The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines state that a site should have the following characteristics;
"Let us not lose track of what the American Disabilities Act is actually about. It is not a penalty for websites, it’s a way to ensure more people have access to the important information, services, and opportunities the internet provides."
Lawsuits have already been leveled against Commercial Websites that are not accessible. Courts have shown a strong tendency towards considering websites as “Public Spaces”, which is the main focus of the A.D.A.. This means that even if the act does not name websites as legally bound to provide accessibility to its users, the judicial system is, on a general rule, considering them to be. Penalties for not being A.D.A. Compliant, should a complaint be issued against you, can rise up to U$150,000.
Even though the threat of a lawsuit is the main argument to level against the costs of redesigning your website to be A.D.A. compliant (and this cost is even smaller if you are on the design stage of your page), there are other benefits to taking this step.
Need some help to bring your site up to date? We can help you.
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