The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1990. The ADA was designed to make our country more accessible to all people with disabilities, including the visually impaired, hearing impaired, and those with limited mobility. In order to comply with the ADA, you must ensure that all of your website content is accessible to people with disabilities. If you are not sure if your site complies with the ADA, there are some simple steps you can take to determine whether or not your site is compliant.
First, check your site for compliance against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). These guidelines were developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to assist web designers and developers in creating websites that are accessible to people with disabilities. The WCAG has three different levels of compliance. Level 1 is the most basic level of compliance and requires only that the site be usable without any modifications. Level 2 is slightly more advanced and requires that the site be usable with minor modifications. Level 3 is the most complex and requires that the site be fully accessible and usable with no modifications.
If your site meets the basic requirements of the WCAG, then it should meet the requirements of the ADA as well. If your site does not meet the basic requirements of the WCG, then you need to evaluate the site and determine whether or not you have any accessibility issues. There are several steps you can take to make sure that your site is ADA compliant.
1. First, make sure that all text on your site is large enough for the user to read. This means that all text should be at least 16 points in size and all links should be at least 32 points in size. If you have a drop down menu, make sure that each item in the menu is at least 48 points in size. If you do not want to use the default font, you can also use Verdana, Georgia, Tahoma, or Arial.
2. Make sure that all images are large enough for the user to see. If you have an image that is too small, the user will not be able to see the entire image. You can make sure that your images are large enough by making them at least 250 pixels wide. If you have an image gallery, make sure that the thumbnails are large enough for the user.
3. Make sure that all audio files are at least 128 kbps and are compatible with most digital devices. Make sure that the audio file is encoded using the AAC format. If you do not have audio files, you can use the WAV format.
4. Make sure that all video files are at least 128 kpbs and are compatible with most digital media players. Make sure that the video file is encoded using the H.264 format. If you do not want the default video player, you can also use RealPlayer or Windows Media Player.
5. Make sure that all forms on your site are large enough for the user’s keyboard. This means that all fields should be at least 30 characters in length. If you have a form that does not have this requirement, you can make the field larger by increasing the size of the field.
6. Make sure that all forms are large enough for the user mouse. This means that all fields must be at least 20 pixels high. If you have a form with this requirement, you can make it taller by increasing the size of the font.
7. Make sure that all navigation links are large enough for the user and are easy to find. This means that all links should be at least 24 points in size and should be clearly labeled. If you have a dropdown menu, make sure that the items in the menu are at least 48 points in size.
