With the recent news of local businesses being targeted for ADA compliance lawsuits, we felt it would be helpful to share our experience as website developers.
ADA compliance effects multiple areas of business operations. It covers not only your physical location but also your website and advertisements. Recent headlines in the Provincetown Independent focused on “website violations” but these weren’t violations of the website itself, but rather the websites lacked proper descriptive information about ADA features offered at the physical location of the business.
At COLEwebdev we offer ADA website compliance services. This means we scan, and rectify any code or other issues found with your website. The specification is known as “WCAG” or Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. There are levels of compliance, and the rules evolve over time. Examples include the proper usage of headings, inclusion of image “alt” tags and sufficient color contrast for the visually impaired. Along with an initial scan, we recommend yearly reviews of your website, to ensure new content published maintains compliance.
However, what you say on your website about your physical location is an aspect only you can control. The recent lawsuits are a good impetus to review your ADA compliance both online and off. Make sure what you claim to offer is true, and that you make an effort to be accessible, otherwise you’ll put yourself at risk for an expensive lawsuit whether the complaint is valid or not.
