I want to share with you some information that can help you accelerate your Web development experience and protect your clients at the same time. I am sharing this with as many web developers and designers as I can because, come 2018, it will affect the websites you create or maintain.
FACT: Soon all websites will legally be required to have accessible content.
You may already know how to create accessible websites. If not, it’s time you learned about website accessibility.
Just as a brick ‘n mortar store has accessible wheelchair ramps and restrooms to accommodate folks with disabilities, a website should be able to serve all website content to those who experience:
– blindness and low vision
– deafness and hearing loss
– learning disabilities
– cognitive limitations
– limited movement
– speech disabilities
– photo sensitivity
FACT: Thanks to the U.S. Department of Justice, website owners are soon going to need you…if you know how to help
Until now, website accessibility hasn’t been a big concern for most business owners and marketers. But legislative changes will soon be in place. By 2018, The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is expected to roll out official compliance guidelines concerning online accessibility for the disabled as part of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The DOJ will soon be expecting all websites (Federal government, state/local government, and private companies) to accommodate people with disabilities. Whether the DOJ will implement web accessibility standards is not a matter of “if,” but “when.”
FACT: Legal demand letters are on the rise
Attempts to enforce ADA website compliance are on the rise. Demand letters are being served and lawsuits are being filed. The need to make your clients’ websites more accessible to all is becoming more and more important. The sooner your clients’ websites are “compliant” the less likely they are to be the target of a costly and time-consuming legal action. Waiting until it’s the law may still make any organization legally vulnerable in the meantime if they are not in compliance, as organizations such as Peapod, Target, Reebok, and the NBA have already found out. All of them have already been sued for website accessibility non-compliance.
REALITY: Time for you to learn how to make websites accessible. Improve your bottom line by offering accessibility as part of all your web designs now and in the future.
NOW: Learn the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 are developed through the W3C process in cooperation with individuals and organizations around the world, with a goal of proving a single shared standard for web content accessibility that meets the needs of individuals, organizations, and governments internationally.
You can read more about the guidelines here
>> https://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/wcag
You can also read one of my articles 17 Website Adjustments You Can Make Today for Better Accessibility
Get Up and Running Quickly on WCAG 2.0
Make a good investment of your time. Spend two days (12 hours) with me online to learn How to Create & Test Accessible Websites >> http://accessiblewebsiteservices.com/create-accessible-web-sites/
This instructor-led, hands-on course covers essential design, coding, and testing procedures for Web designers and developers who want to be sure the sites they create are accessible to as many people as possible.
Class participants will remediate and test a web site that will be accessible based on the WCAG 2.0 Standards Levels A, AA & AAA. You will then be able to create, test, remediate and maintain accessible websites for your clients and future prospects.
Find out more here >> http://accessiblewebsiteservices.com/create-accessible-web-sites/
Please feel free to email me at mary@accessiblewebsiteservices.com or call me at 508-768-8418 with any questions you might have.
Don’t miss out on educating yourself now. This training is tailor-made to get you up to speed now with accessibility compliance methodologies.
Best,
Mary
P.S. I am also available as an accessibility tester of your current client websites to determine if they meet accessibility standards:
WCAG 2.0: 110 checkpoints covering A, AA and AAA W3 accessibility guidelines
Section 508: 15 US federal guidelines covered by 47 accessibility checkpoints
This standard testing includes a full website accessibility audit, report & remediation checklists provided to let you know what needs to be fixed.
