It’s essential to make your website stand out in today’s digital-first world, but more important is ensuring it’s accessible to all users. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance is critical for businesses to avoid legal pitfalls, demonstrate inclusivity, reach a wider audience and enhance user experience.
Why ADA Compliance Matters
Promotes Inclusivity
Promoting inclusivity online and in person is essential to creating a positive brand image. When a website doesn’t meet ADA requirements, it denies people with visual, hearing, motor or mental impairments access to your products and services. On the flip side, online ADA compliance shows that a brand is caring and promotes equal accessibility.
“As graphic designers, we see ADA compliance as a chance to make our work accessible to everyone. From clear fonts to high-contrast colors, we design with inclusion in mind and use resources like contrast checker websites when creating company branding to ensure compliance. Good design works for all.”
- Whitley Ruffin, Design Team Lead, JCW Creative
Legal Requirements
ADA compliance helps protect your business from potential lawsuits and legal challenges. As digital accessibility becomes a more prominent legal requirement, the number of lawsuits citing ADA violations has increased significantly. In 2024, web accessibility lawsuits increased by 42% from the previous year.
Expanded Audience Reach
An estimated 1.3 billion people, or 16% of the world’s population, experience significant disability. By making your website ADA-compliant, you open your doors to a substantial market segment that might otherwise be unable to access your services or products. This inclusivity can lead to increased traffic, enhanced customer loyalty and a broader customer base.
“ADA compliance is crucial in web design because it ensures accessibility for everyone, including people with disabilities. It promotes inclusivity, enhances user experience and expands audience reach while also helping businesses avoid legal risks and align with ethical standards.”
- Agnieszka Faraz, Web Creative, JCW Creative
Improved User Experience
Online elements like hard-to-read text, low color contrast, videos without subtitles, etc., lower the user experience for everyone. By being ADA-compliant, you generally improve the overall user experience on your website. Features such as alternative text for images, video transcripts and easy navigation benefit all individuals and enhance your site’s overall functionality.
How JCW Creative Implements ADA Compliance
We take a proactive approach to incorporating ADA compliance into our online digital designs and content strategies. Some steps we take include:
- Accessibility Testing Tools: Before we launch a website, we use advanced accessibility testing tools like WAVE to evaluate the usability of the site and digital content.
- Accessibility Audits: We conduct thorough reviews of your existing digital assets to identify areas that fall short of ADA standards.
- Inclusive Design Practices: Our designs are created with accessibility in mind from the outset of any project, ensuring that all users can navigate and interact with online content effectively and efficiently.
- Ongoing Training and Support: We keep our team updated on the latest ADA compliance guidelines and digital accessibility practices, ensuring that your content remains compliant as standards evolve.
Incorporating ADA compliance into your digital presence is essential to creating an inclusive space that welcomes all users. We are committed to helping our clients achieve and maintain high accessibility standards, ensuring that their digital platforms are a positive force for inclusion.
Make your website accessible to all with experts you can trust. Learn about our website design and development capabilities and contact us today to start your website revamp journey.