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ReadersSpeak

Websites and ADA compliance
When the pandemic hit, I joined many of my peers
in recommending to brick-and-mortar merchants,
both current customers and prospects, that they have
websites to give them another way to do business.
Most already had basic websites, some already had an
ecommerce arm operating, others even had buy online,
pick up in store capability, and we're talking very small
enterprises here. We discussed ways to make online
payments convenient and secure for the merchants
and their shoppers, but we never talked about ADA
compliance.

That's the Americans with Disabilities Act, which
seems to rely on lawsuits for enforcement. The other
day, I happened to hear part of a discussion in which
ADA website compliance was discussed. Before that,
I hadn't given thought to websites needing to be ADA
compliant. What does that entail, and how can I help
merchants be in compliance?
Wayne Provo
Merchant Level Salesperson
Wayne,

Thanks for your question. It is our understanding
that if a website is used to sell goods or services, it is
required to be ADA compliant. Whether a particular
website is likely to be targeted by lawyers accusing
the business of being non-compliant is another matter,
and the law is not clearly defined. It is good business,
however, to make your site easy to use for as many
people as possible. The federal government provides
the ADA Best Practices Tool Kit for state and local
governments that businesses can also use at https://
www.ada.gov/pcatoolkit/chap5toolkit.htm. It answers why
websites should be accessible, online barriers people
with disabilities face, common problems and solutions
for website accessibility, and how to develop a remedial
action plan. The ADA Compliance Website, https://ada-
compliance-website.net is a non-government resource you
might find useful as well.

Editor

Is your website ADA compliant?
Have you taken steps to make your website compliant
with the Americans with Disabilities Act? If so, did it
require a comprehensive overhaul, or did it just need
a few minor tweaks. How about your merchants?
Do you help them with ADA compliance? Have any
of them been confronted with lawsuits stemming
from the ADA? Share your experiences with us at
greensheet@greensheet.com.

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