Steps To Ensure Your Website Is Compliant With the Americans With Disabilities Act

There are tens of millions of people in the United States who live with a disability. Therefore, you have to make sure that your website is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act if you want to avoid fines and sanctions while also expanding your target market. There are plenty of software programs that can help you make sure your website is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and you may want to take a closer look at a few accessiBe reviews to learn more about how this particular solution can help you out. What are some of the steps you need to take if you want to make sure your website is compliant with the ADA?

1. Include Descriptions for Images and Videos

You probably use images and videos to convey information quickly, and you might even realize just how important they are for search engine optimization. Unfortunately, this can be a significant roadblock for people who have visual impairments. Therefore, you must make sure that you add descriptions to your images and videos, which are typically described as alt text. This is helpful because someone with a screen reader can take the description, read it out loud, and understand what the picture was meant to convey. If you use specific keywords as a part of the alt text, you can also dramatically improve your search engine optimization efforts. This can help you increase your online visibility. 

2. Think About Keyboard Navigation

When you navigate a website, there is a good chance that you probably use a mouse. On the other hand, there are plenty of people who are not able to use a mouse for website navigation. Therefore, you must make sure that people can navigate your website using a keyboard. Unfortunately, the vast majority of websites online are not accessible using a keyboard because it simply has not been enabled. When you design your website, you must make sure people can navigate it using a keyboard. This will be markedly easier for people with disabilities, and you may want to use accessiBe’s solution and look at other tips that can make it easier for you to design an ADA-compliant website. 

3. Target Areas With Time Constraints

You probably have parts of your website that are under time constraints. For example, when someone is purchasing something, you may require them to fill out a field within a few minutes before they lose their items. Unfortunately, many of these constraints have not been designed with people with disabilities in mind. If someone has a disability, you must make sure they have more time to complete forms. Otherwise, they could lose their information, and they might have a difficult time using your website to the fullest extent. Make sure there are fallback measures in place for people who need more time to fill out forms. 

4. Always Consider Physical Reactions

Some people who visit your website may have a neurological disorder and could experience a seizure. Think about this when you place different elements on the website. For example, you need to make sure there’s nothing on your website that will flash more than three times per second. It could cause a severe physical reaction in people who have disabilities, such as epilepsy. Even though this might not be a portion of the ADA that is strictly enforced, it will probably be expanded in the future. At the very least, you need to make sure everyone who visits your website is comfortable. Always think about the visual elements on the page before you finalize your website design. 

Make Sure Your Website Is ADA Compliant

You probably want to attract as many customers as possible, and that means crafting a website that is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. There are a lot of moving parts, and it may be difficult for you to keep up with all of them. That is why you might want to use a software program or solution like accessiBe’s that can take a look at your website and make recommendations. Then, do not forget that there are experts who can help you. If you make sure your website is attractive to people with disabilities, you can avoid fines and sanctions while also growing your business.