Disabilities are very common in the modern world. Experts estimate that more than one out of four Americans have some kind of disability. These are disabilities that are considered serious enough to compromise their ability to function in some way as they go about their day. By law, those who have such an issue have certain rights. Under the auspices of the Americans With Disabilities Act (passed in 1990), many areas of life must be designed with the needs of users with disabilities kept in mind during the process and end result. While it was passed several decades ago, the law has modern applications that pertain to any site operating today. Website designers and owners are required to make sure their site is usable by those with disabilities.
Making Allowances
All online content provided for users must be able to make allowances for access issues that might otherwise stand in the way of the user who has a disability. If you fail to account for such issues, you are technically breaking the law. Doing so can not only lead to lawsuits. It can also lead to negative publicity you don’t want that can make you look insensitive to vulnerable community members. In general, a disability can impact the person in certain ways. People may have issues with hearing, sight, mobility, cognition, cognition, the ability to care for themselves or live independently. An estimated sixty-one million Americans have some form of disability. Those who fail to make sure their website is friendly to the disabled also leave themselves out of this large and growing market.
Moving Forward Positively
It’s best to avoid leaving such issues to chance. Instead, website owners and managers should be proactive in making sure their sites meet all necessary requirements. There are many ways to ensure that your site is up-to-date with all codes and usable to all comers. A consultation with an organization such as the Bureau of Internet Accessibility is a good first step. This organization has many resources to help ensure compliance. They provide people with many types of free resources. They also provide people with a free audit to determine if something isn’t quite right and where it might be fixed going forward.
Other Advantages
Maintaining such compliance has a great many advantages. Even a single lawsuit can be quite costly and bring in many negative reports for your business. In contrast, those organizations and companies that are well managed and easy to use can gain positive publicity. Good reviews can indicate you are responsive to your client concerns. If you craft the right kind of infrastructure from the very first, search engines recognize this fact and will reward you site when it comes to page rankings. When you use descriptive language that people can read and attach it to a picture, you’ll find it easy to attract people who might not have perfect vision but do have funds they want to spent. The use of such plans can also help you keep on top of rankings in any SEO plan. Websites that fail to do do so may find they’ve given the competition an easy leg up. A few short changes and a good plan can provide you with lasting results from many happy clients. SEO along with being featured on the Lawyers of Distinction Directory could go a long way for your firm.
Source: https://www.chiefmarketer.com/how-to-ensure-your-website-is-accessible-to-americans-with-disabilities/