Web accessibility means that a website is coded, structured, and designed so people with disabilities can use it.
Do I need to be concerned if my website isn’t compliant?
Yes. For two very important reasons:
- To provide a better digital experience for the 26% of American adults, or 61 million who have disabilities. An estimated 7.3 million Americans access the web using some form of assisted technology like a screen reader. Businesses that don’t have accessible websites potentially cut themselves off from a sizeable customer base. So, web accessibility is not only essential for the good of society, but also good for business.
- To protect your business from being sued for noncompliance. Over the past decade, a cottage industry has emerged where individuals with disabilities file lawsuits claiming that businesses’ websites are not accessible to them. These lawsuits, filed mostly by people who have sight or hearing disabilities, allege discrimination in violation of various local, state, and federal laws.
Accessibility Is Important for Individuals, Business & Society
In today’s world, the web is an increasingly important resource in many aspects of life — commerce, employment, banking, healthcare, entertainment, government, and more. And, depending on where you live, some transactions can only be done online now.
It is essential that we work to make the web inclusive to provide equal access and equal opportunity to people with diverse abilities. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) defines access to information and communications technologies, including the internet, as a basic human right. Web accessibility encompasses all disabilities that affect access to the internet:
Auditory impairments can affect a user’s ability to watch videos or listen to audio content.
Speech impairments can prevent someone from engaging with interactive web content like video conferencing or extended education.
Cognitive, neurological, and physical disabilities can prevent users from accessing the web using a standard browser.
Visual impairments like various types of color blindness can make text difficult to read or even completely inaccessible.
After hearing from a business friend about a lawsuit his company was facing due to incomplete ADA compliance on their website, our company was eager to make sure we would not face the same issue and Fab Brands did not disappoint. In our initial meeting, Fab Brands took the time to help us understand the general nature of website accessibility, what challenges disabled persons face in navigating inaccessible websites, and what is necessary to ensure compliance on today’s web.
The Fab Brands team then provided us with a detailed website accessibility audit identifying challenges faced by disabled persons and recommendations to bring our website to WCAG 2.0/2.1 AA and ADA compliance. The implementation of these recommendations was quick, yet thorough and we were able to get back to business as usual, without having the worry of a possible of a lawsuit hanging over our heads.
Fab Brands took this complex issue and provided us with solutions that not only made our website accessible to larger audience we didn’t have access to before, it improved our overall search engine optimization performance. That means more sales for us and a more accessible web for all – talk about a win-win! Fab Brands was knowledgeable, responsive, and professional throughout the whole process. We would recommend them to anyone in need of this type of website work.
Natalya Johnson
Marketing & Operations Manager
SEATTLE DIAMONDS
TESTING YOUR WEBSITE FOR ACCESSIBILITY
Take the first step to establishing an inclusive and compliant website with a Fab Brands website accessibility audit. Discover how well your website provides access to everyone, including those with disabilities.
Our web accessibility audit provides a detailed assessment — evaluated to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standards — of every page in your site’s navigation.
You will receive a report that lists:
- Existing issues with respect to the latest WCAG 2.1 guidelines.
- Recommended actions to remedy those barriers and estimated costs.
WEBSITE ACCESSIBILITY REMEDIATION
Once we’ve reviewed your website for accessibility violations, Fab Brands can also fix the issues identified in the report and bring your site into compliance.
Accessibility is a moving target, so inevitably when new issues arise, it’s essential to make your commitment to improving your site’s compliance clear to your users. This is why having an Accessibility Statement on your website is critical. A well-crafted accessibility statement will not only acknowledge the work you’ve already put into your site, but also give users a way to report new issues as they come up.
YOUR WEBSITE REMEDIATION EXPENSES MAY QUALIFY FOR A TAX CREDIT.
IRS Form 8826 Disabled Access Credit Eligible small businesses can receive up to $5,000 in tax credits for web accessibility audits and services. Click here to learn more about the IRS Form 8826 Disabled Tax Credit and consult your tax preparer.
OUR WEBSITE REMEDIATION SERVICES CAN INCLUDE:
- Adding alt text to images that can be read by screen reader software
- Ensuring live video or audio content includes captions
- Video or audio-only content is accompanied by a text transcript or description
- Links that are provided to media players are required to view content
- Ensuring that headings are presented in a logical order
- Make sure “b” and “i” tags are replaced with “strong” and “em”
- No empty links or heading tags
- Presentation does not rely solely on color
- Automatically played audio does not occur and can be stopped
- The keyboard can be used to navigate the site
- Keyboard focus is never stuck on one particular page element
- Time limits provide notifications to the user
- Automatically scrolling or blinking content can be stopped
- No strobe effects or rapidly flashing colors occur on the site
- Skip navigation functionality allows keyboard users to access content quickly
- Page titles clearly and succinctly describe the page content
- Buttons and links are clearly and logically named
- The language of each page is identified in code
- Elements receiving focus do not change the content in a substantial way
- Invalid form input is identified to the user
- Forms have labels and legends that can be read by screen reader software
- There are no major validation errors
- Contrast ratio between text and page backgrounds is at least 4.5-to-1
- Text on pages can be resized to 200% while still maintaining form
- Images are not used where text can achieve the same purpose
- Pages on the site can be accessed in multiple ways
- Keyboard focus is visible and clear
- The language of content is identified in code with any language changes
- Menus and buttons are used consistently regardless of the user’s location in the site
- Users are given suggestions on how to solve input errors
- An error prevention technique is used whenever the user enters sensitive data
- Underlined text that does not indicate a link is removed
- Redundant links on the same page are eliminated or minimized
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2574 NW Thurman St.
Portland, OR 97210
hello@fab-brands.com
