ADA Level A Compliance For Websites

Are you looking for the actual guidelines for (WCAG 2.0) ADA Compliance for Websites(Level A)?

[We will show you exactly what the Level A Section 508 Accessibility Standards are on this page.]

If you are looking for information on ADA compliance for websites, then you have come to the right place. At StPeteDesign we are the industry leaders for ADA Section 508 (WCAG 2.0) compliance.

We are passionate about making the web more accessible for people with disabilities. Because of our passion for web accessibility, we have spent a lot of time doing speaking to leaders in the ADA community and the WordPress community.We have also spend a lot of time with actual people who are struggling to use the internet.

We believe this is the best way to help the end user of this technology. If we are always learning and taking steps to make the very best web accessible sites or software we can. We will not only meet all levels of recommendations, we will make a great user experience for all people.

If you want even more information. Click Here to head over and check out our main ADA Section 508 Compliance page.

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On this page, we are going to do help your website become ADA Section 508 compliant in 3 ways.

We will tell you the exact recommendations that ADA Section 508 gives us in the form of guidelines.
We will also tell you the names of some very useful tools that will help you recognize and fix any ADA compliance issues you are having.
Give you 7 steps to make your website ADA compliant.

ADA compliance for websites summed up in 7 steps…

You have to add Alternative Text to all non-text media like photos.
You have to make sure that any video you upload includes a manuscript of that audio. Also, make sure that you add an audio description for non-audio animations
Make sure that the color of any given content is not the only indicator of what it is.
Your entire website should be able to be navigated by only the tab button on your keyboard.
Do not add time limits to anything on your site.
Add a skip navigation link or something equivalent, so the user can bypass repetitive content.
If there is an input error by the user, it must be identified and described in the text to the user.

There are 3 different levels of ADA compliance for websites and software.

Level A – This level is the minimum requirements for your website to be compliant. This will make you compliant but still does not fully handle the issues most people with disabilities are having.
Level AA – This is the next level of compliance. This level takes care of most issues that people with disabilities come across as they use the internet. I recommend this one because it is a good mix of all levels.
Level AAA – This is the highest level of compliance you can achieve with a website or software. This is not required because it is not possible to achieve full compliance with some content.

I know this next list is long but stick with me. This is where the most important and useful information will be. This next list is all of the (Level A) recommendations so that your website will be ADA Section 508 compliant. This information came straight off of the United States Access Board for web accessibility. If you can accomplish these guidelines then you are on your way to full compliance.

ADA Section 508 (WCAG 2.0) compliance recommendations [Level A]

The main components to these recommendations are in bold.

1.1.1 You have to provide text alternatives of images and other non-text content, including user interface components.
1.2.1 You have to provide prerecorded audio is available in a visible format and silent animations are available in an audible format.
1.2.2 Provides for synchronized captioning of prerecorded video and multimedia.
1.2.3 Provides for audio description of prerecorded video and multimedia.
1.2.4 Provides for captioning of live video and multimedia.
1.2.5 Provides for audio description of live video and multimedia.
1.3.1 Provides that information, structure, and relationships conveyed visually are available to users of assistive technology
Provides that semantic markup is used for headings, lists, emphasized or special text, and tabular data, including the association of data cells with their headers.
1.3.2 You must provide a reasonable and logical reading order when using assistive technology.
1.3.3 You must make sure that instructions are not conveyed only through sound, shape, size, or visual orientation.
1.4.1 You must make sure that information and prompts are not conveyed only through color.
1.4.2 There has to be a way to stop, pause, mute, or adjust volume with audio that plays automatically.

ADA Section 508 (WCAG 2.0) compliance recommendations continued… [Level A]

2.1.1 There must be full functionality when using only the keyboard interface.
2.1.2 Make sure that the keyboard focus is not trapped when the keyboard is used for navigation.
2.2.1 Provides for flexible time limits.
2.2.2 Give user control over moving, blinking, scrolling, and information that updates automatically.
2.3.1 Make sure nothing flashes more than three times per second unless the flash is very small and does not contain too much red.
2.4.1 Must have a skip navigation link or other means to bypass repetitive content.
2.4.2 Must provide descriptive and informative page titles.
2.4.3 This states that a keyboard-oriented navigation order that is reasonable and logical. Also, states that links, form elements, and other user interface controls and components have a reasonable and logical navigation order.
2.4.4 States that the purpose of any link is understandable from its text or context.
3.1.1 Says that the default language of content is exposed to assistive technology.
3.2.1 This says that user interface components do not initiate a change of context when receiving focus.
3.2.2 When changing the settings of user interface components, it does not automatically cause a change of context.
3.3.1 When automatically detected input errors are identified and described in the text to the user.
3.3.2 You must have labels or instructions when content requires user input.
4.1.1 Provides that significant HTML/XHTML validation and parsing errors in the source code should be avoided.
4.1.2 This says that sufficient information (including identity, operation, and state) about user interface components is available to assistive technology

ADA compliance for websites summed up in 7 steps…

I know that all the different recommendations they gave us can be very confusing. So let me go ahead and reemphasize our 7 steps for you:

You have to add Alternative Text to all non-text media like photos.
You have to make sure that any video you upload includes a manuscript of that audio. Also, make sure that you add an audio description for non-audio animations
Make sure that the color of any given content is not the only indicator of what it is.
Your entire website should be able to be navigated by only the tab button on your keyboard.
Do not add time limits to anything on your site.
Add a skip navigation link or something equivalent, so the user can bypass repetitive content.
If there is an input error by the user, it must be identified and described in the text to the user.

If you can make sure these 7 things are taken care of on your website then you should be well ahead of the curve. You should understand that these 7 bullet points are not going to make your site 100% ADA compliant. But it will take care of most of the issues that are stopping your website from being ADA compliant.

Even though you can take care of most of the ADA compliance issues for your website, you should still consult a professional. We know a few things about this industry. Let our ADA Compliance Consultants help you stay compliant and not get sued. But most importantly your company is a part of making the web accessible to everybody, one site at a time.

Talk to our ADA Compliance Consultants Now – Contact Us