Webspace is an equal opportunity space for both big and small companies to build their presence. From family-owned businesses to global corporates, the website is an essential need now. If you own a website or administer one, you may have heard about accessibility compliance and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 1990. So, when it comes to having a website as an equal-opportunity space, it is also mandatory to make your website compliant with the accessibility rules of ADA to ensure equal opportunity access to individuals with disabilities too.
When it comes to managing the websites, it is not just the government websites, nonprofits need to meet ADA compliance. The e-come stores, software sellers, or website hosting services, everyone needs to be compliant with the accessibility needs to be ADA compliant. If you own an online business and are not sure if you follow the ADA standards, it is high time to audit your portal to see if you meet the compliance needs and, if not, to take measures to ensure the same. Further, we will discuss some ADA compliance rules to abide by.
ADA compliance rules by AccessiBe
Rule #1: Never use links for “skip navigation,” which only provide access to specific page content.
As AccessiBe specifies, you may either include the website pages in a website or try to create a second subdomain to divide the navigation links. However, you may use these links to skip the repetitive elements like headers or footers. Following this rule will ensure that all users gain access to the critical page content regardless of their physical or cognitive disabilities.
Rule #2: You may not use multiple navigation methods on the same website
There are numerous examples of nonstandard navigations, including buttons and dropdown lists that change color while clicked. The primary idea behind these rules is to help the viewers easily understand the context and respond to it positively. In order to ensure accessibility, you may not use several types of unregulated navigation methods on the web pages as it may create confusion for users. However, if you have a standard navigation model being followed across the website, it will be easier for the users. Also, make sure that your navigation is easily readable to the screen readers too.
Rule #3: Label the web content to know which page the user is viewing
There are different options to label the web pages on the website. You can use text labels or visual images. In case of ensuring accessibility, the text is the most acceptable method. So, make sure that the page titles are being tagged with the standard <h1> tag and the subsequent heading as follows <h2>, <h3> format, etc. If you are doing advanced HTML, ensure that you create the tables for proper layout and ensure that the readers can interpret the content on the screen without being lost in between.
Rule #4: Ensure all the forms on the page can be filled out using keyboard only
Filling out forms is very important as it helps the users input details and does the search on the web pages. So, while building forms, it is essential to ensure that the users can easily fill them out without confusion. The forms should also be made screen-reader friendly to comply with accessibility needs.
AccessiBe tool helps ensure appropriate accessibility compliance for your websites and make sure that your website comes on top of the search engine rankings.