03.19.09 | Alpine UI Group | [email protected] | Author: Ezio Magarotto, Senior UI Architect/Developer
ADA Compliance: What it is and Why You Should Care
What is ADA Compliance?
ADA is an acronymic for Americans with Disabilities Act. There are
several other similar U.S. laws which govern these issues such as IDEA,
and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Sections 504 and Section 508).
Additionally, accessibility is addressed by many international laws.
While this article is only concerned with ADA Compliancy as it relates to
Web accessibility, do note that the above laws cover all facets of our
environment. ADA Compliancy exists everywhere from our schools and
offices to museums and government buildings.
The governing body of the Web, the Worldwide Web Consortium
(W3C), has developed international guidelines for Web accessibility that
have become the foundation for most Web accessibility laws
throughout the world.
Essentially, ADA Compliancy, as it relates to the Internet and specifically
Web sites, concerns itself with the ability of disabled individuals to
perform all the same tasks as able-bodied persons while browsing,
searching, buying, or otherwise navigating on the Web.
Why Your Business Should Care
Imagine the following scenarios…
A potential customer, Emily, who suffers from severe glaucoma,
enters the home page of your Web site hoping to purchase a
product Google has identified you offer. She attempts to traverse
your site to find said product. However, your primary navigation is
constructed entirely of images that have no accompanying ALT
attribute for the screen reader Emily depends upon to read to her
the contents of a Web page. While Emily in our example is
fictitious, millions of people the world over who suffer from a range
of vision issues from poor eye sight to complete blindness depend
on such screen reading software in order to navigate the Internet.
Emily, after struggling unsuccessfully for several minutes, leaves
your Web site in frustration. Not only have you lost a potential
customer and her immediate sale, but you have also inadvertently
demonstrated to her that she and others who suffer vision maladies
are not important to your business. Another Google result directs
Emily to your competitor who also has an image based navigation
structure but who wisely employs the ALT attribute. Emily is able to
According to the World Health
Organization, of the world's more
than six billion people, between
750 million and one billion have a
disability. In the United States
alone, there are over 54 million
people with disabilities. The
number is increasing, in part,
because people are living longer
and health programs are
continually improving. 2
Recently, Target settled charges
that its website was inaccessible to
the blind. The Company agreed to
pay $6 million. Experts say that
this settlement will trigger suits
against other retailers and
businesses. 3
Though estimates vary, most
studies find that about one fifth
(20%) of the population has some
kind of disability. Not all of these
people have disabilities that make
it difficult for them to access the
internet, but it is still a significant
portion of the population.
Businesses would be unwise to
purposely exclude 20, 10, or even 5
percent of their potential
customers from their Web sites.
For schools, universities, and
government entities it would not
only be unwise, but in many cases,
it would also break the law. 1
03.19.09 | Alpine UI Group | [email protected] | Author: Ezio Magarotto, Senior UI Architect/Developer
ADA Compliance: What it is and Why You Should Care
locate the product she was seeking, makes her purchase, and leaves
your competitor’s Web site feeling happy and pleased that they
understand and meet her needs.
A potential customer, Mark who suffers from arthritis and cannot
use a mouse for his Internet use, enters the home page of your Web
site hoping to purchase a product Google has identified you offer.
He is able to locate the product category by selecting a link in your
primary navigation, find the exact product he desires, and add it to
his shopping cart. As Mark arrives at the registration/checkout
process he is met with a typical Web site form containing nearly two
dozen text fields. Unfortunately, you have not employed Tab
Indexing which Mark relies upon – as do millions of others who
suffer motor disabilities caused by a range of conditions from
arthritis to multiple sclerosis -- to navigate Web sites. Without the
use of a mouse Mark is unable to access the form fields and enter
his shipping address, billing address, and payment information.
After having spent a significant amount of time on your Web site
already he becomes very frustrated now that he is unable to
complete his purchase. Not only have you lost a customer and his
potential sale, but you have also shown Mark that he and those like
him who are unable to use a mouse are not important to your
business. Another Google result directs Mark to a competitor who
employs Tab Indexing on all its Web site forms. Mark is relieved to
not have experienced the same disappointment that he did on your
site. He purchases the identical product you carry from your
competitor and leaves their Web site feeling happy and pleased that
they understand and meet his needs.
