by Zoey Smith of Zbra Studios, Silver Lake
ADA Compliance is a very hot topic right now. There has been an extremely high volume of lawsuits related to website compliance. The issue is complicated by the fact that the DOJ has not implemented specific regulations setting forth a technical standard for website accessibility. In the absence of formal guidelines, most companies are:
1) Working to ensure that their websites are WCAG 2.0 AA compliant
2) Adding an accessibility statement to their website, accessible via the footer (similar to how you add a privacy policy)
Even if your website is fully WCAG 2.0 compliant, there’s no guarantee that you will not be the subject of a lawsuit, because of the lack of formal guidelines.
There is a really good browser plug-in that I recommend, as it allows for easy AA compliance scanning of a given page:
In terms of services that we offer, we can assist with an audit of the known WCAG 2.0 AA issues on website. The problem that we’ve run into is that if you’re using a purchased WordPress theme, that theme might have some built-in issues that cannot be easily updated to address the compliance issues. I know a lot of companies redo their website every 1-2 years, and what we’re recommending is that ADA compliance be a core part of new website design and coding.
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Here’s also a recent article that is really interesting, that talks about current status of ADA compliance and where it stands after a recent Ninth Circuit ruling:
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and this from Echo Park Chamber’s enewsletter
The good news is, there are some resources available to help determine if you meet those requirements, including reading up on ADA Compliance Websites from the CA Restaurant Association.
We recommend reviewing your own website’s coding by using tools like Siteimprove, as well as making sure you have developed an Accessibility Statement as a page on your website.
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for the real estate industry:
The National Apartment Association has worked with the law firm Blank Rome and their attorneys Anthony Mingione and Martin Krezalek to produce a memorandum that more comprehensively explains these lawsuits, the legal landscape surrounding them, strategies to keep member websites accessible, and key takeaways you should consider should you face a lawsuit. We encourage you to familiarize yourselves with this threat and take steps to avoid any risks that such a lawsuit may pose.
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If you are interested in more information on this subject, please email info@silverlakechamber.com and we’ll consider providing more education and resources.