The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including websites. As more and more business is conducted online, it’s important to ensure that your website is ADA compliant. Here are five tips to help you achieve ADA compliance:
Alt text, or alternative text, is a description of an image that is read aloud by a screen reader for users who are visually impaired. When adding images to your website, be sure to include alt text that accurately describes the image. Avoid using generic terms like “image” or “picture.” Instead, describe the content of the image in detail. This will make your website more accessible to all users.
Many users with disabilities rely on a keyboard to navigate websites. It’s important to ensure that your website can be accessed and used using only a keyboard. This means that all links and interactive elements should be able to be accessed and activated using the “Tab” key. Additionally, make sure that the order in which elements are accessed by the keyboard makes sense and follows a logical flow.
Videos that contain audio should include closed captioning to make them accessible to users who are deaf or hard of hearing. Closed captioning provides a text transcription of the audio content of the video. There are several tools available that can automatically generate closed captions for videos. If you create your own captions, be sure to review them carefully for accuracy.
Color contrast is an important factor in making your website accessible to users with visual impairments. Use colors with sufficient contrast to ensure that text is easy to read. A common rule of thumb is to use a color contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 between text and its background. There are several online tools available that can help you determine if your website meets color contrast standards.
When creating links on your website, use descriptive link text that accurately describes the content of the linked page. Avoid using generic terms like “click here” or “read more.” Instead, use specific and descriptive text that tells users what they can expect to find on the linked page. This will not only improve accessibility but also improve the overall user experience.
In conclusion, achieving ADA compliance is an important step in making your website accessible to all users. By following these five tips, you can ensure that your website meets the necessary standards for accessibility and is welcoming to all users, regardless of their abilities.