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The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a landmark civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in various areas of public life. While the ADA was enacted before the widespread adoption of the internet, its principles have been applied to websites, making website accessibility a legal requirement. In this article, we will explore what the ADA is and how it applies to websites, providing a clear understanding without getting overly technical.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law in 1990 with the goal of prohibiting discrimination against individuals with disabilities. It ensures that people with disabilities have equal opportunities and access to employment, public accommodations, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications.
While the ADA does not explicitly mention websites since it predates the internet’s widespread use, the law has been interpreted by courts to apply to websites as well. The ADA aims to ensure that individuals with disabilities have equal access to services and information provided by businesses and organizations, including those offered through websites.
The ADA’s Title III applies to public accommodations, which includes businesses that are open to the public. In recent years, courts have interpreted Title III to apply to websites that are considered places of public accommodation, such as retail stores, restaurants, hotels, and entertainment venues.
Join the thousands of businesses already benefiting from AccessiBe’s advanced AI-powered accessibility solution. Sign up today and make your website accessible to all, while complying with global accessibility standards.
To ensure compliance with the ADA, businesses and organizations are encouraged to follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). The WCAG provide a set of internationally recognized standards for making websites accessible to individuals with disabilities. These guidelines address various aspects of website accessibility, including perceivable content, operable user interfaces, understandable information, and robust technology.
Creating an accessible website not only helps businesses comply with the ADA but also brings several benefits. By making your website accessible, you:
Expand your potential customer base. By ensuring equal access to individuals with disabilities, you can reach a wider audience and tap into new markets.
Improve user experience. Website accessibility features, such as alternative text for images, clear navigation, and readable text, enhance the overall user experience for all visitors, leading to increased engagement and customer satisfaction.
Enhance your reputation. Demonstrating a commitment to inclusivity and accessibility can enhance your organization’s reputation and help build trust with customers and the community.
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The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) plays a vital role in ensuring equal access and opportunities for individuals with disabilities, extending its principles to websites. Businesses and organizations must make their websites accessible to individuals with disabilities to comply with the ADA and provide an inclusive digital experience.
Understanding the ADA and its application to websites is crucial for website owners. By following the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and implementing accessibility best practices, businesses can create a website that is usable by individuals with various disabilities.
By prioritizing website accessibility, businesses can not only meet legal requirements but also reap the benefits of an inclusive approach. An accessible website expands the potential customer base, enhances user experience, and boosts the organization’s reputation.
Getting started with website accessibility doesn’t have to be an overwhelming task. By understanding the principles of website accessibility, creating accessible content, testing and evaluating your website, and utilizing automation tools like the UserWay and Accessibe website plugins, you can take significant steps toward making your website inclusive for all users.
Last updated: May 22, 2023
These Terms of Service (“Terms”) are a legally binding agreement between you and Accessifi LLC (“our”, “we”, “us”, or “Accessifi”).
By accessing or using our Services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms.
If you do not agree to be bound by the provisions of these Terms or if you do not have the legal authority to accept them on behalf of the entity you represent, you may not use or access our services.
These Terms apply to all users of the Services, as follows (each of which shall be referred to as “user” or “you”):
Accessifi LLC is delivering, in good faith, access to services provided by AccessiBe via a partner relationship we have with AccessiBe.
The partnership agreement entitles us to make limited discounts to the price you pay to license the AccessiBe accessWidget, when ordering directly though us. Discounts are calculated by a percentage reduction to AccessiBe’s retail price which is wholly controlled by AccessiBe. AccessiBe have the sole right to update their retail pricing and licensing terms, over which we have absolutely no control. Your price will be fixed for term period of your license. It is possible that accessiBe could adjust the pricing at the time of your license renewal. It is entirely out of our realm of influence. AccessiBe may also change our pricing flexibility in the future, which may affect the offer we can present to you.
AccessiBe have sole control over the design, functionality, code, and availability of the accessWidget. Accessifi cannot be held responsible for any actions taken by AccessiBe that may impact the accessWidget in any way.
