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Image Works can help
"Accessibility" is still being defined by new laws, by the courts and by evolving common practices.
At Image Works we monitor
all of these fronts to keep up with WHO the ADA laws apply to,
WHAT the current legal standard is and HOW it should be applied
to individual sites.
At this point, the components
that make a site ADA compliant are not legally defined. However,
certain best practices are becoming universally accepted as sufficient.
These are defined as Priority One compliance. We have incorporated
these into our every day practices so that most Image Works web
sites are by default designed to be compliant or nearly compliant
with Priority One. We can also develop to Priority Two and Three
standards when necessary.
Definition of accessibility
An ADA accessible site
is equally available to unimpaired and impaired users. Impaired
users may access a different version of the site designed for
them, as long as it delivers the same information. Most web standards
at this time deal with visual impairment. If a site has sound,
there are ADA standards for audio compliance as well.
Although this seems straightforward enough, its interpretation is still being debated. What is “equally available”? How far does a site have to go to be accessible? How do you create an “equal” text rendition of a complex visual experience?
One thing is clear. Accessibility is here to stay. It will increasingly be defined by law and legally required of sites well beyond the public sector.
Must your site be accessible?
Your site must be accessible if:
- It is a federal site. Current sites
do not have to be retrofitted immediately but any new launches
need to be ADA compliant. This is the result of Section 508
legislation.
- It belongs to an institution that receives funding from the Assistive Technology Act State Grant program. This includes most, if not all, states, and many educational institutions. This is based on a ruling by the Department of Education interpreting Section 508.
Beyond this, it becomes
less clear who must be compliant. The Americans with Disabilities
Act of 1990 (ADA), written pre-Internet, makes no mention of the
Internet and debate rages as to whether it applies. The debate
centers on whether web sites are or are not places of “Public
Accommodation.” Courts are leaning toward saying that the ADA
does apply. However, since the ADA does not mention the web, it
obviously gives no clue as to what level of accessibility is acceptable.
This is the issue that is being hashed out in the courts, lawsuit
by lawsuit.
Should
your web site be accessible?
Every site should be accessible for several reasons:
- Simple courtesy to impaired users
- To avoid inadvertently excluding customers because of accessibility issues
- As the law around accessibility becomes more defined and strict, a good-faith effort now may save you expensive litigation later.
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