ADA Website Compliant

[Phil Lilley]

Ever heard of it?  We hadn't until we got a certified letter saying we're being sued for not being ADA compliant.  Our tackle website that is.  Since then, we found out it's a big deal - there are those who are seeking out non-compliant sites and slapping suits - and they're sticking.  Most have to settle out of court, we're reading online.

[fishinwrench]

Lawyer food 🙄

[tjm]

Had not heard of it,  but I'm not surprised. I'd guess that if you settle out of court that you sill have to fix the site or another suit will be waiting. 

[Phil Lilley]

Oh we're fixing the site.  If you look, big companies have had to pay big money out of court for non compliant.  It should be in the news... wish we'd had known.

[Quillback]

Never heard of it either.  Who is suing you?  

[Quillback]

Just for the heck of it I went to the TW website, and found an "Accessibility" link down at the bottom of their main webpage.  

Policy Statement:

Tackle Warehouse is committed to ensuring equal access to its website. To that end, Tackle Warehouse will utilize web page designs that are consistent with the W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG) Level AA. The goal for Tackle Warehouse is to be reasonably compliant with WCAG 2.0/2.1 Level AA.

[DADAKOTA]

Not sure how a website could be noncompliant.  Guess I'll research.

[ness]

From my new best internet friend

Good question. “Website ADA requirements” usually refers to making websites accessible under Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). What exactly is required depends a bit on who runs the website (public-sector vs private business) — but as a general baseline, many people follow the technical standards from World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), namely Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at level AA.

 

Here’s an overview of what those requirements typically include — and how they are applied under ADA:

 

 

 

 

✅ When ADA requires web accessibility

 

 

• For state and local government websites / apps: under the ADA (Title II), websites and mobile apps offering public services must be accessible — as of a rule published April 24, 2024, the technical requirement is WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
• For private businesses and other “public accommodations” (e.g. retail stores, hotels, service providers) offering services online: ADA’s nondiscrimination and effective-communication provisions apply. While there is no single binding federal rule that dictates a specific checklist, established best practice — and what courts/settlements often refer to — is ensuring accessibility consistent with WCAG.

 

 

In short: if your website is for a government entity, or you run a public-facing business in the U.S., you likely need to ensure your site is accessible to people with disabilities, or provide equally effective alternative access.

 

 

 

 

📋 What “accessible” means — core WCAG 2.1 AA principles and common requirements

 

 

WCAG 2.1 organizes accessibility under four main principles — often remembered by the acronym POUR: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust.

 

Some of the specific requirements under those principles:

 

• Text alternatives for non-text content: Images, icons, graphics, charts — must have descriptive “alt text” (or long descriptions when needed) so a user with a screen reader can understand what the image conveys.
• Captions and transcripts for audio/video: Videos should have captions or subtitles; audio should have text alternatives.
• Keyboard accessibility / operability: All interactive elements — navigation menus, links, forms, buttons — must be operable via keyboard alone (for users who cannot use a mouse).
• Logical structure and semantic HTML: Use headings, labels, landmarks, proper table markup, form labels — so that screen readers can reliably interpret the page content. For example: table headers associated with data cells, form fields labeled clearly.
• Sufficient color contrast & not relying on color alone: Ensure text/background contrast is high enough for people with low vision or color-blindness; don’t convey information only via color (e.g. “required field” shown only in red — also provide a text cue).
• Accessible forms and error handling: Form controls need labels; navigation and error messages must be accessible. Error states and instructions must be clear to screen readers.
• Avoiding content that blocks assistive technologies: E.g. avoid or provide alternatives for content that requires mouse-only navigation, or uses scripts inaccessible to screen readers; ensure content works across user agents / assistive technologies.
• Robustness — compatibility with assistive technology: The site’s code should be valid, structured, and maintainable so screen readers, voice commands, braille displays, and other assistive tech can reliably interpret it.

 

 

 

 

 

🏛️ Specialized requirements for public-sector (government) websites/apps

 

 

Because of the 2024 rule (for Title II), state and local governments must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA for most web content and mobile apps they provide — whether they build it themselves or contract a third-party.

 

There are limited exceptions: for example, archived content (old documents not actively used), certain third-party content under narrow conditions, password-protected documents, etc. Nonetheless, for most regularly used content (e.g. forms, informational pages, interactive tools), compliance is required.

 

Even when exceptions apply, if someone with a disability requests access, the entity generally must provide reasonable accommodations or alternative accessible formats to ensure equal access.

 

 

 

 

⚠️ Challenges & Legal Risk (Why It Matters)

 

 

• Without accessibility, people with disabilities who rely on assistive technologies (screen readers, voice control, etc.) can be effectively excluded — violating ADA’s nondiscrimination principle.
• For public entities: failing to meet WCAG by the compliance deadlines (depending on population size: large entities by April 24, 2026; smaller ones by April 26, 2027) can result in legal exposure.
• For private businesses: although there is no single “federal WCAG-mandate,” many lawsuits have been filed arguing that their websites (and apps) must offer equal access under ADA — so following WCAG is widely regarded as the safe and accepted standard.

 

 

Even if courts have not codified every detail, in practice WCAG compliance is frequently used as the benchmark for “reasonable accessibility.”

 

 

 

If you like — I can pull up a full “checklist” (≈ 20–30 items) that reflects WCAG 2.1 AA + ADA best practices for websites.

This checklist can be used whether you’re building a new site or auditing an existing one.

Do you want me to build that for you now?

[ness]

https://chatgpt.com/s/t_692eeed8d4fc8191820f1a6a32e4b240

[Phil Lilley]

Some lawyer.  Out of state