The ADA influences many things. For instance, the ADA requires businesses to offer reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. This can be in the form of disabled parking, wheelchair ramps, or elevators. What many don’t realize is that ADA is not limited to public spaces. ADA also covers access to website content and web design for people with disabilities. Using tools like accessiBe for your website is an excellent way to maintain compliance with the ADA and increase visibility for your business.

Implementing these simple steps will make your business compliant with the ADA and ensure all customers, regardless of disabilities, are able to visit your website.

Improve Fonts And Text Sizes

One area where websites are often guilty of violating the ADA is font sizes. A good average for body text is 16-22 pixels or 12-14 point. Keep in mind that this will vary by audience and also varies depending on what device is being used to view the content.

Make sure you have a secondary font option for your site. The same goes for color schemes. Make sure there are options that work well for users with poor eyesight or other disabilities.

Incorporate Color Contrast In Design

When it comes to designing websites, color contrast should be a main focus. Many people with disabilities, both in vision and hearing, rely on proper contrast to navigate websites. These include screen readers used by the visually impaired or those who are blind.

Describe Images With Text And Alt Tags

You might be wondering why in the world I would suggest this for a website guide about ADA compliance and web accessibility when it comes to design. The reason is simple – alt tags are an important part of helping search engines understand what the image is, but also for people with disabilities who use screen readers. If you use descriptive text for your images, this can help increase SEO rankings and will benefit all visitors by giving more information about the content they are viewing.

Improve Usability And Add Navigation

People with disabilities will often find content via search engines, social media, or other sites. This means that a common way for people to visit your site is through links on other websites. If the user is only able to see your homepage, they may not be able to navigate any further into your website. To improve this, consider having easy access from your homepage to other areas of your website using dropdown menus or links.

Offer Multiple Ways To Reach You

People with disabilities may have limited capabilities when it comes to browsing your site or reaching your business. For this reason, it’s important that you provide more ways for them to get in touch with you directly if they need assistance. Think phone numbers, email, and snail mail options if possible.

Take Advantage Of Accessibility Rating Tools

There are many tools available to help you track or test your website’s ADA compliance. This includes ratings designed by the government but also third-party tools that help inform your website visitors about ADA compliance. Using these tools can be helpful to ensure that what you’ve done to make your site as accessible as possible is actually working.