Is Your Website Accessible to Everyone?

Posted on December 10, 2019 by Guest Contributor

The accessibility of your website could lead to legal challenges. Consider the case of Guillermo Robles, a blind man who wanted to order a pizza from Domino’s using their website and mobile app. Despite having screen-reading software, Robles couldn’t place an order as the Domino’s website wasn’t built to be accessible to blind people. Robles sued Domino’s, alleging that their website violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Could this happen to you?  

In the Robles lawsuit, Domino’s asserted that the ADA, written into law in 1990, was only ever intended to cover physical storefronts, not websites. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to make a ruling on the case, leaving a previous decision against the company intact. It’s a victory for people with disabilities — and it also highlights a troubling lack of best practices. 

At DAYTA Marketing, a LeadingAge Minnesota Solutions business partner, we’ve been talking a lot about the Domino’s case. About 20% of internet users have a disability of some kind. Taking steps to make your business’s website accessible for a potential customer base increase of up to 20% sounds like a simple choice. And at DAYTA Marketing, we have a solution. 

We use software installed on your website to provide users with disabilities personalized ways to improve their experience. The software ensures compliance and accessibility features for vision loss, color-blindness, mobility challenges, epilepsy, cognitive disorders and much more. 

This is the future. And when you consider the large effect this technology will have moving forward, you quickly realize that it’s a powerful opportunity.

While every business will undoubtedly be affected by accessibility standards, highly-regulated businesses like senior living communities and non-profits are at an especially elevated risk for lawsuits. Choosing and ensuring accessibility is a proactive and preventative measure that’s good for your business and your potential customers.

If the benefits to providing the public with an accessible website are so obvious, why don’t more businesses do it? Cost. For many years, making a website accessible was cost-prohibitive. But we can change all that. 

Through LeadingAge Minnesota Solutions, an accessible website is more affordable than ever. What’s the cost?  An annual fee of $490 plus a $250 one-time set-up fee. 

While the future of accessibility law is unclear, we know the standard for an online presence will change a great deal in the coming years. If you are ready for this – great!  If you feel you’re not – we can help.   

For more information or to have an assessment of your website contact Luke Riordan at DAYTA Marketing (luke@DAYTAmarketing.com) or Rick Lazzari at Leading MN Solutions (rlazzari@leadingagemn.org).