by OldGuy » 29 Jul 2019, 16:14
The Americans With Disability Act actually includes an entire array of legal requirements all webmasters should know about to accommodate the needs of those with physical barriers to websites for any website that is displayed in the US.
Websites that are owned and operated within US or its territories can face severe fines for non compliance. Although US law cannot force those outside the US to comply, they can and often do block US access to sites that refuse to comply once put on notice.
Many webmasters have never heard of such a thing and put it off as nonsense. They never heard of it and never knew anyone affected. So what.
There are countless millions of sites around the globe and this US regulation responds to complaints within the US. Their government action blocks dozens more of them every week to enforce the US law. If you want people here to see your site after someone complained, you have to modify your site to comply with their requirements.
With the US Americans With Disability Act, there is an online complaint form. Anyone with a medically certified disability can file a complaint and that is the action that will send the wolves to your door.
As far as the US is concerned, websites are legally required to establish multiple modes of operation to accommodate the blind, paralyzed, and multiple other disabling conditions that may restrict their access to the Internet.
The ADA even has a very detailed guideline to help webmasters understand how to make their website accessible to many who are otherwise blocked from enjoying your content no matter where they are or what physical barriers they are forced to endure.
According to the ADA, something close to 1 out of every 4 people have some kind of disabling condition that limits their access to many things. Following this guideline can open your site to them too, even if you don't care if your site is displayed in the US.
https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/This one is just for Internet access. Similar sections of the law apply to many other aspects of daily life for everyone.
