Communicated Content- The internet has never been more important than it is now and with COVID-19 this has further accelerated this. Whether it be retail outlets, educational institutions and many other businesses, they have all had to push their services to an online presence, in order to meet the needs of consumers. You only have to look across the United States for example, where traffic has jumped up by over 20 per cent over the last 12 months and even higher in some states. Some areas across the United States are also now offering free internet and unlimited data in order to help people through this difficult period. It has resulted in websites having to be modified in order to deal with the increase in online demand. You have the likes of educational institutions now implementing online classes for example but with this comes guidelines they need to follow and why many of them are looking at how to get started with web accessibility, to ensure they do not come under threat of a potential lawsuit.
The increased reliance on online operators has led to a number of implications in place for businesses who are not ensuring their websites are accessible to all, such as people with sight and hearing impairments for example. We have been seeing this for many years now, with retailers and financial institutions being two of the key areas of businesses that have come under many different lawsuits, due to website accessibility. This all coming under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which was put in place to ensure full and equal enjoyment of goods and services for all people, including those with disabilities. The trend amongst this has only increased with more and more reliance on online services, due to the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions enforced upon land-based establishments. So, what can businesses do in order to minimize the potential liability against them?
Businesses must make website accessibility a priority
The first step is to ensure that the upper management of the business is aware of the guidelines around website accessibility, so they can push through to ensure the business is making the relevant changes. They could start the process by performing an accessibility risk assessment, which would highlight any issues they may have. A team could also be set up to track the number of different steps on this, from the legal aspect and the ever-changing guidelines on website accessibility.
Businesses could adopt an accessibility strategy
The first step on this could be to keep a central list and include all digital products and services that they may have. They can then develop an accessibility policy, which can be regularly reviewed to ensure the guidelines are being met, as they change. Clear roles and responsibilities could also be assigned within a business, so that website accessibility is always of great importance and being monitored.
Businesses must also ensure access and minimize risk
To ensure this, businesses could perform an accessibility audit across the online platforms they have. They can then pass on any known defects to management and those in charge of the accessibility on the website. These can then be addressed in order to minimize the risk against them. Finally, businesses could also look at proving accessibility training to staff, which is a good means when looking to the future.
