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Accessibly was designed with the mission of complying with WCAG and ADA standards to the best of its ability. With these standards in mind, Accessibly had made great strides and reached high levels of compliance. Compliance of WCAG and ADA standards can be challenging to understand and address. We have dedicated this article to explaining the basics of WCAG and ADA compliance, and how Accessibly can assist you in addressing and solving web accessibility. 

WCAG Compliance

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) were developed and distributed by The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). W3C is “an international community that develops open standards to ensure the long-term growth of the Web” according to their own website. WCAG is a guide for how to design websites that are accessible for users with disabilities or impairments.

The purpose of developing the WCAG standards is to have a single universal standard for web accessibility. 

The WCAG standards are intended to be used by web developers and accessibility evaluators. WCAG standards are formatted as several documents detailing how to make online content accessible to users who have disabilities or impairments. Within these standards are several guidelines which are organized based upon four accessibility principles. These principles are intended to create the infrastructure for accessible web content for everyone. 

Four Principles of Web Accessibility 

The first principle of web accessibility is being Perceivable. This means content and information presented on the web must be perceivable to the users. 

The next principle of web accessibility is being Operable. This means interactive and navigational components of web content must be operable for users. 

The third principle of web accessibility is being Understandable. This is defined as users being able to understand the operation of a website, as well as understanding the information being presented on a website. 

The final principle of web accessibility is being Robust. This refers to how robust the content of a given webpage is, and specifically if the content is robust enough to be interpreted across a diverse group of individuals. 

Success Criteria 

The success criteria of the WCAG standards are testable criteria used when conformance testing is necessary. Because different groups, organizations, and individuals require different levels of conformance, three levels of conformance have been defined: A (lowest), AA, and AAA (highest). When levels of conformance are being evaluated, there are several different common factors taken into consideration. Some of these factors include:

  • If the success criterion is essential
  • The possibility of satisfying the criterion for all websites and types of content
  • If the criterion intrudes the overall function of the website

Most providers of web accessibility assistance are unable to guarantee full levels of conformance based on the WCAG success criteria. The same is true for Accessibly, however we do follow the best guidelines and are partially conformant with WCAG 2.0 level AA. 

ADA Compliance 

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law on July 26, 1990. The ADA is Civil Rights legislation intended to guarantee people with disabilities to have equal opportunities as everyone else. The ADA is comprehensive, complex, and designed to address several components of American life. Modeled after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the ADA had a vision of creating equal opportunity law for all individuals with disabilities. 

In the context of web accessibility, the Americans with Disabilities Act addresses both State and local governments and businesses open to the public. These guidelines are defined under two separate provisions known as Title II and Title III. 

Title II

Title II applies to State and local government entities, and protects qualified individuals with disabilities from discrimination on the basis of disability in services, programs, and activities provided by State and local government entities. Many State and local government entities now offer their citizens services, programs, and information on the web. For this reason, State and local government entities must ensure they are communicating as effectively to individuals with disabilities as they are to the rest of the population. In order to accomplish this, State and local government entities must provide sufficient web accessibility on their online platforms. 

Many services provided by State and local government entities are now conducted online. Some common examples of this include applying for an absentee ballot, paying tickets, 

filing police reports, and registering for government programs. If a State and local government website does not provide an accessible online environment it can create a major disadvantage for individuals with disabilities. 

Title III

According to ADA.gov, Title III prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the activities of places of public accommodations (businesses that are generally open to the public and that fall into one of 12 categories listed in the ADA). This includes common businesses such restaurants, movie theaters, schools, recreation centers, and many more. Title III requires businesses open to the public to provide the necessary aids and services to effectively communicate with individuals with disabilities. This includes services such as online assistive technologies. 

Because many businesses open to the public now conduct many of their services online, it is necessary for these businesses to have an accessible environment. If the website of a business open to the public has inaccessible features, it can limit the ability of individuals with disabilities to access those public accommodations. 

Sign Up With Accessibly for Compliance

Complying with WCAG and ADA standards is necessary for anyone running an online business. It may seem like a daunting task to provide your users with sufficient web accessibility. However, Accessibly is here to simplify the entire process. After signing up for a plan with Accessibly, you can immediately begin providing high quality web accessibility with our widget. 
Accessibly believes in the importance of following both WCAG and ADA standards, and we are constantly improving our product to better conform with those standards. Accessibly follows the best guidelines and is partially conformant with WCAG 2.0 level AA. If you own an online business or are a business open to the public with an online platform, do not wait to address web accessibility any longer. Sign up with Accessibly today, and immediately see the benefits of providing an accessible online environment. 

