Is Your Site ADA Compliant? Here Is How You Check

If you’re a business owner and run a website, it’s important for this site to be ADA compliant. Why? Failure to comply can result in expensive litigation and fines of up to $150,000. This article will show you how to quickly check your website for compliance with the ADA.

What is ADA Compliant?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a Federal civil rights law that makes it illegal to discriminate against people with disabilities. Under this law, website owners need to make sure that their sites are accessible to the disabled. This is done by making sure the site is built using web standards and has alternative text.

How Do ADA Regulations Affect Websites?

1. Text

To conform to regulations, you must make sure that the text on your website is ADA compliant. This means that the text should be clear and easy to read. If you have small text that is difficult to read, then this constitutes a problem.

2. Color

The second thing to consider is color. You should not use color to convey any information. Thus, if your website uses colors to show the current page or link you are on, this is a problem.

3. Contrast

You must make sure that there is sufficient contrast between text and its background. If you are using colors, then the contrast has to be greater than 16 levels. If you are using white text on a black background, then this is not enough.

4. Links

The links within your website must be clear and easy to use. This means that they should not require the user to click twice. You must also make sure that the color of the text is different from the background.

5. Images

If an image on your website has a caption, then this caption must be clear and easy to read. You should test it by turning off image loading or changing your screen settings. Links within images must also be color contrasted with their background.

How to check if your website is ADA compliant

There are several ways you can conduct ADA compliance checker to see if your website meets the ADA. The first thing you should do is check to see if the text on your website is correct, color contrasted, and easy to read.

1. Screen Reader

The first thing you have to do is turn off images. You can do this in many ways, but installing a screen reader in your browser is best. Use this to navigate through your website and make sure all the images load. According to AudioEye, some screen readers allow you to click on the screen to reveal the images.

2. Screen Magnifier

You should also use a tool known as a “screen magnifier” or zoom function. This tool is found under accessibility settings on your browser and allows you to see what users with low vision see. If you can’t read the screen, then there is a problem.

3. Contrast Settings

The contrast settings of your site should be able to be adjusted. If you cannot manually adjust the contrast settings, then this may be a problem. You must also be able to change the text size and disable images.

4. Audio

You can test if all the audio on your site is accessible by playing sounds through the screen reader or keyboard in different places. If you can’t hear it, then there is a problem. You can also try changing the volume of the audio.

5. Keyboard Only

If you can’t navigate your website by using only the keyboard, then there is a problem. You may be able to do some things such as copy and paste text if you use a screen reader. However, this site needs to be accessible for all users.

To make sure your website is ADA compliant, you must make sure to test these different aspects of it. In some cases, you may have to disable certain features until they get fixed.