Most people are aware that the American With Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities and requires public accommodations to be accessible.(handicap parking spaces, ramps etc…) Some may not be aware though that the Department of Justice (DOJ), the federal agency tasked with enforcing the ADA, is also considering expanding accessibility guidelines for business websites.
As the ADA was adopted in 1990- prior to the “Internet Boom” the ADA does not mention the Internet at all. Earlier this year the DOJ began taking steps to change this. They are now beginning to take formal steps that would require most private sector company websites to become accessible.(Accessibility rules are already required for many state and local governments.)
DOJ has identified some of the following accessibility issues:
- Websites that do not allow font color and size to be adjusted to accommodate the visually impaired
- Websites that rely heavily on images without captions, such that “screen readers” or other assistive technology cannot read the information aloud to persons who cannot see the images
- Websites that require timed responses from users, but do not provide an option for a user to indicate that more time is needed
- CAPTCHAs (Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart), the distorted text that websites may require a user to input before completing a transaction, which may be impossible for a person with a visual impairment.
Businesses may want to get prepared as it looks like Internet accessibility will be included in the ADA in the very near future. In the Human Resources world this could bring up possible employment discrimination issues for companies that don’t comply.