Are you aware of web accessibility standards? Is your website ADA and WCAG compliant? For many, web accessibility is a new concept and chances are, you might not be familiar with what this entails for your organization’s website.
According to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), “Web accessibility means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them. More specifically, people can: 1.) perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web, 2.) contribute to the Web.”
The goal of web accessibility is to ensure the Internet is accessible and inclusive for millions of users around the world. Unfortunately, hundreds of millions of websites still remain inaccessible and keep people with disabilities disconnected.
To help web developers make web content more accessible to people with disabilities, the W3C developed a set of rules, behaviors, code standards, and design guidelines called the WCAG 2.1.
For ministries and organizations, especially those with an evangelistic mission, it should be a priority that their websites are accessible to as many people as possible.
Not only is web accessibility good for organizations, but compliance is also required of everyone. At the end of 2018, the Department of Justice officially affirmed that all websites are considered public accommodations and therefore must comply with Title 3 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in places of public accommodation. U.S. courts refer to WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the accessibility standard.
Does this apply to nonprofit organizations? Yes, nonprofits and businesses alike need to be in compliance with the ADA. From billion-dollar companies such as Domino’s Pizza to small local businesses, websites that remain inaccessible have made headlines and faced lawsuits and significant legal consequences. Over the past eight years, accessibility lawsuits have seen a 320 percent increase and at least 11,452 federal filings documented in 2021 along with hundreds of thousands of web accessibility demand letters.
ADA and WCAG Compliance Solutions for Nonprofits
So how can you make your website ADA and WCAG compliant? Unfortunately, this can still be difficult, but don’t worry–we’re here to help! Let's examine the options available.
Accessibility Plugins: Low-cost or free plugins available in the market do not provide the necessary accessibility needed to become fully compliant with legislation, leaving your organization open to legal actions.
Manual Accessibility Services: Custom accessibility services are available and can bring your site up to full compliance. However, these services often come with a hefty price tag, a long implementation period, and typically drops to 50 percent compliant rate within six months. Imagine that each change you make to your website has the potential to impact your compliance. Sounds frustrating, right?
AI-Powered Web Accessibility Widget: Infinity Concepts offers a game-changing solution for web accessibility, that streamlines and simplifies the process of becoming accessible and compliant using AI, machine learning, and computer vision.
Within 48 hours of implementation, your website will be fully compliant with legislation and your site will receive an Accessibility Statement and Certificate of compliance. Making changes to your website? No problem! Our widget rescans your site every 24 hours and automatically maintains your compliance throughout website updates. Additionally, the widget allows users to personally adjust your site’s design and UI to their individual needs or disability without impacting other site visitors.
Web accessibility may seem like a challenging process, but our AI-powered accessibility widget can help ensure your website is fully compliant and more importantly, fully accessible to the disability community.
So back to our original question: Is your website ADA and WCAG compliant? Find out today! Infinity Concepts can provide you with a free, professional web accessibility audit to learn where you stand. CLICK HERE or call us today at 724-733-1200.
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