WCAG Compliance
What is WCAG compliance?
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) defines how to create web content (websites and applications) that are accessible to people with disabilities.
Accessibility involves an extensive list of disabilities– ranging from visual, auditory, physical, speech and disorders– to cognitive, language, learning, and neurological disabilities.
What is a WCAG compliant website?
A WCAG compliant website, simply put, is a website that can be accessed and navigated with ease by any person– regardless of possible accessibility disabilities.
Why is WCAG important?
Because everyone matters and deserves the possibility to surf any web page with ease. The direct benefit of WCAG is aimed at users who have accessibility needs due to disabilities. It represents a critical set of guidelines with the intention of building a better and more inclusive web realm.
Why is accessibility important to businesses?
While accessibility is mainly beneficial to users with disabilities, it also benefits your business. Besides the fact that accessibility helps you to reach a wider audience, it also reduces the risk of legal complications and improves your website usability and SEO.
Why is content accessibility important?
Content accessibility is achieved through assistive technologies and is intended to help users with disabilities to navigate your website with ease. Therefore, it is important to have your website well designed– and more importantly, developed, in an accessible way. Doing so will ensure that your website is easily navigable.
Who created WCAG and to whom it applies?
WCAG is developed through the W3C process in cooperation with individuals and organizations around the world– having the goal of providing a single shared standard for web content accessibility that meets the needs of every individual and institution globally.
How is WCAG AA compliance achieved?
By following and applying the guidelines and, if its the case, by giving clear technical specifications to website designers & developers– unifying web-accessibility standards.
Who benefits if I have an accessible website?
Everyone, including your business– but most importantly, people with disabilities. Accessibility supports social inclusion for people with disabilities, but not only.
Do you need your website to be WCAG compliant?
Federal agencies and their contractors are required by law to conform with WCAG 2.0 standards.
As for private businesses, the answer is more complicated: they're not required by law to comply with any specific standard like WCAG, but their websites do have to be accessible.
What is an example of web accessibility?
An example of accessibility would be any web content (text, design, website structure) or functionality that is fully understanded, visible and usable by people with disabilities. This may refer to individual elements, features, or the whole website navigation experience.
Two examples of web accessibility practices that can be implemented relatively easy:
- Descriptive alternative (alt) attributes on images
- Ensuring that all fonts/elements are having enough color contrast
ADA Compliance
What is ADA?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standard is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities. All electronic information must be accessible to those with disabilities– including your website.
If your website represents a business, a state or a local government, it must be ADA compliant.
Who must have an ADA compliant website?
All public sector institutions. Any business website that is considered public accommodations must be accessible and is required by law to comply. This includes, but not only: hotels, restaurants, public transportation and banks
Can I be sued if my website is not ADA compliant?
Does your website have to be ADA compliant? Yes. If your website represents a business or a state or local government (or is funded by one), it must adhere to ADA Compliance.
Do ADA website rules apply to EU members?
As an effort to create a more unified accessibility policy, the act applies to all the Member States in the EU. All websites in the EU public sector must comply with the ADA directive.
General WCAG, ADA and Section 508 Compliance
Does WCAG cover ADA?
Conforming to WCAG will make your website compliant with the ADA standards. ADA website compliance can be achieved by following WCAG guidelines, which include more than 50 technical standards that intended to improve your website accessibility.
What is Section 508?
Section 508 requires that all Federal Government electronic content must be accessible to people with disabilities. The Section 508 is developed and maintained by an independent federal agency, U.S Access Board that focuses on providing better accessibility for people with disabilities.
Should my website be compliant to Section 508
The Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 applies only to federal agencies– you are not required by law to be compliant.
What is the difference between WCAG, Section 508 and ADA?
WCAG is a compilation of accessibility guidelines for websites, and Section 508 is a federal law, whereas ADA is a civil rights law in the same ambit.
- WCAG is part of a series of web accessibility guidelines that provide recommendations on how to make web content more accessible.
- Section 508 states that all federal agencies must ensure that their information and web content is accessible to people with disabilities.
- ADA compliance standards state that all websites that are in the public sector must be accessible to people with disabilities.
What type of law is EN 301 549?
EN 301 549 is an European Union digital accessibility standard that includes the W3C web content accessibility features and states that all public websites created after September 23, 2019 must comply with the guidelines.
Who do you contact to make sure your website is WCAG 2.0 compliant?
A web development agency or freelancer that has knowledge about Accessibility Standards. You can count on us!