Accessibility is a fast growing topic. Businesses that have never even heard of web accessibility or content accessibility are now finding themselves making decisions about it. And, with so many options out there, these decisions can be difficult to make.
Accessibility = Opportunity
The rise in accessibility lawsuits has put accessibility on the radar of many businesses and decision makers. It is unfortunate that there are consequences for getting accessibility wrong. But those consequences should not be the only factor in your decision making. And in fact, many less than superb accessibility vendors will target businesses who have this mindset.
More often than not, accessible design means good design. Things that make your site, content, or application easier to use for people with disabilities will make it easier to use for everyone. And on top of that, good accessibility practices can expand your customer base to a market that is, still, somewhat underserved.
Accessibility is Conversation
Technology moves quickly and accessibility is no exception. That means there will need to be changes. For example, people may try to access your content on assistive devices that you hadn’t tested. A minor, innocuous change might break something without you realizing it. That’s why it’s important to think of accessibility as something that is always changing and improving. And to welcome feedback from your users. A good way to do this is by putting an accessibility statement on your site or web application.
It’s About Making An Effort
The ADA does not reference a specific standard fo accessibility. This means that for most businesses, the legal requirements for accessibility have some wiggle room. And accessibility is an ongoing process. It’s something you should be working on and improving at over time.
Your goal doesn’t need to be to make your entire site or web application WCAG 2.2 AAA Compliant. You just need to make a reasonable effort to accommodate everyone who may be visiting your site or using your application. And a good accessibility specialist or accessibility consulting firm can help give you a better idea of what exactly that means for your business.