A potential customer, Jenny who is deaf, enters the home page of
your Web site hoping to purchase a product Google has identified
you offer. She navigates to the product page where you present a
multimedia tutorial of the product’s use and care. Unfortunately
you have failed to caption your videos. Jenny attempts to make
sense of the tutorial but is not able to follow the visual
presentation. Disappointed, she leaves your Web site and returns
to Google. Not only have you lost a customer and her potential
sale, but you have also proved to Jenny that she and other
individuals who are deaf are not important to your business. She
locates a competitor’s Web site which offers not only video
captioning but also textual transcripts of their product and news
videos. Feeling confident she understands the product and its uses,
According to the World Health
Organization, more than 750
million people worldwide have a
disability and over 60 million are
in the United States. This makes
people with disabilities the largest
minority group in the U.S. And this
number will continue to grow, in
part, because people are living
longer. 4
Arthritis is a major cause of
mobility issues for the elderly.
The US-based Arthritis Foundation
reported in 2008 that 50% of
Americans over 65 experience
arthritis. 5
A survey published in Information
Week found that the largest
increase of Internet usage has
come from the 70–75 age group. In
2005 only 26% of this age group
used the internet, compared to
46% in 2008. 6
The fastest growing group of
Internet users is the Baby Boomer
generation. This group, which in
large numbers will experience the
health changes that come with
aging, will be the largest customer
demographic on the Internet for
the foreseeable future.
03.19.09 | Alpine UI Group | [email protected] | Author: Ezio Magarotto, Senior UI Architect/Developer
ADA Compliance: What it is and Why You Should Care
Jenny makes her purchase. She leaves your competitor’s Web site
feeling happy and pleased that they understand and meet her needs.
Scenarios like the ones above occur hundreds, if not thousands, of times
each day as people with varying degrees and types of disability browse
the Internet. Do you want your Web site and company to be perceived
as unreceptive to the needs of a demographic which constitutes nearly
25% of the US population? At best your business will lose out on
thousands of potential customers; at worse it could be the target of a
lawsuit. With the assistance of the ADA Compliance and Web
Accessibility experts at Alpine Consulting, Inc. your business can instead
be a place where all individuals, regardless of abilities, are able to easily
find the information, services, and products you provide.
How Alpine can Help
Contact the Alpine UI Group 8 today to schedule a Detailed ADA
Compliance Report of your Web site accompanied by our Web
Accessibility Recommendations.
Please direct any questions or comments regarding this White Paper to
Ezio Magarotto at [email protected].
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About Alpine Consulting, Inc. Headquartered in Schaumburg, IL, Alpine Consulting is a professional Information Technology
services firm focused on helping IT organizations deliver business value. Alpine Consulting specializes in e-business
solutions, custom development and systems integration for medium and larger companies. Clients of Alpine Consulting
have successfully implemented e-business solutions that have resulted in significant business process improvements, faster
time to market and considerable return on investment. For more information on how Alpine can help with your e-business
solutions contact us at 847-605-0788, [email protected] or visit our Web site at http://www.alpineinc.com. For more
information about Alpine Consulting and our solution offerings, please contact Stan Duda at 847-605-0788 or
1 http://www.webaim.org/intro/
2 http://www-03.ibm.com/able/access_ibm/qa.html
3 http://www.arthritis.org/apcca.php
4 http://www-03.ibm.com/able/access_ibm/reasons.html
5 http://www.financialweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080921/REG/309229989
6 http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/ebusiness/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=212903496
7 http://www.adobe.com/macromedia/accessibility/gettingstarted/accessibility.html#accessibility_important
Accessibility offers benefits for all
users. As with many
improvements intended for
individuals with disabilities, the
enhancements of accessible design
offer benefits for all users of the
web. Anyone who has pushed a
shopping cart out of a grocery
store can attest to the value of
automatic doors and ramps cut
into curbs. Similarly, accessible
web pages are often easier to read,
easier to navigate, and faster to
download. 7
