Avoid ADA Lawsuits without Wasting Resources
LOSS.CONTROL ebook can save you thousands of dollars in legal fees.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law prohibiting discrimination against individuals with disabilities.
ADA compliance is short for the Americans with Disabilities Act Standards for Accessible Design. What that means is that all websites must be accessible to those with disabilities.
The ADA applies to any business that relies on the general public – or for their benefit. The Department of Justice determined that ADA section 508 applies to digital content.
Many blind people use screen readers to access web content. A screen reader is a type of assistive technology. The content of a page is either converted with a speech synthesizer or braille display.
Any chronic condition limiting body function also qualifies. Cognitive thinking and concentration are bodily functions. The ADA covers chronic stress and anxiety disorders, also.
The ADA gives people with disabilities the right to file lawsuits in Federal court. They can get Federal court orders to stop ADA violations. When sued and you lose the case, you also pay the winning party’s attorney’s fees.
Since 2018, website and mobile app lawsuits are a fifth of all ADA Title III filings. This now exceeds 10,000 lawsuits annually.
The ADA is a civil rights law prohibiting discrimination based on disability. A compliant website is accessible to people browsing the web with assistive devices. If your website is not accessible to people with disabilities, it’s not compliant with the law.
98% of U.S.-based webpages are not accessible to the disability community from a legal perspective.
You could face a lawsuit if a person with a disability claims they cannot access your website. You might incur:
- legal fees
- possible settlement
- potential public relations problems
- the cost of rebuilding your website
In 2020, disabled people filed more than 2,500 lawsuits in federal court against website owners. These lawsuits claimed the websites weren’t accessible to people with disabilities.
ADA requires your site content must be readable by an assistive reader. The code on your site must use standard HTML tags. You should also provide documents in a text-based format at all times, even when you also offer a PDF.
Does a small business website need to be ADA compliant? The answer is definitely yes. Avoid demand letters and lawsuits by making websites accessible for:
- visual impairment
- hearing problems
- cognitive disabilities
One law firm in California filed thousands of ADA lawsuits. They received more than five million dollars from small businesses. They pressured owners to settle for amounts between $10,000 and $20,000. California alone accounted for more than half of all ADA lawsuits filed in 2021.
Google doesn’t use ADA compliance as a signal for ranking web pages.
One way to defend against an ADA complaint suit is to raise the defense that the plaintiff’s claims are moot. A defendant can raise the defense of mootness by remediating the alleged violations.
In PagePipe’s Loss.Control report, we review ADA compliance plugins for WordPress. We examine what web content is at the greatest risk of non-compliance lawsuits. And we give recommendations for solving ADA problems for your WordPress website.
We also do this service for you — and keep your site fast. Contact us.
The LOSS.CONTROL ebook examines faster, free alternatives to ADA compliance products and services.
What are Speed Alternatives?
PagePipe Speed alternatives are ebook-only guides to essential page-speed fundamentals, speed techniques, or deep obsessions on a single aspect of WordPress plugins and themes. Whatever the report, you’re only a quick read away from learning vital, practical know-how for faster mobile speed. Popular plugins and themes are usually the heaviest loading. You get alternatives for better speed.
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ADDITIONAL INFO
Our “LOSS.CONTROL” report is 979 words.
PDF: 6 pages, 8.5×11 inch, 2MB.
SPEED ISSUE #18
LOSS.CONTROL $1999
Q. Twenty bucks for 9 pages? Isn’t that excessive?
A. Fine. Don’t buy it. Take the $10,000 to $20,000 legal risk. A $19.99 solution doesn’t sound so bad any more. Does it?
Q. Will this ebook help you sleep better at night?
A. Yes. Knowing the truth about ADA website compliance helps. Get the ebook for your poor nervous system for goodness sake. Avoid the ulcer.
About the Author
Steve Teare researches WordPress plugin and theme speed techniques and methods. Steve’s most valued super-power is creativity.
Site owners need education. Not how to make nice-looking sites. But how not to abuse and ruin WordPress – and thus the Internet itself. Steve’s mission: save the Internet from the approaching WordPress Apocalypse!
Steve’s passion is balancing the perception of speed with color and images. Building for speed stops mobile website abuse. Performance is not just an afterthought, bake it in from the start.
We reverse-engineer premium and popular services, themes, and plugins. We discover ways to duplicate their main features. We use a blend of discrete, free, copycat plugins and a fast theme. These lightweight – sometimes esoteric – alternatives won’t slow down your website.
Get speed tips and instructions. You’re buying our knowledge and expertise. Links to themes and plugins are included for your convenience and backup. All open-source theme and plugin downloads are the property of their original authors and protected by GPL licenses. They are endorsed and available from the WordPress plugin directory. We don’t provide plugins or support. But we do answer email speed questions for 30 days after purchase.
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