Websites are taken for granted by the majority of people. They can pay bills, book flights, and download white papers from the comfort of their own homes. However, not everyone thinks that digital tools are created with them in mind, and this is a failure for everybody.
One out of every four individuals in the United States has a handicap that interferes with main living activities. That’s 61 million friends, neighbors, and family members who deserve a digital experience as good as anybody else’s.
Integrating website accessibility into your design process and culture is a first step toward tackling the problem of exclusivity. While many organizations are motivated by a sense of justice, there is also a compelling commercial argument to be made.
Offering a user experience that caters to a small set of people alienates prospective brand supporters and exposes your company to legal liability.
Title III Regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act require public assets, including public websites, to follow accessibility guidelines.
To put it another way, your digital presence must be designed and developed in such a way that users can complete their intended activities, such as filling out a form or making a purchase.
This should include search tools, mobile applications, and social media in addition to your standard website.
Organizations frequently find themselves on the receiving end of this problem. They are responding to bad criticism and even litigation, rather than deliberately carving out a route to allow accessibility in as a priority. These businesses are well-intentioned, but they are unsure how to assure compliance.
Here are six ways accessibility may influence companies and website design in the near future to keep you up to date:
1. The Number of Lawsuits will Increase
The number of website accessibility cases filed in federal court under Title III of the ADA increased from 814 to 2,258 between 2017 and 2018. As more people hold noncompliant websites and other digital tools responsible, this trend is expected to continue.
Winn-Dixie, Beyoncé, Burger King, Rolex Watch, and Amazon have all been named in recent high-profile lawsuits.
Instead of improving its online ordering function, Domino’s pizza replied to a blind customer’s complaint by filing a petition with the United States Supreme Court to have the case dismissed.
2. Traditional Design Techniques will be Altered
Designers and developers adhere to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) for web standards in order to provide a more inclusive user experience.
It’s all part of their workflow, whether it’s subtitled on films for the deaf or spoken versions of site content read aloud by screen readers.
Organizations will need to rally their troops and stress the significance of accessibility before it can become an integral part of the website design process.
Writing alt-text for pictures, ensuring that all information can be accessed with a keyboard, and guaranteeing that text can be seen at 200 percent without affecting readability will all become second nature in the near future.
While we aren’t quite there yet, the extra procedures required to create a compliant site will become normal practice in the coming years.
3. Know-how will Grow Rapidly
Remember how, in the 1990s, accessible ramps were slapped onto commercial buildings like obnoxious metal afterthoughts, providing functionality but not much in the way of design?
Today, ramps are architectural elements that appeal to any aesthete’s sense of beauty, such as switchbacks crisscrossing vast flights of steps and curved slopes.
We don’t use hammers and drills in digital, and we’ve had 29 years to comprehend the ADA’s principles. Website accessibility can and should change at a far quicker rate than its brick-and-mortar equivalents.
Furthermore, adherence helps businesses compete more successfully for the more than $645 billion in disposable yearly money controlled by Americans with disabilities, adding to the sense of urgency.
4. Site Renovation Will Make Compliance Easier
Websites and applications are updated on a regular basis to make them quicker, more secure, and better optimized for search. To that list, add accessibility.
When we talk to our customers about making changes to their websites, accessibility is always at the top of the list. These are frequently excellent occasions to step up (pun intended) inclusion efforts.
5. Accessibility will be Owned by Someone
Who on your team will spearhead an accessibility initiative? How will this individual get expertise and put stricter ADA accessible user testing in place? Is this a design/development position or an HR/legal position?
More businesses are asking these concerns, and many are turning to outside partners for assistance in becoming and becoming compliant. Accessibility will become a component of someone’s job description, whether handled inside or outside.
6. Audits will Prevent the Future Legal Battles
ADA lawsuits and accompanying news articles may devastate a company’s brand equity, drive away consumers, and cost a lot of money in legal fees.
An audit, when carried out by a reputable digital partner, can reveal online accessibility flaws, allowing you to address them before they have a negative impact on your audience.
(One word of caution: be wary of predatory auditors.) Scammers have been known to provide auditing services and then threaten to report noncompliant clients to the ADA unless they sign up for more projects.)
When companies take the first steps to promote accessibility, the outcome may resemble that obnoxious 1990s ramp. The developing pains at Fusion Alliance were well worth it in order to ensure that everyone receives the same degree of respect and compassion.
Making accessibility a priority in your digital design discussions today will benefit all people in the future. Don’t be afraid to speak with your team.