WCAG Compliance: Can You Be Sued Under the ADA Because of Your Website?
Recent civil court rulings defining websites as a point of public access could mean your company is at risk of a lawsuit under the American Disabilities Act (ADA). Don’t let WCAG compliance sneak up on your business. Learn if your website is at risk and what to do to prevent a lawsuit.
What is WCAG Compliance?
Website Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) ensure a website is accessible for all users. Current law dictates all government-affiliated websites be WCAG compliant according to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, “…Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities”.
For commercial businesses— just as a storefront is a point of public access— it’s open to interpretation whether a website is a point of public access as well. If a business website’s usability is not accessible by all people, the user could sue the business for discrimination under the ADA.
Forbes discusses the lawsuit Winn-Dixie recently lost regarding its website’s compliance under ADA.
“In what is believed to be the first lawsuit of its kind to go to trial, a Florida federal judge has ruled for a blind man … alleging that various companies’ websites violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. On June 12, Judge Robert Scola, of the Southern District of Florida, decided that Winn-Dixie’s website is heavily integrated with the company’s physical store locations, making it subject to the ADA. His decision will require the company to update its site…Experts believe it to be the first trial regarding a website’s accessibility under the ADA. Such lawsuits have become popular in recent years as the Department of Justice has delayed formal regulations.”
Under the ruling, Winn-Dixie was ordered to make their website accessible to all users, which according to the court documents could cost up to $250,000
How is a website inaccessible to those with disabilities? The blind, for example, use screen-reader software in order to browse websites. Thus, if a website is not compatible with the screen-reader they use, then the website is not accessible to them.
While WCAG are guidelines primarily intended for website developers, as a business owner it is important for you to know if your website is WCAG compliant so you avoid lawsuits. The first step to determine if your business is at risk is to conduct a WCAG audit or a WCAG compliance check on your website.
