Attorneys continue to target small businesses, including insurance agents, and their websites for not being “ADA Compliant.”
Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that businesses and non-profit service providers make accessibility accommodations to enable the disabled public to access the same services as clients who are not disabled. This includes electronic media and websites. While the ADA applies to businesses with 15 or more employees, even smaller companies can benefit from ensuring their websites are ADA-compliant. Doing so opens your company up to more potential clients and limits liability. Web developers should include ADA-compliant features in the original site and application plans.
Several firms have published some useful information and resources about agency ADA website compliance, and we thought it would be helpful to include these links as a reminder to make sure you are taking steps to address this issue.
A Few Resources
Some ADA resources include:
- Forge3, now part of Agency Revolution, is a firm that creates agency websites and has published an extensive resource guide for agencies. Agency Revolution also published an article on How Website Accessibility Helps Grow Your Business.
- Neilson Marketing Services has an ADA Compliant Service that can be added to your existing website.
- We use accessiBe on the Catalyit site which allows site visitors to select the accessibility options they need.
I recommend you click through and read the information at each of these links to educate yourself on ADA website compliance issues. Then, check with your website developer and make any necessary changes to your website.
These steps will help protect your agency from a frivolous lawsuit.
What other services have you discovered that you are currently using to be ADA-compliant?
