What is the ADA?

What is the ADA?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a United States civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. It guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities regarding public accommodations, employment, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications.

What if our website isn’t ADA compliant?

You could face a lawsuit if someone with a disability claims they aren’t able to access your website and other digital assets. This typically involves significant legal fees, a possible settlement, a potential public relations issue for your brand, and the cost of rebuilding your website so that it complies with the ADA. Individuals, advocacy groups, and other organizations representing the interests of people with disabilities frequently file complaints against businesses and other organizations that fail to provide equal access to people with disabilities. The costs of these complaints head towards thousands or even millions of dollars. The good news is, if your organization receives a complaint and you can prove that you are actively working on making your website accessible, you’re likely to face less severe consequences than you would normally.

How will ADA compliance help us?

Ensuring that your U.S.-based websites, intranets, and other digital assets are fully compliant is not only the law but also offers numerous benefits for your organization. Here are just a few ways you may benefit by designing with accessibility in mind and remediating existing compliance violations using Epoch Online solutions:

• Increased Sales – The 61 million+ people with disabilities in the U.S., representing one-quarter of the population, influence a whopping $1 trillion in discretionary spending each year. By removing accessibility barriers to your digital assets, you may naturally capture more of this huge consumer market with a corresponding rise in revenues.
• Improved Online Performance – ADA compliance will boost your web pages’ SEO and overall results. Google, the #1 browser, ranks websites with accessibility features higher in its organic search, leading to more exposure and traffic. 
• Enhanced User Experience – Research has shown that providing universally accessible digital assets and user interfaces positively impacts ALL users, not only those with disabilities. Which means visitors remain longer and bounces decrease accordingly.
• Competitive Advantage – With barely 2–5% of current websites meeting accessibility compliance standards, any organization who adheres to the ADA standards will stand head and shoulders above their competitors, in any industry.
• Legal Protection – Addressing ADA compliance issues—whether by remediating violations in your existing assets, or by building new assets with accessibility in mind from the ground up—reduces your risk and liability for potential lawsuits. 

Our solution meets ADA requirements and makes compliance fast, easy, and affordable!

We provide the only 360° solution on the market, so you can address all your ADA compliance needs, all in one place. Epoch Online’s full suite of state-of-the-art tools allows you to quickly remediate existing issues and build with accessibility in mind.