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What our clients say

Great experience with this app. User-friendly UI for both mobile and desktop and helps our website achieve Accessibility requirements. The support team is amazing with their hands-on assistance for any issues that come up.

BulbAmerica

November 22, 2022

This app is worth every penny. Not only does it provide the functionality that every website needs, but their customer service is beyond amazing. I submitted a question regarding the app and received the most detailed responses explaining to me what the app does, what it doesn't, and ways to maximize it. Sharing what I learned: Based on the published Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), this Accessibly app can help your website achieve compatibility. Also learned that you should scan your website using this ADA compliance tool—https://wave.webaim.org and fix the errors. Such a great app and the most helpful customer service. Highly recommend!

Dermasuri

September 1, 2022

Für Ethical Made war es wichtig, dass alle Menschen unsere digitalen Angebote nutzen können, unabhängig von ihren körperlichen und geistigen Fähigkeiten. Das ADA Compliance Plugin von On the Map erfüllt alle unsere Anforderungen an die Barrierefreiheit im E-Commerce, so das auch Menschen mit Behinderung unsere Website uneingeschränkt nutzen können.

Ethical Made

April 23, 2022

It's a great APP that works perfectly and customer service team is exceptional. Also installing the APP with very easy. Thanks!

Ecuador

January 25, 2022

We do not normally leave reviews for apps unless something exceptional has stood out to us. The level of customer support for this app was above and beyond when it came to helping us implement the app. Highly recommend!

Pristine Sprays

November 17, 2021

Does exactly what I need for a fair price! Straight forward and I didn't feel ripped off like some of the other apps. This offers great accessibility with customizable colors and positions. The installation was easy and walked me through setting up my own accessibility statement page. Thanks for making this a no-brainer for us! You earned the 5-stars!

Kiln Frog

November 3, 2021

We know of another small company that just got sued for something like $30K for not having their website be ADA compliant, so we are glad this exists! The $5 version works great for us - had a small hiccup with the display/our search bar when first installed but Kaspars from their support team resolved it within a couple of days and was super communicative and helpful. Thanks for a great easy to use product.

Stonehouse Olive Oil

September 7, 2021

Developer is quick to respond with changes/upgrades (about 2 days). I requested some changes with ARIA based on issues with accessibility checkers (e.g. Lighthouse on Chrome Developer Tools). Changes made, badda boom. Two thumbs up.

Yolk | free range design

August 27, 2021

This app has helped me make my site more accessible to customers with disabilities. It was super easy to use and customize, definitely worth the premium subscription.

GleamnGlim

March 29, 2021

As a visually impaired creator, I wanted to accommodate all my customers/visitors when accessing my shop. This app works perfectly for that, gives the visitor control of what they experience, and adds even more accessibility than most other similar apps. I highly recommend it!

Deven Rue

October 24, 2020

Great support and app functionality for stores that need a non-intrusive solution to disability accessibility.

Detail Planet

March 27, 2020

Exactly what I was looking for to assist in ensuring accessibility compliance. They've also been very helpful in assisting me customize things so it meets our site needs. Highly recommended.

FORYOURLEGS.COM

February 21, 2020

Super helpful team! Very responsive and can implement quickly and as needed. Thank you, Kaspars, for all of your help!

Rumpl

February 20, 2020

Nice app that provides easy panel access for impaired users. Support was extremely responsive to a request for minor customization - We are excited to have this in place!

Brush Hero

February 10, 2020

The tool was simple to install and immediately provided a remedy to some of our accessibility issues as we worked to update our site. Kaspars was responsive and very helpful assisting with applying some custom display requests. Overall a wonderful app!

Snow Peak

January 15, 2020

Perfect app! We love what it does to help people with disabilities and works perfectly. Thank you to the developers!

Garçon Apparel

November 5, 2019

Everyone should use this app - it’s super simple, easiest way to help your store with WCAG 2.1, ADA, Section 508 and EN 301549 compliance

The Bang Shack

September 13, 2019