In today’s digital landscape, ensuring that your website is accessible to all users is not just a good practice—it’s a legal requirement. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates that websites must be accessible to individuals with disabilities. Failing to meet these standards can lead to lawsuits, fines, and damage to your reputation.
If you’re a business owner, web developer, or content creator, avoiding common accessibility mistakes can save you from costly legal battles and help you build a more inclusive online experience. Here are five common accessibility mistakes that could land your website in legal trouble.
1. Missing or Inadequate Alt Text for Images
The Mistake: One of the most frequent accessibility errors is failing to provide alternative text (alt text) for images or using vague, non-descriptive alt text. Alt text allows screen readers to describe images to visually impaired users, enabling them to understand visual content.
Why It Matters: Without alt text, users who rely on screen readers cannot grasp the context or purpose of an image, which creates a barrier to accessing information. Legal claims often arise when businesses neglect to include accurate and meaningful alt text on their images.
How to Fix It:
- Add descriptive alt text to every image on your website, including decorative images where appropriate (using empty alt text in such cases).
- Make sure the alt text conveys the function or meaning of the image in context, not just a literal description.
For example, instead of using alt text like “dog,” use “Golden Retriever playing in the park.”
2. Lack of Keyboard Navigation
The Mistake: Some websites rely solely on mouse navigation, making it impossible for users with motor disabilities to interact with the site. People with conditions like arthritis, muscular dystrophy, or paralysis often rely on keyboards or assistive devices to browse the web.
Why It Matters: The inability to navigate a website using only the keyboard can prevent users from accessing critical information or completing tasks, such as filling out forms or making purchases. This is a frequent issue in ADA lawsuits, where websites fail to accommodate users with mobility impairments.
How to Fix It:
- Ensure that all interactive elements—links, buttons, and forms—can be accessed and navigated via keyboard commands.
- Test your website by using the “tab” key to move through content and check that all elements are reachable and functional.
Make sure users can easily skip to content, navigate menus, and interact with forms without relying on a mouse.
3. Poor Color Contrast
The Mistake: Using colors with insufficient contrast between text and background can make content difficult or impossible to read for people with visual impairments, especially those with color blindness or low vision.
Why It Matters: Poor color contrast is a leading cause of inaccessible websites. Users with visual impairments may not be able to distinguish between different sections of content or read text against similar background colors. This can lead to lawsuits when users are unable to access vital information.
How to Fix It:
- Use color contrast checkers to ensure your website meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) AA level of contrast (a ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text).
- Avoid using color as the sole means of conveying information, especially for links, buttons, or other important interactive elements.
High contrast between text and background ensures that content is legible for all users, regardless of their visual abilities.
4. Inaccessible Forms
The Mistake: Online forms are critical for things like contact pages, lead generation, and transactions. But if your forms aren’t accessible, they can become a major roadblock. Common form-related issues include unlabeled form fields, missing error messages, and the inability to submit forms without using a mouse.
Why It Matters: Unlabeled or poorly labeled form fields make it difficult for screen readers to identify the purpose of each field. If users cannot properly navigate or fill out forms, they may not be able to complete important actions, such as making a purchase or requesting information, which often leads to lawsuits.
How to Fix It:
- Label all form fields clearly and associate the labels with their respective fields programmatically (using the
forattribute in HTML). - Ensure error messages are accessible, both visually and to screen readers, and provide clear guidance for correcting errors.
- Allow keyboard users to navigate through and submit forms easily.
Accessible forms are crucial to ensuring all users can interact with your site’s key functions.
5. No Captions or Transcripts for Multimedia Content
The Mistake: Videos and audio content without captions or transcripts exclude users who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have auditory processing issues. Many businesses fail to provide these accommodations, making their multimedia content inaccessible to a significant portion of the population.
Why It Matters: Failing to provide captions or transcripts for multimedia can lead to legal action, as it prevents users with hearing impairments from understanding video content, announcements, or podcasts on your site. These omissions are frequent triggers of ADA compliance lawsuits.
How to Fix It:
- Provide accurate, synchronized captions for all videos, and include transcripts for audio content.
- If your website features live streaming, provide real-time captions to ensure accessibility during the broadcast.
These steps ensure that users with hearing disabilities can engage fully with your multimedia content.
Why Avoiding These Mistakes is Critical
Ignoring accessibility issues can have serious legal consequences for your business. ADA-related lawsuits over website accessibility have skyrocketed in recent years, affecting companies of all sizes. The risk is particularly high for e-commerce businesses, educational institutions, healthcare providers, and other organizations that rely heavily on their websites for service delivery.
Beyond the legal risk, ensuring website accessibility is about inclusivity. It demonstrates a commitment to serving all of your users equally and enhancing the overall user experience. Moreover, accessible websites tend to rank higher in search engines, benefiting your SEO and overall business growth.
Conclusion
Web accessibility is no longer optional—it’s a necessity. Avoiding common mistakes like missing alt text, poor keyboard navigation, low contrast, inaccessible forms, and a lack of multimedia captions is crucial to keeping your website compliant with ADA standards and protecting yourself from legal action.
Taking the time to audit and update your site’s accessibility will not only help you avoid lawsuits but will also create a better experience for all of your users. Prioritizing accessibility is a smart business move that enhances inclusivity and promotes legal compliance.