Businesses, professionals, and creatives need to showcase their portfolios, so an online presence is essential to them. However, there comes a responsibility with it that your website is accessible to everyone including people with disabilities. You can develop such a website on your own or get Tambena’s professional help to do so.
That’s where the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) comes into the picture. Aside from being a legal requirement, ADA compliance is an important part of creating an online environment. So, in this blog, we will learn the answer to “Does your website need to be ADA compliant portfolio website?” in detail and the steps you can take to do so.
Do websites have to be ADA-Compliant?
The biggest question that businesses have is “What website needs to be ADA-compliant?” The answer to this question is not so simple.
· As per Title 1 of ADA, businesses with at least 15 full-time employees who operate 20 or more weeks per year should have ADA-compliant websites.
· As per Title 3 of the ADA, companies that offer public accommodations like hotels or transportation services must be ADA-compliant. They are legally bound to provide services to disabled persons.
Despite these clear conditions, there are no set rules and regulations that have to be followed to make the website ADA-compliant. This confusion leads to many businesses believe that they don’t need to be ADA-compliant.
Risks for Businesses Upon Non-compliance with ADA
Lawsuits
Although the ADA regulations are not official about how to make the website accessible for disabled people, your business can face legal issues upon non-compliance with the ADA. It’s more like an ethical duty to create a website that is ADA-compliant. So you can offer inclusivity to your business and provide an equally available online environment.
Loss of Valuable Leads
Aside from the risk of facing lawsuits from a disabled person, you can risk losing valuable leads for your business. You can lose potential clients if a disabled person looks for your product but can’t find it because your website isn’t accessible. So, whether or not your website falls under the category of Title 1 or 3, it is better to have an ADA-compliant website. It will ensure you are not excluding anyone.
Aside from this, making your website ADA-compliant will give you a competitive edge as it offers a positive experience on your website.
Does Your Website Need to Be ADA Compliant Portfolio Website?
The nature of your site and audience determines whether the website needs to be ADA-compliant or not. However, it’s in your best interest to have an ADA-compliant website.
Anyways, if you are offering your services or products using your portfolio then ADA compliance is critical. But, even if it’s not offering any of your services or products, making it ADA-compliant will leave a positive impression on your reputation and reach.
ADA compliance ensures that your website is available to everyone regardless of their physical and cognitive abilities. This includes:
· Providing alt text (text alternatives) for images
· Making a website that is navigable through a keyboard
· Ensuring content is easy to read
Following these three simple steps, you demonstrate your commitment to inclusivity that shines your professional image.
3 Basic Things You Should Do to Make Your Website ADA Compliant
Website Responsiveness is a Must
Disabled people prefer using mobile phones or tablets instead of PCs. So, the first step to make your website easily accessible is to work on its responsiveness which you can get by hiring website maintenance services. Your website should be functional on these devices. It has to be scaled to the different screen sizes and can change to fit the different formats.
Some features that best operate on laptops or desktops should be presented in other ways. For example, hover features don’t work on touch screens of mobile and tablets, so the content shown on hover should be presented in some other way. It could be in the form of clickable buttons or tables, depending on the nature of the content.
Easy-To-Use Navigation
The first thing that comes to mind upon hearing the word navigation is the menu on top of the website. For people with vision impairments, it can be challenging to go from one section to another on your website. It has to be structured properly to easily present the information.
In such a case, Tab navigation allows the users to navigate easily on your website using various keyboard shortcuts. This navigation allows most screen readers to read the website in the right order. It’s the only way through which people with physical disabilities can access your website easily. If it doesn’t work well they will leave your site entirely.
Labels, Titles, and Alt Tags Are Critical
All the visual elements like buttons, images, and icons of your website need to be functional for all users regardless of their physical and cognitive abilities. To achieve this, they have to be labeled properly. Only then devices and tools can identify and interact with them.
Buttons
Buttons should have a title attribute that is the same as the text on the button. For example, a user who lacks motor skills can use a voice activation program to interact with your website. He will say submit – the word that is on the button to submit the form.
If the title on the word is “send”, the program won’t be able to identify the command, and the action will fail. It could be frustrating to the user and cause you a lose a lead.
Images
Same as buttons, images need an attribute such as an “alt tag” for their identification. All images should have this attribute that describes the image. It should give the user information that they would get upon viewing the image.
For example, if the image you are showing is of two happy people located in testimonials, the alt text could be a photo of two happy customers. Without an alt text, the screen reader won’t be able to interpret the image for visually impaired users.
Icons
Icons are the same as images in terms of their issues, but they are handled differently. They are a mix of buttons and images. As icons are an SVG or font, so “title” attribute is used for them as buttons. While value will be the description as the image has.
All other visual elements also require title or alt features depending on their nature.
Enabling Website Working with Keyboard Support
Mostly people with disabilities use keyboards instead of mouse for navigation. To ensure easy navigation for everyone your website should be navigable with a keyboard and mouse. It means that all elements of your website like links, buttons, and forms are accessible and operatable using the keyboard shortcuts.
To achieve this, you can rely on developers who focus on proper HTML structure during website development. They will ensure that the tab order is logical and all interactive elements of your website are accessible using the keyboard. Moreover, focus indicators are implemented that highlight the currently selected element which makes navigation more innate.
Thus, keyboard support is a critical component that should be a priority in your website design.
Make Your Website ADA-compliant Today
In the end, ensuring that your portfolio or business website is ADA-compliant is more of a legal duty than a moral one. It enhances your reputation by showing your commitment to inclusivity. Moreover, it improves the website’s accessibility and SEO performance.
Building an ADA-compliant website requires effort and technical knowledge. Though the development of such a website is a little costly the benefits it offers simply mask the cost. For building a strong digital presence, complying with your website to ADA can be a great start. To help you take this start Tambena Consulting is here for you.
All you need is to give us a call, we will handle the rest.
FAQs
Is my website ADA-compliant?
You can conduct a manual audit that evaluates every page of your site for accessibility using the web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG).
Are websites required to be ADA-compliant?
The ADA requires all websites to be compliant. Basically, it ensures that your website is accessible to everyone regardless of their physical and cognitive abilities.
Is ADA compliance mandatory for websites?
There is no such obligation that makes it compulsory. However, for inclusive reach of data and services businesses are advised to be ADA-compliant.
How do I make my website ADA-compliant?
Making your website responsive to different screens, making your site navigable through the keyboard, and giving all visual elements titles and alt features are some of the ways through which you can make your website ADA-compliant.
