Yes, the Americans with Disabilities Act has consistently been interpreted by U.S. courts to apply to digital content including websites, applications, mobile apps, and PDFs. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are technical guidelines referenced when testing for ADA website accessibility. One example of a scenario would be a photograph with no text identifying it. Because screen readers cannot interpret images unless there is associated text, a blind person would have no way of knowing what the picture is unless there was a hidden computer code label describing the photo. Remember, not everyone uses standard browsers like Google Chrome. There are many people who use different types of devices to access this information, such as text readers and audio scanners. Those tools need special instructions to help translate or convey the information on the web page to the user.
5 Steps to Make Sure Your Website Is ADA-Compliant
- Find an ADA agency or Attorney
- Audit your code
- Determine the level of effort to become compliant
- Put in the work
- Stay up-to-date on compliance standards post-launch
If you have been threatened with an ADA Website or App lawsuit, please give attorney Chris Elliott a call at office. We are here to help.