Accessifi offer an accessWidget installation service for those who request our assistance with the accessWidget installation. We are experienced developers who have performed many installations of the accessWidget. You agree to hold us harmless in the event of a problem during installation that can be shown to be caused by existing issues on your website, or concurrent activity on your website that is not being performed by us.
Any changes to the terms of service set by AccessiBe are solely the responsibility of AccessiBe. You agree to hold harmless Accessifi, should AccessiBe change their terms of service in any way that you find disagreeable.
Accessifi will fulfill our responsibility to contact AccessiBe, per the terms of their litigation support package, in the event you are subject to a website accessibility lawsuit while you have an active accessWidget license purchased through us. You agree to hold Accessifi LLC harmless in the event that a website accessibility lawsuit against you is successful, or if you choose to settle with any plaintiff involved in that lawsuit.
Accessifi strongly believe the accessiBe accessWidget is a viable solution to website accessibility and website ADA compliance issues. However we are not responsible for any damages resulting from your use of any software or services owned and administered by AccessiBe.
Accessifi can provide manual website accessibility remediation services if requested. We are experienced website developers and we will provide our best efforts to fix specific accessibility problems, agreed between you and us prior to beginning any manual remediation services. You agree to hold harmless Accessifi LLC in the event you are subject to a legal accessibility complaint or any other damages concerning specifically the issues Accessifi LLC agreed to work on. We are committed to further remediating any of these issues on your website.
When you purchase an accessWidget license through Accessifi, you are required to remunerate Accessifi, the full amount agreed between you and Accessifi, within 7 days of the date noted on the invoice.
The accessWidget license becomes active at the time of Accessifi generating the invoice.
Invoices will be sent by email, along with a separate follow-up email confirming that the invoice was received. Accessifi LLC are not responsible for non-receipt of the invoice, the invoice email, or the follow-up email.
If the 7 day period from the invoice date passes without full remuneration Accessifi reserves the right to terminate your accessWidget license agreement without repercussion from you. We have to do this to ensure that the cancellation is completed with the refund period set by AccessiBe. In the event that AccessiBe charges Accessifi a pro-rated license fee for the time the accessWidget license was active before cancellation, you are responsible for remunerating Accessifi to cover that pro-rated charge. You will be notified of that charge via a separate invoice from Accessifi, send via email.
We will provide you with a secure payment link, operated by the well-established online payment solution provider, Stripe. If you cannot for any reason make your payment online, you may suggest another means of payment in writing (email) before the invoice is generated. You may use the alternative method if both you and we agree in writing. If you do not agree to remunerate Accessifi online via the secure payment page from Stripe, nor the agreed upon alternative payment method, you may not purchase a license from us.
Licenses are only refundable and cancellable within 7 days of the original invoice creation date, noted on the invoice. After 7 days from the date of the original invoice the license fees are non-cancellable, and non-refundable.
By purchasing your accessWidget through Accessifi, you agree not to edit the accessWidget installation code without our written (email) consent. Doing so could affect the performance and effectiveness of the accessWidget. Any unauthorized changes is a violation of the discounted license pricing agreement between you and Accessifi. Any changes to the “AccessiBe” callout and link (the “mark”) at the bottom of the accessWidget UI is a violation of the discounted pricing agreement between you and Accessifi. Refusal to reinstate the AccessiBe mark on the accessWidget UI will invalidate the discount agreement with immediate effect at which time the license pricing will switch to the retail price set by AccessiBe.
We recommend that you read the following section titled “AccessiBe Terms of Service”.
We, like you, are beholden to AccessiBe’s Terms of Service for using their AccessWidget, and any and all other related services that AccessiBe provide, including the website auditing service “AccessFlow”. AccessiBe are solely responsible for the AccessWidget, the license pricing policy, and any other services that they provide. We strongly recommend that you, as our client, read their terms of service. To find their terms of service, please follow these steps:
1: Click on this link to visit the AccessiBe website: https://accessibe.com/a/a2i3kaw
2: Scroll to the very bottom of the target page that results from clicking on the link in step 1.
3: At the bottom of the page on the AccessiBe website, click on the link “Terms of Service”.