The Most Common ADA Compliance Issues Found on Law Firm Websites

By Peter Boyd, a Florida lawyer who founded PaperStreet< /em>. He has helped over 1,500 law firms with their websites, content and marketing.

For law firms with an online presence, having a website designed with accessibility in mind is crucial. Many businesses try to reach customers from all walks of life, some of whom may have a disability or other severe impairment that limits their ability to type, operate a mouse, see a screen, or hear sound. This is why businesses are strongly encouraged to hire the services of a web design company that knows and adheres to the latest guidelines for web content accessibility or, at the very least, ensure that their internal web design team respects them.

Below is a small sampling of some of the most common ADA compliance mistakes that law firms should avoid when considering their website design.

Don't forget ADA-compliant keyboard access.

For those who don't know how to use a keyboard and/or mouse, and for those who can't see the on-screen cursor, viewing non-compliant websites can be nigh on impossible. Websites that meet ADA requirements will incorporate a way for people with disabilities to access and navigate between buttons, links, etc. using various keystrokes. This means your designer will most likely need to create custom controls and styles that can be used to enhance the user experience.

The color contrast of your site is important.

Inadequate color contrast can make it very difficult for the elderly, people with various forms of eye disease, people with temporary eye strain, and people with other visual impairments to differentiate between words and graphics/images and backgrounds. That said, web designers are encouraged to use compliant colors at design time (ADA-compliant color palettes are available for those who need them). For example, according to WCAG, the contrast should be 4.5:1 (minimum) with a plain background. However, sites with enhanced visual presentations could have a ratio as high as 7:1.

All images need alt text.

There's no doubt about it: images add a level of visual excitement to what is otherwise plain boring text, especially when we're talking about law firm sites. However, problems can arise when the technology that usually reads screens or performs other useful functions is not usable. Next comes the alt text. For the visually impaired, the alt text provides context to the images.

For non-techies, if an image doesn't have alt text, it's considered broken. So for sites that have many images, each will need its own unique alt text that correctly describes the image to help screen readers.

Compliance can save you more than money in the long run.

When your website design is accessible to people with all types of disabilities, your business will be able to engage with millions of potential customers, including some of the more than 60 million Americans with disabilities. Think about it. Have you ever wondered how much online activity is lost on a daily or weekly basis simply because someone with certain disabilities is unable to navigate a site?

Having an ADA-compliant website design highlights your company's brand and provides a better user experience for all current and future customers, regardless of disability. Make sure your site is compliant today.