Accessibility gains more and more popularity each day. This makes legal accusations and lawsuits regarding online accessibility occur more frequently. Having a website that is user-friendly and accessible to people with disabilities is no longer just the right thing; it is also a legal requirement.
Some industries are more affected than others. Vital services like healthcare, for example, need to be accessible because if the hospital's website fails to provide a service to a user, it can have serious consequences.
Another example of companies affected by compliance lawsuits is the education platforms or online school and university services. If the university website, for example, denies access to a lecture to a user with a disability, this is a huge problem, and the school will face serious legal problems for it.
Not complying with the ADA law or the Americans with Disabilities Act will inevitably bring you problems like big fines, damaged reputation, and long-lasting lawsuits. This is why it is really important for you, as a website owner or a website developer, to create an accessible online space that is user-friendly for everyone, including those with disabilities.
ADA is the governing law in the United States, but there are many other laws all over the world that make sure people with disabilities are represented online.
If you are new to accessibility and you are still unsure of what you must do or where to start, the Qualibooth platform will help you monitor your website and achieve and maintain compliance with ADA laws.
Overview of Compliance Lawsuits
Compliance lawsuits are legal actions taken against businesses or organizations that fail to meet specific legal standards or regulations. In terms of accessibility, these standards apply to ensure that all users, including the impaired, have equal access to the services and information provided on the website.
Compliance lawsuits also occur when a business's website or physical location is not accessible to people with disabilities, which is in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Basically, all of the business sectors are in danger of a potential lawsuit if they fail to meet the ADA standards. Companies may face lawsuits or fines for a wide range of issues, including inaccessible websites, lack of proper signage, or failure to provide services to individuals with disabilities. The consequences of non-compliance are costly fines, legal fees, and, most importantly, permanent damage to the company's reputation.
To prevent all of these issues from happening to you, you can use the Qualibooth platform to help you identify, fix, and monitor your webpage for any accessibility errors.
Industries Facing Website Compliance Lawsuits
As we already said above, some industries face compliance lawsuits more often than others. Here, we are going to outline why that happens.
Healthcare Industry
If your website provides users with some kind of healthcare service and fails to give access to a person with a disability, you will face serious legal problems. Access to healthcare services is a basic human right, and if you deny that to a human, you are breaking the law severely. This is why hospital websites or websites that are providing healthcare services should be fully accessible and as easy to use as possible.
eCommerce Industry
The retail industry is another industry that is highly affected when it comes to website compliance lawsuits. Many online stores have failed to provide equal shopping services to all of their customers, which has damaged their reputation—in some cases, beyond repair. Online shopping is a more and more preferred way of purchasing items, and with this, the accessibility of online shopping websites must always be on point.
Technology Industry
The technology sector is not exempt from compliance lawsuits either. Many software and app developers have faced lawsuits for not making their digital products accessible. Issues can arise from all types of services that do not consider the needs of users with disabilities.
Here are some examples of top companies affected by compliance lawsuits in recent years:
- Target – The American retail company was sued for having an inaccessible website that failed to provide a blind man with access to its services.
- Walmart – The chain faced lawsuits for website accessibility issues that affected their disabled users.
- Nike – Their online shopping platform failed to provide equal access to their users, which led to costly legal penalties for the brand.
- Domino's Pizza – took their case to the Supreme Court after being sued for not having an accessible app.
- Netflix – They lacked closed captions in their streaming content, which led to lawsuits and fines.
These are just a handful of examples of companies that have already faced the consequences of not having an accessible online space.
How do you protect your business from ADA compliance lawsuits?
Protecting your business from ADA compliance lawsuits involves some proactive steps that will ensure your website is accessible and user-friendly.
Here are the steps:
- Regular monitoring and audits – When you review your website regularly by yourself or with the assistance of Qualibooth, you can identify problems and solve them on time.
- Follow WCAG guidelines – Get familiar with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to get a clear view of how to make your web content more accessible. The ADA closely follows these core guidelines given by the World Wide Consortium. Most world laws consider Level AA to be top compliance.
- Provide training for your team – Ensure that your team is aware of the risks of inaccessible websites. Make sure that all of them know how to implement accessibility features and create accessible content.
By taking these steps, you will create a more inclusive environment for everybody, including those with disabilities.
Conclusion
Protecting your business and your company's reputation from ADA compliance lawsuits is important if you want to create an inclusive and user-friendly space and gain your user's trust and sympathy.
Use Qualibooth for assistance and insurance so that everything on your website is fully and completely accessible and is working as well as it possibly can.
