5 Steps to Make Your Website More ADA Compliant

So you have a website that is up and running and starts to get clicks. But you suddenly find yourself receiving complaints that it is not readable or that videos uploaded can barely be heard. That spells trouble.These days you must have an ADA compliance Pros website. It means that your website can be accessed by even those who have disabilities as explained under the Americans with Disability Act of 1990. Before it was just about structures and building but the act has since included information technology.

There have been several cases filed against companies because their websites were not readable enough or because it caused them some sort of seizure.

To avoid a lawsuit, here are 5 tips to be sure that your website is ADA compliant.

1. Make sure the content is readable Always bear in mind that the fonts in your website must be read by people who have visual problems. Use fonts that are formal and sizable enough on the computer screen. Avoid scripted fonts since it may be challenging to read. It’s okay to go big but not too much.
2. Provide texts and transcriptions for videos Not everyone can hear well or understand what the video may contain. It may be visually appealing but if the person watching it cannot understand the main idea, that might be a problem. Putting text or transcription on the video, it will make the reader or viewer stay on the website and glued to what he or she may be watching. Always remember that not everyone can immediately get what they see on screen. In addition, make sure that the video can be stopped or that volume can also be changed in case it is too loud or too soft.
3. Make sure that functionality is available on the keyboard This tip may be applied to those who have problems with motor skills and might have a hard time using the mouse. According to a 2019 report from accessiBLE, from the 10 million websites that were analyzed, around 98% of the website menus are inaccessible because it overlooked the importance of just using the keyboard.

4. Include descriptions for images. There is a saying that a picture paints a thousand words but not everyone will fully understand a picture by simply looking at it. Images play a big role in a website’s look and function so it’s very important to put a description to the images. The best way to do that is by using the alt text. Using the alt text can give full descriptions to the reader even if he’s using a screen reader to understand the meaning of what the photo is trying to convey.
5. Test your website before going live or launching it After building and putting content, it’s time to test the website itself. Run through it by checking if the colors are flashy, if the navigation bar is working, or if the loading is working and there are no errors. Are the special effects too flashy? Maybe it’s best to reconfigure or remove it as it might cause some seizure or sudden eye problem. Are the videos heard properly? It might need some volume fine-tuning. Is the loading of the website fast? Then you might need to make adjustments.

There are many other ways to make your website more ADA compliant and these 5 steps are just a start. Remember, you don’t want to alienate any audience. You want them to keep coming back to check the website after all. If unsure, then consider seeking a professional to check it because it’s better to follow the law than get into any lawsuit.