Three Responsive Columns :: eddiejester.com

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Checklist

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is an important piece of American legislation regarding accessibility and civil rights for people with disabilities. The ADA prohibits discrimination based on disability in many different aspects of daily life, and in recent years, a clear consensus has emerged that it applies to the online domain, as well.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) doesn’t specify what you need to do to make your website accessible. However, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.01 is the standard websites should adhere to. Created by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), WCAG is considered by many to be the most important set of guidelines impacting global web accessibility policy.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

The WCAG 2.1 has three levels you can conform to: Level A, Level AA and Level AAA.

WCAG 2.1 Level A is the minimum level of conformance and covers the most basic accessibility requirements.

WCAG 2.1 Level A conformance items:

Provide text alternatives for applicable non-text content.
Create text alternatives for non-text content such as images, so that they can be conveyed by assistive technologies.
Provide an alternative to video-only and audio-only content, such alternatives include adding transcripts for audio-only content, or audio tracks for video-only content.
Provide captions for videos with audio.
Ensure that information conveyed by color is also visually evident without color.
Ensure that website visitors are able to control auto-playing content.
Ensure all website functionality is operable via keyboard so people with disabilities who don’t use a mouse can navigate it.
Ensure that website visitors are able to control time limits when reading or engaging with interactive elements.
Ensure your website does not feature content that can induce seizures.
Ensure that single-key shortcuts can be turned off or changed and also provide a way to turn them off or change them.
Provide a “Skip to Content” link to allow website visitors to skip directly to the main content area.
Ensure that if a website visitor commits an error, the error is identified and described to the website visitor in text.
Ensure web page titles are clear and helpful.
Ensure all functions can be performed by website visitors with limited mobility.
Ensure each web page has the correct language assigned.
Ensure that web elements do not change when they receive input.

WCAG 2.1 Level AA expands on the requirements of Level A and includes additional guidelines for improved accessibility.

WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformance items:

Provide captions for live videos.
Provide website visitors with audio descriptions for video content.
Ensure that website visitors can use either screen orientation.
Ensure a high contrast between text sections and their backgrounds.
Ensure that text can be resized to 200% without loss of content or function.
Ensure your website is responsive and functions as expected on any device, including mobile devices and tablets.
Use clear headings and labels to make it easier for people with disabilities to find content and navigate a web page.
Ensure to indicate in code when the language on a web page changes.
Ensure menus, icons, and buttons appear consistently.
Ensure that when website visitors adjust text spacing, there is no loss in functionality.

WCAG 2.1 Level AAA is the highest level of conformance to WCAG 2.1. Although Level AAA may not be applicable or realistic for everyone to achieve, organizations should strive to meet as many of its criteria as possible.

WCAG 2.1 Level AAA conformance items:

Provide sign language translations for videos.
Provide extended audio description for videos.
Provide a text alternative to videos.
Provide alternatives for live audio.
Ensure a contrast ratio between text and its background of at least 7:1.
Ensure your website is entirely accessible via keyboard, without exception.
Remove time limits from all website elements.
Ensure that no content flashes more than three times per second.
Ensure that no elements are changed unless website visitors explicitly show that they wish them to change.
Explain the meanings of abbreviations and acronyms when used.
Explain the meaning of technical language or unusual words when used.