Must My Arizona Business Website Have To Comply With the ADA Requirements?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is broad in scope. Although the new world of digital media can be confusing, most states, including Arizona, are instituting laws that help make websites (and other digital media) more ADA-friendly and compliant.
Thousands of businesses face lawsuits that cite violations under the ADA and other nondiscrimination laws. To avoid these ever-increasing issues, your website needs to be ADA-compliant.
So, as an Arizona business owner, you must ensure that your digital media follows the state’s guidelines and is in line with all ADA requirements. This state commitment covers websites and all digital media so that their websites and all digital media are fully accessible to people with disabilities. These mandates help to ensure inclusivity for all users with disabilities. Arizona strictly enforces website ADA compliance through strict regulations and will apply fines and other consequences for any non-compliance.
The ADA law in Arizona is linked directly to the Americans with Disabilities Act, which is the federal law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities. This law ensures that all citizens with disabilities are treated fairly and provides reasonable accommodations so that disabled citizens can work with digital media and more.
You should be aware that the most critical reason your websites must be accessible is the growing number of people with disabilities. The World Health Organization and CDC have compiled statistics that show that nearly 26% of America’s population has a disability.
By having an accessible website, you are following state laws and reaching a much broader audience and a vast, mostly overlooked, new market.
The most valid reason is that making your website more accessible for disabled people is the right thing to do. However, digital media is an ever-evolving platform, and to ensure your business is compliant or register a complaint as a disabled person, you should enlist the professional help of a knowledgeable disability law firm.
What Is WCAG and How Does It Affect the Standards For ADA Website Compliance?
As a business owner or a disabled American, it can be challenging to know exactly how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to websites amidst all the legal changes and jargon. Still, the simple answer is that your website must be compliant.
The ADA itself does not have technical standards for web accessibility, and it is recommended that you refer to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to evaluate your website and all your digital content. Although WCAG guidelines may not be in Arizona law, past legal rulings and disability claims against businesses have set WCAG 2.0 Level AA as the benchmark for full web accessibility for people with disabilities.
The standards outlined by the WCAG are the benchmark for web and digital accessibility. Recently, the most up-to-date guidelines were published and include 61 criteria for web access that will ensure compliance. These features make your website more accessible, including a screen reader, assistive technology compatibility, clear contrast, the ability to enlarge print, and much more.
If you are a business looking to comply with the WCAG standards, there are four essential accessibility items to always be mindful of they are;
- Perceivability – All your website content must be detectable to disabled users. This includes users with hearing, visual, or additional sensory impairments.
- Operability – Your website should be comfortable to navigate for people with disabilities, and its interface should be user-friendly.
- Understandability – Disabled users must understand web content and navigate the various pages easily.
- It Should Be Robust – Content for all, including people with disabilities, must be available if your website changes.
Admittedly, this can be challenging to understand, and professional legal and technical help should always be used if you are attempting to ensure ADA compliance and stay out of expensive lawsuits.
How Do I Know My Business Must Comply With the ADA or WCAG Guidelines?
Admittedly, this area is still a bit vague, but based on how the Arizona courts have interpreted the ADA and WCAG standards, ADA web compliance must be followed for businesses with digital media in two significant categories these are;
- All websites for state or local governments or funded by them – The ADA requires organizations and businesses in these categories to ensure their web content is accessible to those with disabilities.
- Websites for businesses – Any businesses open to the public must provide complete and equal access to all their web content and digital media to all users, including users with disabilities.
This is a tricky legal area, but over the past 15-20 years, numerous lawsuits and substantial settlements have been filed due to website accessibility barriers for people with disabilities. From 2021 to 2022, there was over a 12% increase in website accessibility lawsuits.
Also, remember that this increase does not include demand letters sent by disabled persons related to web accessibility; that number was over 1,500 per week. These letters typically listed web accessibility problems that disabled Americans found on business sites, and if the proper legal circumstances exist, they may all seek monetary compensation.
What is Arizona’s Current Stance on Website Accessibility?
Arizona’s Website Accessibility Policy and current legislation are trying to establish a statewide policy that provides full accessibility to disabled persons by developing and implementing these features in its Arizona State government websites. Laws and guidelines are being instituted to minimize the technical barriers to accessibility for individuals with disabilities.
For example, all websites covered by Arizona’s accessibility standards must;
- Use highly contrasting colors.
- They must-have text for all images.
- Thorough and properly tagged lists and tables.
- Have transcripts or captions for all audio and video content.
- And the websites must provide text-only and downloadable PDF versions of other web content, etc.
This is a lot to keep up with, but every day, more and more lawsuits and valid complaints are being filed by disabled Arizona citizens who cannot use outdated or non-compliant websites. If your business has been exposed to these possibly significant lawsuits, the help of a qualified Arizona disability lawyer is mandatory
I’m An Arizona Business Owner and Must Comply With Arizona’s Website Compliance Guidelines; What Should I Do?
First, understand that the ever-evolving world of digital media is moving forward rapidly, and trying to keep up with constant new legislation requires professional legal and professional help, especially with the current increase in noncompliance lawsuits.
You probably have technical support, but you also need the professional advice of a skilled and experienced Social Security Disability lawyer to stay ahead of issues and expensive lawsuits.
The Social Security Disability Lawyers at Roeschke Law know the ins and outs of disability law and can help you avoid possible fines by the state or, worse, the impact of significant lawsuits. Call them today at (800) 975-1866, as they have the resources and lengthy experience to keep your business’s online platform legal and compliant.