Web Accessibility Assessment – FREE 30-Minute Consultation
For many folks, web accessibility is a new concept. So we have addressed the FAQs about Web Accessibility we often hear from our clinets.
FAQs about Web Accessibility
Why do I need this?
Because it’s a new day, and having an accessible website is becoming as fundamental as having a wheelchair-accessible ramp into your business. International legislation and public opinion are moving in the same direction on this issue. Accessibility is a certainty. By becoming one of the 2% of websites that are accessible so you can protect your business/brand, reach out to a huge underserved market and do the right thing by catering to an often neglected community that needs this technology to unlock the web for them. Isn’t it time?
Why haven’t I heard about it before?
Legislation and the resulting litigation are relatively new phenomena, so most business owners are unaware of the requirement to make their websites accessible to people with disabilities. Therein lies the danger. The business owner is exposed while these serial plaintiffs see an opportunity to exploit this knowledge gap. It’s almost a form of arbitrage for these opportunists that take advantage of the lack of awareness on the market. Now that you have heard about this trend, how will you respond?
I would rather risk getting sued than have to pay anything for it.
Running a business is a financial endeavor, and this is a financial choice with a clear answer. Compliance and prevention cost a fraction of what litigation defense costs. The average hourly fee for a lawyer change is $350, and the average settlement amount in these cases is upwards of $30,000. Not to mention the time and stress you would save by having a compliance solution in a place whose cost, in most cases, ranges between $500 and $2,000/year. Why would you expose yourself and your business to such significant risk if you could mitigate it by implementing a cost-effective solution?
They only go after companies with ten or more people.
You are mistaking ADA title 1 for ADA title 3. The bottom line is that plaintiffs go after every business size completely indiscriminately. We witness this daily. If anything, the smaller companies are even more exposed because they don’t have the time or money to stay on top of these emerging legislative trends or create a strategy to help defend themselves from the existing threats. SMBs need a cost-effective and effortless solution so they can get back to the work of growing their business or simply fighting for its survival.
Why do I need to care about web accessibility?
Beyond the ethical responsibility to open our doors to every segment of society, there is now a significant financial risk associated with ignoring this issue. ADA lawsuits are time-consuming, stressful, and costly. If you are not making any compliance efforts and you get sued, the chances of losing are alarmingly high. The flip side of this issue is a business opportunity embedded within it. 98% of websites are not accessible. Making your website accessible allows you to add a layer of competitive advantage over almost all your competitors and reach out to the most loyal consumer group on the market, representing 20% of the population.
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FAQs about Web Accessibility
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10 FAQs about Web Accessibility
My clients don’t have disabilities; why do I need this?
One in five people in the US has a disability. Chances are, some of your clients have a disability. Beyond that, you likely have potential clients who would like to be your clients but can’t because they have a disability and your website is inaccessible to them. Finally, can we agree that doing nothing is no longer a feasible option in today’s social and legislative environment?
Too expensive for me at the moment.
How many years have you spent building your brand? How much have you invested in your business in that time? Sometimes you work hard to build your brand/business, and other times your efforts are there to protect that investment. This is one of those fundamental expenses that help you preserve your brand in today’s environment AND grow it simultaneously by appealing to a huge underserved market. What is the potential cost of doing nothing regarding this issue?
I don’t have time to deal with this right now.
But isn’t that the line of thinking that puts so many business owners into the difficult position so many are in now as they face litigation or negative public opinion for not being accessible? As the saying goes, “prevention is better than cure.” No one has time for this, but the wave of lawsuits and the legislation surrounding accessibility is only increasing. Take the time now to save yourself from the financial and reputational expenses down the road.
I would rather do it manually.
Manual remediation is a great option and achieves a high standard of compliance, provided you can afford it. However, even if you implement it, there is still the issue of maintaining compliance daily as your site evolves and you make updates. An automated solution in place provides a catch-all for all of those updates and acts as a capstone over top of your manual accessibility efforts.
I don’t sell anything on my website; why do I need it?
I am sure you would agree that everyone should have equal access to all websites. Many websites are purely informational but are still immensely valuable to the viewer, and some of those viewers are people with disabilities. The legislation makes no distinction between an eCommerce site and an informational site. They must all be accessible.
We have partnered with accessiBe, the leading AI-powered web accessibility solution that makes websites accessible to people with disabilities compliant with the WCAG, ADA, and other accessibility legislation. Using AI and automation, accessiBe significantly reduces costs and time, making web accessibility achievable for all businesses.
How Does the Technology Work?
accessiBe utilizes two applications that together achieve compliance. First, the accessibility interface is responsible for all the UI and design-related adjustments. At the same time, the AI-powered background process handles the more complex requirements – optimization for screen readers and keyboard navigation.
The accessibility interface covers about 30% of the requirements and includes adjustments for readable fonts, sizing, spacing, color contrasts, cursors, emphases, etc. In addition, users choose between accessibility profiles, standalone adjustments, or both. The profiles bundle together common accessibility combinations that address a specific disability, such as visual impairments, epilepsy, or ADHD.
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