to allow people with disabilities to access websites. This can include people with physical disabilities like blindness, or people suffering from paralysis. It can be someone dealing with a mental disability as well. AI tools like accessiBe can be used to ensure compliance, but there are many things that owners can do on their own as well. Here are a few of them.
Simplifying the Navigation
One of the most important things when building a compliant website is that it’s easily navigable. The navigation has to be clean by making sure that style, positions, and labels are consistent, and that visitors can go to or from any page they want easily. One of the ways this can be done is by implementing breadcrumb navigation.
Making Sure Fonts are Visible and Using Alt Text
Visibility is also a major part of ADA compliance. All fonts have to be clearly visible, so owners may have to go with bigger, fuller fonts instead of the ones they’re currently using. Alt text also has to be used on all images. This will allow people who are using screen readers to know what images are about.
ADA compliance should be a priority for all website owners. It’s their responsibility to use proper tools and take the steps necessary to give the best user experience to all visitors, no matter their condition.
