Handling Accessibility Complaints

If you recently received a legal complaint or demand letter regarding your website’s lack of accessibility, you need to take it seriously.

Failure to comply with Section 508 of the Department of Justice's Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design could expose your company to hefty fines, the risk of expensive criminal and civil litigation as well as a reputation for being unfriendly to people with disabilities.

Accessibility violations that prevent people with disabilities from accessing your digital content are rampant among websites, and are serious violations of federal ADA laws.

While you likely did not intend to violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, there’s a strong likelihood that the claimant who sent you the demand letter, complaint or lawsuit had been directly adversely affected by accessibility barriers on your site.

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Your Site, Your Business, Your Legal Responsibility

As a website owner you are responsible for ensuring that content you put on your site is available to everyone – regardless of ability.

Websites that do not meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards can be fined up to $50,000 for a first violation, $100,000 for a second, and even more for compensation of damages. Over 2250 website accessibility violation lawsuits were filed in 2018 and double that in 2019. That number is expected to triple this year.

You need to act fast to ensure compliance with the ADA.

Remember, an accessible site will also allow nearly 20% of the population that has some form of disability to access your site’s content without any barriers or limitations.

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UserWay’s accessibility audit report provides your team with clear and actionable checklists to improve the accessibility compliance level of your website and ensure comprehensive compliance

Act Fast to Mitigate Your Risk of Further Legal Exposure

Your business’ accessibility effort should be undertaken to ensure your site is made fully accessible for any individual that requires accessibility functions, and to demonstrate your goodwill and real effort towards achieving such compliance.

The ultimate goal is to ensure your site is made fully accessible for individuals who rely on assistive technologies and other accessibility enhancements as well as to provide your business with a protective legal framework that is necessary in today’s business environment.

UserWay audit reports are best-in-class reports that meet the strict standards enforced by government and regulatory bodies in the US and internationally.

Web accessibility can seem complex and overwhelming if you don't know where to start. Our Approach: start small, one step at a time.

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The Anatomy of a Web Accessibility Lawsuit

Companies across America are getting sued for violating Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) and the Americans with Disabilities Act. While these regulations were created to protect people with disabilities, it helps to understand what happens once you receive a demand letter or claim. What happens when you’re sued? Who's at risk? What are the regulations? What can you do?

Read the article:
The Anatomy of a Web Accessibility Lawsuit