{"id":2391,"date":"2021-09-20T14:13:34","date_gmt":"2021-09-20T18:13:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sharpinnovations.com\/blog\/?p=2391"},"modified":"2021-11-30T09:22:26","modified_gmt":"2021-11-30T14:22:26","slug":"what-is-website-accessibility-and-the-wcag-answered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sharpinnovations.com\/blog\/2021\/09\/what-is-website-accessibility-and-the-wcag-answered\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Website Accessibility and the WCAG? [Answered]"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We believe everyone should have equal opportunity!<\/em><\/strong> The Department of Justice (DOJ) published the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design in September 2010. These standards state that all electronic and information technology must be accessible to people<\/em>
with disabilities. <\/sup><\/em><\/p> (<\/sup><\/em>https:\/\/interactiveaccessibility.com\/services\/ada-compliance<\/sup><\/em><\/a>)<\/sup><\/em> <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

What &\nWhy? The ADA and Your Website<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The\nAmericans with Disabilities Act requirements are for commercial and public\norganizations that offer public accommodations. The internet & websites are\ncategorized into this expectation and therefore must also meet these\nregulations. The Department of Justice is still defining and refining ADA\nexpectations. However, website designers are encouraged to take the initiative\nto meet current guidelines and use the WCAG 2.0 level AA as a baseline. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover,\nproviding people with disabilities access to information on the internet is the\nright thing to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What is WCAG\nCompliance?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) sets the main international standards for the World Wide Web and its accessibility.  W3C created the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0 & 2.1) which are international.  The Section 508 guidlines map to WCAG 2.0 and requires specific techniques for compliance.  <\/sup><\/em><\/p> (<\/sup><\/em>https:\/\/interactiveaccessibility.com\/services\/wcag-20-compliance<\/sup><\/em><\/a>)<\/sup><\/em> <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"various <\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The\nguidelines for compliance are mostly technical in nature, but also require some\nsimpler content improvements, and overlap a bit of the visual design as well.\nAn example that hits all of these would be to \u201cMake images and video more accessible\nby adding audio descriptions to images, including the narration of changes in\nsetting, gesturing, and other details. In addition, add text captions for the\ndeaf.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The majority of those changes are simple enough to do, even though they may be tedious. It requires you to be detail-oriented and not overlook anything important. There are some challenges of implementations for requirements like, \u201cColor contrast ratio: All text must have a color contrast ratio of 4.5:1 against its background,\u201d<\/em> depending on the color branding of your site. The challenge is that many colors could fail the contrast amount, making it hard to read. Yet, if we change the color, we break the visual aesthetics and risk diluting the brand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sharp designers can work with you to find the balance. We can help your site meet ADA requirements, while best launching your vision for your new site. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

FREE CONSULTATION<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Further Back:\n508 Compliance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The US Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was amended in 1986 and again in 1998 to include all information technology, including computer hardware, software and documentation.  These amendments also created enforcement measures to mandate compliance for websites, documents, and applications developed with US Federal funding or for US government agencies.<\/em> These amendments are known as Section 508 and they dictate specific accommodations for various types of content.  The \u201cSection 508 refresh\u201d or Section 255 Standards Refresh updates the requirements.  A final rule with more details about the standards is expected in the fall of 2012 and codified into law in 2013. <\/em> <\/p>  (<\/sup><\/em>https:\/\/interactiveaccessibility.com\/services\/508-compliance<\/sup><\/em><\/a>)<\/sup><\/em> <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

With\nSection 508 defined, the US Government also requires that government websites (or\nany sites developed for federal use or using federal funding) must comply as\nwell. This has translated to state-level agencies and top corporations choosing\nto honor it. Since January of 2017, Section 508 has adopted the WCAG 2.0 level\nAA requirements, so their expectations now align.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ADA Creates Better\nSEO<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"closeup <\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Some\nare skeptical that any difference in search engine optimization exists, but\nthat\u2019s often because of not fully understanding how SEO is scored. Like most\nthings, the improvement in accessibility does not inherently get Google or\nother search engines to acknowledge your site is better.  But search engines will recognize the\nimproved quality of an ADA-compliant site. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The big picture is this: The ADA focuses on addressing content readability. This is done at a technical level with tagging elements so that browsers and screen readers know how to interpret information on a site page. Also, image context can be improved via the use of alt tagging and descriptions. An expectation of ADA is to use descriptive links so that readers can understand the link\u2019s context by text alone. In other words, goodbye to links that only say, \u201cclick here,\u201d because they lack context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ADA and the\nLaw<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So, the technically correct legal answer is to make it so that everyone, including persons with disabilities, can enjoy the \u201cfull and equal\u201d use of your website; they can access content, navigate your website successfully, engage with different elements, etc.<\/em>
Restated, generally, we have to make sure our websites provide for meaningful access and effective communication to those with disabilities. <\/em><\/p>  (<\/sup><\/em>https:\/\/krisrivenburgh.medium.com\/the-ada-checklist-website-compliance-guidelines-for-2019-in-plain-english-123c1d58fad9<\/sup><\/em><\/a>)<\/sup><\/em> <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Regarding\nlegal expectations, consult a lawyer who is knowledgeable about website\naccessibility. However, if you consistently work on and improve your site\u2019s ADA\nexperience in good faith, there should be no shortcomings to note. Most likely,\nif a claim were to come against you, you would be given a set amount of time to\naddress the issues before having to face a lawsuit. Demand letters often make\nnote of this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can\u2019t I Just Install a Plugin?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are also many \u2018quick-fix\u2019 solutions out there that provide accessibility widgets and overlays that claim to secure ADA compliance, and companies claiming state-of-the-art solutions implementing AI and machine learning to automate accessibility. These services should be approached with caution. They will rarely ever make your site accessible as web accessibility as they act as more of a supplementary tool that should be used alongside more sophisticated and thorough solutions. Accessibility is not a one-off task; it will be an ongoing project and will always require constant reviews and manual checks. It\u2019s best to find an auditing solution that can scan your site for issues, but also encourages manual reviews.  <\/sup><\/em><\/p> (<\/sup><\/em>https:\/\/monsido.com\/blog\/receiving-ada-web-accessibility-demand-letter<\/sup><\/em><\/a>)<\/sup><\/em> <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

So, what\u2019s\nnext?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Contact us and we\u2019ll run an audit on your site<\/a> to correct any ADA, WCAG, and Section 508 errors.  This service will keep your site from overlooking small details that are missed as your site content changes and evolve over time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\nsaid, if your site does not update frequently, you can likely perform an audit\nevery few years and be 100% in compliance. However, if your site is updated\nregularly, it\u2019s likely that there are details overlooked and little gotchas\nhere and there that could be in violation of the WCAG requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alleviate\nthe worry. Schedule a consultation\ntoday<\/a>\nto learn how Sharp can audit your site for accessibility concerns on an ongoing\nbasis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FREE CONSULTATION<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We believe everyone should have equal opportunity! The Department of Justice (DOJ) published the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design in September 2010. These standards state that all electronic and information technology must be accessible to people with disabilities. (https:\/\/interactiveaccessibility.com\/services\/ada-compliance) What & Why? The ADA and Your Website The Americans with Disabilities…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2393,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-website-design"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat is Website Accessibility and WCAG? 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