Accessibility.Blog

The lack of oversight for website accessibility requirements denies rights to people with disabilities and puts companies at risk of litigation. This issue recently returned to the center stage in a case against a well-known franchise that resulted in a judge's unprecedented call to the U.S. Department of Justice to weigh on the breadth of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) regarding web accessibility.

Since 2015, there have been more than 250 federal lawsuits filed in the U.S. against various entities regarding accessibility. This highlights the need to have a clear and comprehensive bill that addresses all aspects of digital accessibility at a federal level.

When implementing inclusive design, one needs to first understand its vast scope and the myriad different industries involved. Despite the best intentions of most professionals working toward these solutions and innovations, it is the policymakers who are so crucial to setting the standards for universal accessibility.

Over the last few years, important progress has been made in ensuring that the majority of the video content available on the internet includes closed captioning features to allow people with hearing difficulties to enjoy a wide range of video programming.

A VPAT, or Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, is a document that allows your company or organization to provide a comprehensive analysis of your conformance to accessibility standards set by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. 

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) includes accessibility standards for key areas of everyday life such as customer service,information and communications, employment,built environment, and transportation.

The ACAA formally recognized that it was no longer enough for airlines to accommodate your disability when you arrive at the airport, but they must also ensure that there are no barriers to booking your trip, or navigating the website used to book your voyage.

As individuals are deciding to take a stand and take website accessibility cases to courts, more companies and organizations are going to be forced to reconsider their websites and make the decision to accommodate all people.

From greater social inclusion to legal compliance and an expanded customer base, there are several strong reasons why organizations should invest in making their websites accessible. However, approaching accessibility correctly isn’t as straightforward as it might appear.

Developers who want to expand their user base internationally should understand the process of localization, which means adapting a website for use in other countries or regions.

By not following through on the promised steps toward a more transparent standard for website accessibility, President Trump and the DOJ are unwittingly contributing to the ongoing flurry of website accessibility lawsuits.

It's not just your physical hotel that needs to be disabled traveler friendly if you want to attract guests. You also need to make your website accessible to disabled users by following the WCAG’s recommendations. 

ARIA is a specification designed to support accessible web applications.This specification is designed to make web applications, widgets, and web content more accessible to people with disabilities.  

By providing services well beyond spelling and grammar checks, Ghotit is a great example of a company that uses a product and a vision to make internet accessibility a reality for users with dyslexia and dysgraphia.

While Excel is compliant with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, and access software such as JAWS can be integrated with the program, sighted users should be familiar with how to set up workbooks and spreadsheets for vision-impaired users.

People with disabilities represent a major opportunity for employers. Fortunately, both employers and job candidates stand to benefit from websites with accessible design in multiple ways.

The OCR investigates legitimate complaints about rights violations. Organizations across the country are being notified by the OCR that their websites are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Many colleges and universities, however, maintain websites that don't adequately accommodate those with disabilities. Recent litigation has brought greater attention to these sites' non-compliance with web accessibility guidelines, and these landmark cases have had quite an impact on web accessibility overall.

Being able to comfortably see the words on your computer screen is important.  A screen magnifier is a software application that increases the size of text and graphics on your computer screen.

Whereas the digital divide focuses on access to ICT (or lack thereof), digital inclusion is meant to be a practical, policy-driven approach that addresses the needs of individuals and communities as a whole.

Shopping from home relieving the burden of transportation but if an online stores website or mobile site is not accessible, disabled consumers are essentially barred from being able to take advantage of what may be a convenience or requirement. 

An accessibility coordinator is responsible for directing and controlling online features, making them user-friendly for everyone — especially for the visually, auditory, and physically impaired, as well as people with all types of disabilities.

No automated tool is able to say definitively whether a website is "accessible" or "compliant" with a given set of accessibility standards.

Infinite scrolling, or perpetual scrolling, is a website design attribute that loads content as an endless single page and is not good for website accessibility.

The structure of headings and subheadings is one of the most important elements of web design, not just for people with disabilities, but also for making your content more scannable by all audiences.