How a Website Accessibility Checker Ensures Legal Compliance

A website accessibility checker can be one of the most critical tools for ensuring your business stays within the law and avoids costly lawsuits. This article will look at what you need to know about how this tool can help you stay compliant with accessibility standards.

Developing Accessibility Laws in the United States

Many laws in the United States require public and private entities to provide equal access to information and services. Over the years, these requirements have been extended to cover technology-related activities. So if you’ve been an organization that’s been online for years, you might want to check the accessibility of your website. This helps to ensure that your website always complies with applicable laws.

Here is a brief timeline of the evolution of US accessibility law over the years:

  • The Rehabilitation Act of 1973

This law protects against discrimination against people with disabilities. It states that no qualified person with a disability should be exempted from participating in or denied the benefits of any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance because of their disability.

  • The Technology Related Assistance for Disabled Persons Act 1988

This law prioritized state and local government funding for the purchase of assistive technology products.

  • The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990

It is one of the most popular laws that defines disability broadly and prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. ADA Website Compliance has become crucial for businesses in recent years as many are now going digital. Additionally, several companies are hit with massive lawsuits for non-compliance.

  • National Federation of the Blind (NFB) Vs. Target Society

This landmark 2006 case is considered the first time a retailer has been held accountable for web accessibility. The NFB won and forever changed the concept of “public accommodation” under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to include the Internet and websites.

  • The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA)

This legislation focused on two specific areas: access to telecommunications and video programming. Telecommunications required that all advanced communication products and activities ensure that their communications are accessible to people with disabilities. In the area of ​​video, a policy imposed by the CVAA was to include closed captioning for all television programs broadcast on the Internet.

  • Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 is an extension of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. The document explains how developers and designers create web content that is more accessible to people with disabilities.

These web accessibility standards come from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). A key area of ​​this document relates to people with disabilities who use assistive technologies such as screen readers or text-to-speech software.These events have shaped legal compliance when designing websites. A website accessibility checker ensures compliance by testing for potential barriers that might prevent some users from accessing the site.

What is a Website Accessibility Checker?

A website accessibility checker is a tool for ensuring compliance with laws such as the ADA. It works by analyzing websites and comparing them to WCAG 2.0 to provide guidance on how to make websites more accessible to users with disabilities.

Why check your website for accessibility compliance?

To avoid possible legal issues, it is essential to comply with federal and state laws regarding the accessibility of your website for people with disabilities. By failing to verify your site, you run the risk of being sued for discrimination.

There are a few simple steps you can take to determine if your website is compliant with the law. One is to use a website accessibility checker. This is a tool to analyze a website and identify areas that may not comply with the law. If a website is deemed inaccessible to everyone, it could be subject to legal action.

Many website accessibility checkers are easy to use because they only require you to type your website URL into a Get Your Results bar or something similar. After 20-30 seconds, you can get your accessibility report in PDF format. These reports are analyzed by artificial intelligence to increase their accuracy so businesses know what needs to change in order for their site to meet requirements.

Some websites also let users know what needs to be done by highlighting specific items. By clicking, the codes indicating the reported items will appear. They will also check for common accessibility issues such as alt text on images or page titles that are too long and difficult to read. If more than one thing needs fixing, some tools offer information on where you should start based on the severity of each issue.

Get the solution

After the audit, it is essential to address the errors and correct them. This part may require the help of a web developer or designer.

You can also hire a professional accessibility consultant to help you with compliance issues. These consultants are experts in areas related to website accessibility and know how to handle these types of errors. Counseling services vary widely depending on what is required by law. Be sure to ask questions before signing anything with them.

Other Reasons to Use a Web Accessibility Checker

Using an accessibility checker has many benefits in addition to identifying possible legal risks. Some of them are:

  1. Be proactive when updates are needed
  2. Provides valuable information on how you can improve your website experience for customers and employees
  3. Inclusiveness

Overall, an accessibility checker can reassure you that you are fulfilling an important responsibility and providing a more inclusive experience for all users.

Any business should look beyond legal compliance when choosing an accessibility checker, such as their reputation or the detailed information about the corrective measures they offer. Ensuring your company’s compliance with existing standards is key to avoiding fines and protecting your credibility.

Conclusion

A website accessibility checker is a crucial tool for ensuring legal compliance. By reviewing the WCAG 2.0 guidelines, you can ensure that your website is accessible to everyone. This is important for legal compliance and to ensure that your website is usable by everyone.

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