The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a groundbreaking law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including employment, education, transportation, and public accommodations. The ADA also includes provisions that ensure access to technology for people with disabilities. In recent years, this has come to include websites. Under the ADA, any website that is operated by a covered entity must be accessible to people with disabilities.

This means that the website must be designed in a way that it can be used by people who are blind or have low vision, who are deaf or hard of hearing, or who have mobility impairments. In addition, the website must be designed in a way that it can be used by people with cognitive impairments. There are a number of specific requirements that websites must meet in order to be considered accessible under the ADA, and covered entities are required to take steps to ensure that their websites comply with these requirements.

failure to do so can result in significant penalties. As a result, it is essential for covered entities to ensure that their websites are accessible to everyone, regardless of disability.

How This Affects Your Business

When it comes to e-commerce, accessibility is often overlooked. Yet, with over 1 billion people worldwide living with some form of disability, making your website accessible is not only the right thing to do, but it makes good business sense. Fortunately, there are a number of steps you can take to make your e-commerce website ADA compliant. First, start by ensuring that your website is navigable using only a keyboard.

This means adding features like alt text to images and descriptive links. Next, make sure that your website can be accessed by screen readers. This includes ensuring that your pages are well structured and using clear and concise language throughout. Finally, don’t forget about offline accessibility. This means providing alternatives to online content, such as PDF versions of product catalogs. By taking these steps, you can make your e-commerce website more accessible and inclusive for everyone.