If you're a business owner, then you should know that staying compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is mandatory. The ADA was signed into law in 1990 and sets forth guidelines for how persons with disabilities should be treated in the workplace and in public places.
In recent years, the ADA has been amended to include website accessibility. This means that all websites, both public and private, must be accessible to people with disabilities. But, what ADA level should you aim for? Let's see their differences in this article!
Three levels of compliance
There are three general levels of compliance that website owners can choose to follow: Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA. We've put together a quick overview of each level so you can decide which one is right for your website.
Level A:
Level A compliance is the most basic level of compliance. To meet Level A standards, your website must satisfy all of the following criteria:
The text must be resizable up to 200% without loss of content or functionality.
All images must have alternate text.
Links must have descriptive names.
Pages must have titles.
There must be one mode of navigation that does not require a mouse.
Level AA:
To meet Level AA standards, your website must satisfy all of the criteria from Level A, plus the following:
The text is resizable up to 400% without losing any content or functionality.
Audio content must have captions.
Video content must have audio descriptions and/or captions.
There must be more than one way to navigate the site (e.g., a navigation bar, breadcrumbs, etc.).
All the forms must be accessible, which means they can be completed by people who cannot use a mouse.
Level AAA:
To meet Level AAA standards, your website must satisfy all of the criteria from Level AA, plus the following:
The text is resizable up to 800% without losing any content or functionality.
All color contrast ratios are at least 7:1.
There is at least one way to navigate the site using only a keyboard.
All content must be accessible to people with cognitive disabilities.
Which level of ADA compliance should you follow for your website?
The answer to this question depends on several factors, including the type of business you have, your budget, and your resources. If you're just starting, then Level A compliance is probably the way to go.
However, if you have the time and resources, we recommend striving for Level AA or even Level AAA compliance.
Not only will this make your website more accessible to a wider range of people, but it also shows that you're committed to providing an inclusive experience for everyone who visits your site.
Making your website ADA-compliant doesn't have to be complicated - UIlicious can help!
UIlicious is a tool that allows you to create, run, and maintain automated tests for your website or web application.
UIlicious offers many features that are commonly required for compliance testing, such as ARIA Labels and automatic scheduling. Utilizing their simple I.see.hint command will confirm whether or not these requirements have been met on the page; this would also help with your overall automation tests if you're looking into ADA Compliance specifically.
Sign up for free today to learn more about how UIlicious can help you make your website or web app better.
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Conclusion
ADA compliance is important for all websites, both public and private. There are three general levels of compliance that website owners can choose to follow: Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA. The level of compliance you choose will depend on several factors, including the type of business you have, your budget, and your resources.
UIlicious is a tool that can help you make your website or web app compliant with the ADA. You can try it for free.
