Supportsoft Glossary

Standards for Accessible Digital Content

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has specified how companies must align their digital offerings, including websites and apps, with ADA standards. The ADA was originally created to create an accessibility-focused system for businesses to provide an accessible environment for customers, employees, and vendors within their physical location. Over time, courts and government agencies have also interpreted the ADA in order to apply it to businesses' digital spaces, making both their physical and digital environments a public accommodation under the ADA.

When designing and developing a website or other digital platform, businesses must create and develop it based on various industry guides, including the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), in order to meet the ADA's accessibility requirements. The WCAG sets forth specific technical information on how to design content in a way that allows people with visual, hearing, cognitive, and mobility impairments to use and interact with the content. Examples of how to meet the WCAG requirements include using text descriptions for images, ensuring adequate colour contrast, designing navigation to be usable by keyboard only, and clearly organising web pages.

 

By continually working towards being ADA-compliant, businesses can not only reduce legal risk but also create an environment where they are more forward-thinking and more successful in building business based on their customer needs. In an ever-evolving technology-driven world, providing a market-defining digitally accessible design will become a symbol of quality, responsibility, and a thoughtful manner of creating and delivering digital products.