How To Make An ADA Compliant Website?

This is a question that many organizations and businesses are asking themselves nowadays. In the following article we will go over the correct steps on how to make an ADA-compliant website.

What is an ADA-compliant website?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including employment, transportation, and public accommodations. The ADA legislation mandates that websites and digital content be accessible to individuals with disabilities, ensuring equal access to information and services online

An ADA-compliant website is a website that adheres to the web accessibility standards as outlined by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Level AA success criteria.

First step toward ADA compliance

The first step to making a website ADA-compliant is to conduct an accessibility audit or assessment to evaluate the current state of the website, which identifies areas that need improvement. This audit can help identify accessibility barriers and prioritize remediation efforts based on the severity of the issues and their impact on users with disabilities.

It is important to conduct an audit based on the WCAG guidelines for regulatory validation. The audit can be run independently by learning the WCAG guidelines or with the help of web accessibility experts both in the accessibility and ADA compliance fields.

Web accessibility vendors can scan a website with automated tools, usually backed by AI technology, searching for common accessibility issues such as missing Alt Text for images, insufficient color contrast, and keyboard navigation problems. The next key step is manual testing, where auditors interact with the website using assistive technologies like screen readers and keyboard navigation to identify accessibility issues that automated tools might miss. This hands-on approach ensures a comprehensive evaluation of the website’s accessibility.

Accessibility audit evaluation report

After you conduct an audit of your website against WCAG standards, an evaluation report that summarizes the findings of the accessibility assessment is typically issued. The accessibility report provides detailed information about the accessibility issues identified during the audit, including descriptions of each issue, its impact on users with disabilities, and recommendations for remediation. The report may also include screenshots or examples illustrating the identified issues to help understand the nature of the accessibility barriers that make the website noncompliant with ADA requirements.

The evaluation report may prioritize the identified issues based on their severity and impact on accessibility, helping stakeholders prioritize remediation efforts. It may also include information about the current level of compliance with accessibility standards, which is very helpful in understanding how much work needs to be done to finetune the website for ADA compliance.

The remediation process

After an audit is complete and a report is issued, the remediation methodology will typically involve the following steps:

1. Prioritization. Review the audit report to prioritize accessibility issues based on their severity, impact on users, and compliance requirements. Focus on addressing critical issues that significantly impact usability for individuals with disabilities.
2. Make a plan. Create a detailed remediation plan that outlines the specific actions needed to address each accessibility issue identified in the audit report. Assign responsibilities to team members, set deadlines for completion, and establish milestones to track progress.
3. Remediate. Begin implementing the remediation plan by addressing accessibility issues identified in the audit report. This may involve making changes to website code, content, design elements, and functionality to ensure compliance with the WCAG guidelines.
4. Test and validate. Conduct thorough testing and validation to ensure the accessibility issues have been effectively addressed. Use automated testing tools, manual testing methods, and assistive technologies to verify compliance and usability for users with disabilities.
5. Feedback. Gather feedback from users, including individuals with disabilities, to assess the effectiveness of the remediation efforts and identify any accessibility issues that may remain.
6. Documentation and Training. Document the remediation process, including the actions taken to address accessibility issues and any changes made to the website. Elements like an Accessibility Statement stipulating the remediation efforts conducted on the website are a regulatory requirement. Provide training and guidance to team members involved in website development. After all the effort expended, you want to preserve the high accessibility levels that you’ve reached.
7. Monitor. Establish processes for ongoing monitoring and maintenance to ensure that the website remains accessible over time. Regularly review and update website content, design elements, and functionality to address new accessibility issues and maintain compliance with evolving standards and guidelines.

By following these seven steps, businesses can successfully and effectively make their websites compliant with ADA requirements.

Automatic remediation without code interference

Automated tools may offer features like content management system (CMS) plugins or integrations that can help streamline the process of adding alt text to images or checking color contrast. However, these tools may not always produce accurate results or address all accessibility issues comprehensively.

For example, while automated tools can generate alt text for images based on file names or surrounding text, they may not accurately describe the content or context of the image. Similarly, while tools can flag color contrast issues, adjusting color combinations to meet accessibility standards may require human judgment and design considerations.

Free remediation solutions for ADA compliance

Free automated remediation solutions exist in the market, but they are typically:

• Low-quality solutions.
• Partial solutions.
• Legally risky.

AI-powered remediation overlays for ADA compliance

AI-powered overlays aim to make websites accessible by overlaying an additional layer of code or functionality on top of the existing website. These solutions typically use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms to dynamically modify the website’s presentation and behavior to improve accessibility for users with disabilities.

The benefits are obvious: this solution saves businesses time, effort, and vital resources. AI-powered overlays may offer features such as:

1. Dynamic Content Modifications: Automatically adjusting website elements, such as text size, color contrast, and navigation options, based on user preferences or detected accessibility needs.
2. Alternative Accessibility Interfaces: Providing alternative interfaces or modes of interaction, such as keyboard shortcuts, voice commands, or simplified layouts, to accommodate users with different disabilities.
3. Screen Reader Enhancement: Enhancing compatibility with screen readers by optimizing the HTML markup and structure of the website, providing additional metadata, or dynamically generating alternative text for images.
4. User Feedback and Personalization: Gathering feedback from users with disabilities and using AI algorithms to personalize the website experience based on individual accessibility preferences and requirements.

While this solution is very tempting for organizations, it is important to note that this will not elevate a website to fully meet ADA compliance requirements. AI overlays have their limitations, as accessibility standards require broader solutions and a specificity that AI simply lacks.

Some critics argue that overlays only address surface-level accessibility issues and could introduce new usability challenges or create dependencies on proprietary technologies. Additionally, relying solely on overlays may not fully address underlying accessibility issues in the website’s code, content, and design.

The EqualWeb solution for an ADA compliant website

While going DIY to achieve ADA compliance is possible, we recommend doing it with professionals. Let’s face it: web accessibility is an intricate field that requires expertise in code, design, WCAG guidelines, and accessibility regulations in ADA or Section 508 legislation, for example.

When choosing a vendor that has expertise in the field with years of experience and an array of technological tools at its disposal, the time-consuming and stressful aspect of accessibility remediation can be taken off an organization’s shoulders. All that remains is choosing the right provider!

EqualWeb offers the most advanced AI-powered accessibility widget that automatically fixes about 60 to 70 percent of all accessibility issues and errors on a website. In addition, EqualWeb provides manual remediation services by its certified experts, coupled with a robust and scalable monitoring solution that ensures periodic maintenance and review for year-round accessibility and compliance.

Learn more about the “hybrid” approach that integrates both the effectiveness of AI and the knowledgeable expertise of programmers and legal consultants.

Read about the ADA Managed Compliance plan