When the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990, it led to new guidelines for government and business websites. Websites that were not compliant with these guidelines could be fined or sued under the ADA. To protect your website from litigation, you need to ensure that it is Section 508 compliant, using tools like accessiBe or other methods. This article will discuss what “Section 508” is and how you can make your website compliant.
What is “Section 508”?
Section 508 is a section of the ADA that deals with website accessibility. It requires all government and business websites to be accessible to people with disabilities. This includes people who are deaf, blind or have low vision and people who have difficulty using a computer.
How Can I Make My Website Compliant?
There are a few different ways to make your website compliant with Section 508. To determine how to make your website compliant, you must first understand the requirements for compliance. Here are a few of the requirements for compliance:
- Your website must be compatible with assistive technologies, such as screen readers.
- Your website must have alt text for images.
- Your website must have a text version of all audio and video content.
- Your website must be designed to be used without a mouse.
You can learn more about the requirements for compliance by visiting the section 508 website.
Making the Site Compliant
Once you have a good understanding of the requirements for compliance, you can start to work on making your website compliant. One way to do this is to use a tool like accessiBe, which will automatically make your website compliant with all of the guidelines in Section 508.
You can also make your website compliant by working with a web developer to add the necessary features to your website. This can be a more expensive option, but it will allow you to have more control over your website’s compliance.
Compliance Checklist
Once you have made your website compliant, you should create a compliance checklist. This checklist will help you ensure that your website remains compliant in the future. Here are a few items that you should include on your compliance checklist:
- Check for alt text on all images.
- Check for compatibility with assistive technologies.
- Check for a text version of all audio and video content.
- Check for design compatibility without a mouse.
- Ensure that your website is updated regularly.
- Check for broken links and images.
A compliance checklist is a valuable tool that will help you maintain your website’s compliance. It is important to keep in mind that websites are constantly changing, so you must regularly update your checklist. Be sure to check your website frequently to ensure that it is still compliant.
Conclusion
Making your website compliant with Section 508 is essential to avoid litigation. There are a few different ways to make your website compliant, such as using a tool like accessiBe or working with a web developer. Be sure to create a compliance checklist to help you maintain your website’s compliance.
