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Building an Inclusive Web: How to Make Your Website ADA Compliant

Why ADA Website Compliance Matters:

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 stands as a cornerstone of civil rights legislation in the United States, ensuring accessibility not just in physical spaces but also in digital ones. Just as buildings are required to provide ramps or elevators to accommodate those with physical disabilities, websites must also offer accessible features to ensure all users, regardless of their physical abilities, can navigate, understand, and interact with your website.

According to research, 71% of web users with disabilities will leave a website that is not accessible.1 In fact, in 2023, there were 4,605 ADA-based digital accessibility lawsuits filed in the U.S., marking a 14.1% increase from 2022.2 Ensuring your website is ADA compliant is both a legal necessity and a positive step towards inclusivity that opens your digital doors to all users. 

What Makes a Website ADA Compliant?

An ADA-compliant website means that you are making the information on your site available and accessible to Americans with a range of disabilities, such as hearing or vision impairment. Considering pretty much everything can be found on the internet these days, those with disabilities should have equal access to that information.

The WCAG defines three levels of accessibility compliance, each offering varying degrees of support for users with disabilities:

Who Should Have an ADA-Compliant Website? Everyone.

Virtually any business or public entity with an online presence should strive for an ADA-compliant website. That said, the ADA outlines specific types of entities that are required to ensure their websites are accessible. They include:

Failing to achieve ADA website compliance not only risks potential lawsuits and fines, but also damages your brand’s reputation, signaling a disregard for inclusivity and equal access.

How to Tell if a Website is ADA Compliant

You can quickly assess if a website meets some ADA compliance standards with these preliminary checks:

How to Make a Website ADA Compliant: Four Essential Steps

Ensuring your website meets ADA compliance involves a series of practical steps aimed at making your digital presence accessible to everyone. Here are the essential actions to take:

  1. Conduct an accessibility audit: Start with a thorough audit to identify accessibility barriers on your website. This helps pinpoint areas that need improvement.
  2. Address the accessibility issues found during the audit: Tackle the problems identified in your audit, such as:
    • Adding alternative text to images
    • Enhancing color contrast for better visibility
    • Ensuring keyboard navigability for all interactive elements
    • Providing captions for videos
    • Labeling form elements clearly for screen readers
  3. Maintain compliance: Stay updated with the latest ADA and WCAG guidelines, conduct regular reviews to ensure new content and features are accessible, and train your team on accessibility standards and best practices.
  4. Hire an ADA-compliant consultant: Engage an expert who specializes in web accessibility to help navigate the complexities of ADA compliance—from the initial audit and recommendations to implementation, training, and ongoing support.

Tips on Staying ADA Compliant with WordPress

Maintaining ADA compliance on a WordPress website requires specific measures that leverage WordPress’s unique features and capabilities. Here are targeted tips to ensure your WordPress site remains accessible:

At Paradigm Marketing and Design, we believe everyone should have equal access to websites. With our advanced experience in ADA compliance and custom web development, we can help you design and maintain a website that is accessible to all users. Contact us today to ensure your site meets applicable accessibility standards or to learn more about our web design services and solutions.

(1) https://shorturl.at/2lmV1
(2) https://pixelplex.io/blog/web-accessibility-statistics/

About the Author

Madison Deckert is a Senior Account Coordinator at Paradigm. Her superpower is her ability to capitalize on both her creativity and problem-solving prowess to drive client success. In her role, she coordinates the execution of tailored marketing campaigns to achieve unmatched success for our clients. She examines current marketing research and competitive analyses to inform strategy, collaborates with design and development teams to create impactful messaging, social media, and marketing plans, and supports the tactical execution of initiatives to ensure purpose-driven results.

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Paradigm Marketing and Design Over the past 7 years, Paradigm Marketing and Design has evolved into a complete turnkey agency, but this award winning shop is still small enough to give clients the individual attention and hands-on, detail oriented services they need to be confident in their marketing effort and competitive in their industries.
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