Make your site ADA-compliant before you're sued

  • close up of computer keyboard with handicapped icon on one key
Companies are being sued for not having ADA-compliant websites.

Category: Web Design

Industry: Other

Client: Your company
Project Description

Having an ADA-compliant website can help you avoid lawsuits.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is meant to ensure people with disabilities, especially those with significant vision or hearing impairments, have the same opportunities as anyone else. These laws have been around since 1999, but now that the internet is almost considered a ”utility,” ADA compliance also applies to websites. So it's more important than ever to have an ADA-compliant website.

(Our website is an ADA-compliant site. To see how it works, click the little blue circular icon in the lower left of the screen.)

Why now?

Because people are suing companies for not having ADA-compliant websites. Disabled plaintiffs call themselves activists working to improve society for the disabled, one lawsuit at a time, while critics call it “legal extortion.”

Who’s been sued for not having an ADA-compliant website?

Medical Spas, Beyoncé, and believe it or not: even Pornhub was sued for not having an ADA compliant site, due to lack of closed captioning for their videos. (Don’t worry, the previous link will NOT take you to the Pornhub site.)

What are the chances of you being sued?

Who knows, but since the CDC estimates that more than 5 million adults have hearing or visual disabilities, why take the chance? Especially when it’s not a lot of work.

Want to see an example of an ADA-compliant website?

You're looking at one.

Our site is ADA-compliant, and you can tell from the lime green handicap icon on the left side of every page. Including this one. Click it and see the options.

When you click on that icon, a window opens that allows sight-impaired people modify our site to accommodate their particular needs. What's in the system?

  • There's "Content Adjustments" that let them change the size of the type, the font itself and word spacing.
  • There's Color and Display adjustments that allows them to display our website in high-contrast colors if they're having a hard time reading.
  • There's Navigation adjustments that let them navigate using just their keyboard instead of their mouse.
  • It lets them change the language from English to any one of 13 other languages.

Does your web design company offer this?

If not, you might want to talk with a different web design company. Especially considering not having an ADA-compliant site can cost you a lot. Especially when you consider the cost of making your site compliant.