54 Million Reasons
Recent court cases demonstrate website accessibility is an issue for all industries, from education and retail to hospitality and banking. That’s because more than 54 million Americans self-identify as disabled. According to the Pew Internet Project, 54% of disabled users are online. Although official website accessibility and compliance guidelines are intended for government websites, claims against civil and private websites are in full swing.
Do you know what website accessibility and compliance is and if your website is compliant?
Your Business Could be at Risk
While those being sued for inaccessible websites are most often financial institutions and retailers, they’re not alone. If you haven’t paid attention to the accessibility of your website, it’s time to do so before your lawyers must. Dealing with a lawsuit drains energy, time and resources from the things you should be focused on: your business and customer service.
Can you afford such a lawsuit? In 2018, accessibility lawsuits rose 181%.
Be Proactive with a Website Accessibility Review
Getting an assessment by an experienced team gives you the information you need to ensure your website is compliant. You should receive a robust report detailing the review standards used and the steps needed for your website to be considered compliant. The report should identify these standards in terms of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) published by the Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium.
EVG’s team uses two separate checklists, provides a pass/fail or yes/no grade for each standard and identifies specific steps you can take to immediately improve your site. The Title II Checklist (Website Accessibility), published by the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, includes 11 yes/no questions to evaluate a website’s level of accessibility. Fifteen additional questions determine if your company’s website accessibility policy and procedures are in place and up-to-date. The Section 508 Checklist of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 is part of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and addresses access for people with physical, sensory or cognitive disabilities. This checklist details 68 criteria for compliance.
Could your website pass our website accessibility review?
EVG Offers Experience and Guidance
Our approach to evaluating websites for accessibility helps you understand what meets current standards and what does not. Our team delivers an initial report and, at no additional cost, will re-evaluate your site once you’ve made changes. Once your website is compliant, you can license a verified badge to let your audience know your site is compliant and user-friendly.
- Expertise – Assistive technology tools are used for the site review.
- Resources & Checklists – The review uses the latest standards as our benchmarks.
- Objectivity – We’ll let you know exactly what is not compliant. It’s not always fun to hear what’s wrong, but it’s best for your company and customers.
- Analysis & Reporting –Data-backed findings and recommendations.
- Time Savings – Reading the standards, understanding the application, learning to use assistive technology and examining your site for each criterion takes time. Letting us do all that saves your employees valuable time and stress.
- Budget Savings – Time is money, so when we can save you time, we save you money. And ensuring compliance now is much more cost-effective than dealing with a lawsuit later.
If you’d like to explore outsourcing the assessment of your website’s accessibility, email EVG.
We are website accessibility compliance consultants, and we want to help you reach everyone.
Note: We at EVG Media® are not attorneys. This information should not be considered as legal advice. We encourage everyone to read the Americans with Disabilities Act and to review Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.