Website accessibility is more important than ever and being compliant is a must-have that all firms need to be cognizant of the ADA compliance guidelines. In order to be compliant, your website must be up to date with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) at the 2.1 Level AA.

The following are some key points as part of the best practices on those guidelines.

The SEO Effect

By being compliant it helps Google search rate your website higher based on your functionality and user-friendly website.

Color Contrast

In WCAG 2, contrast is a measure of the difference in perceived "luminance" or brightness between two colors. This is a great tool to use to check if you are compliant  Contrast Tool.

Alt Text

ALT text refers to invisible description of images which are read aloud to blind users on a screen reader. Adding ALT text allows authors to include images, but still provide the content in an alternative text-based format.

Form Fields

Placeholder text within a form field makes it difficult for people to remember what information belongs in a field, and to check for and fix errors. It also poses additional burdens for users with visual and cognitive impairments.

Navigation

There are many ways to reach a page on a website. Users with low vision may find using search easier than navigating through a large menu. Users with cognitive impairments may prefer a table of contents or site map over clicking through many pages.

Keyboard Navigation

All functionality must be usable with the keyboard. That is, users can access and move between links, buttons, forms, and other controls using the Tab key and other keystrokes. Websites should not require a mouse; for example, pop-ups or splash pages should be keyboard compatible.

New Tabs/Windows

Areas of your website that opens a new tab/window it can create a confusing navigation for users with disabilities.The action can have a tab or window open without someone understanding they navigated to a different tab. This can cause issues for mobile uses as well, opening new windows on their browsers takes users away completely from your previous page. Likely, this may create a chain of new windows and take away from your main homepage.  While not breaking ADA Compliance, this a practice that is highly recommended for all firms.

Saturno Design is a software provider offering a full suite of business solutions for service providers with a focus in the legal industry.

DESIGN | WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT | EXPERIENCE PROPOSAL CENTER | 

EMAIL MARKETING | CONSULTING

Contact Us