Squarespace has taken the wrong approach to accessibility. And their stance on accessibility can be condensed down into a single blog post that was coincidentally updated just two days ago on November 28th. And so I’m on this post right now and I’ll link to it in the description. And in the frequently asked questions … Read more
The other day I thought of the perfect term for website accessibility overlays and that is fugazi. So overlays amount to fugazi accessibility. And what does fugazi mean? Well it’s a slang term and it means a few different things. But, generally, it means something is fake or artificial or has no substance, it’s a … Read more
I really like what Wix is doing with their accessibility. They are doing what any website builder platform should do and improve the out-of-the-box accessibility of their website builder. What I found problematic was after I made the video I kept looking at Wix’s website and I discovered that they offered accessibility certification. And on … Read more
So how should we view the new release of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2? Well as of the date of this video we are not anywhere close to having the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 as a legal requirement. However, it’s obviously a best practice – if you can incorporate those additional … Read more
So how does WCAG 2.2 compare to previous versions? Well I’m going to look at conformance level AA and when we have 2.0, this is what I call the classic standard. 2.0 is what is published in 2008 and contains 38 different success criteria at conformance level AA. There are more success criteria but they’re … Read more
There will be notable updates to the ADA website compliance legal landscape in 2023. And one very important update is there will be less litigation. There has already been a decline in the second half of 2022 and I expect that to continue into 2023. And the reason why is because there have been adverse … Read more
I recently discovered that there is an entire marketplace on Fiverr for digital accessibility services. So there are audits being offered, remediation services are being offered, I even saw that VPAT- a VPAT service is being offered. And I wouldn’t use any of the gigs from Fiverr and so here is why. One, the majority … Read more
There are no instant solutions “solutions” for website accessibility. These are usually overlay widgets. There is no such thing as a widget that can make your website accessible. There are any number of reasons they fail, they don’t work, it’s a waste of money – don’t get one. You might be lured by promises of … Read more
Does the ADA apply to every website? Well this question, the answer to this question has multiple layers from different angles. So let’s start off with the law itself: the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law in 1990 and it did not contemplate modern digital technology such as websites and mobile apps. So … Read more
Conformance and compliance are often used interchangeably when referring to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines but that’s actually incorrect usage. So conformance refers to something that is voluntary. And this could be the standard or policy and this is from a non governing body and so conformance refers to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines or … Read more
I had noticed that investor relations pages on websites we’re being targeted by plaintiffs’ lawyers, but I’d never thought about why they were specifically going after those pages – I just thought it was something that they had come up with to do. But I was talking to another attorney and they speculated that this … Read more
In a previous video I stated that website accessibility litigation would decline in 2023. And I touched upon a California State court decision but I didn’t explain it. So this California State court decision, the effect of it is that online only businesses can no longer be successfully sued in California whether it be state … Read more
Screen recording the home page of AccessiBe.com. What I want to focus in on is the bottom of the page that is currently displayed and it says, trusted by 158,988 small businesses and industry leaders alike. And then there are logos that are showing on this carousel and there’s Johnson’s, there’s Panasonic, there’s Tupperware, there’s … Read more
The Americans with Disabilities Act absolutely applies to small businesses. And so let’s look at the general rule first. The general rule under Title III of the ADA states, no individual shall be discriminated against on the basis of disability in the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations … Read more
I received an email and I thought it asked a good question and I’ll read from the email: Is there a set of objective criteria we could use to evaluate and choose the correct service that can do a good accessibility audit and issue what would be widely considered as a legitimate certificate of conformance? … Read more
For at least a year there was a rumor / myth going around in Facebook communities and Shopify forums and Reddit that if you had less than 15 employees the ADA did not apply to you, you fell under an exception in the ADA. And so many people thought that website accessibility didn’t apply to … Read more
What happens if your website isn’t ADA compliant? Well the first layer to this question is, does the Americans with Disabilities Act even apply to websites? And when the ADA was signed into a law it didn’t contemplate modern digital technology. And there has been- there have been no regulations and no amendments to the … Read more
The California Consumer Privacy Act gives consumers more control over their personal information. So, specifically, in California, consumers have the right to know the personal information that is being collected from them, the right to delete that personal information, they r- the right to opt out of the sale of their personal information, and the … Read more
With complaints filed in New York what you will commonly see is a cause of action for 1) A violation of the New York State Human Rights Law and then 2) a violation of the New York City Human Rights Law and so as the names indicate the difference is negligible. The difference is one … Read more
In New York you will commonly see a violation of the New York State Human Rights Law as a cause of action for a complaint centered around website inaccessibility. So what is the New York State Human Rights Law? Well this is just this is just a law that prevents or prohibits discrimination based on … Read more
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires federal agencies to make their technology accessible to people with disabilities. And that applies to whether they’re- they work for the federal government or not. So, specifically, Section 508 requires federal agencies to develop, procure, maintain, and use information and communications technology (ICT) that is accessible to people … Read more
The terms policy and statement are often used interchangeably when referring to the notice that we provide on our website regarding accessibility, but they are different. There is a difference between a statement and a policy. And so with a statement, this is going to be that notice that is available on your website, it’s … Read more
When you are purchasing accessibility services it’s very important to understand what you are being sold and what you actually need. So keep the focus in on we want to make our digital asset accessible, how do we do that? Well first you have to find the accessibility issues that exist and then you have … Read more
if a vendor does not offer any manual services for website accessibility, then they are only going to offer marginal benefit in making your website accessible. And I’ve seen this happen too many times where people pay for these vendors and they think that they’re getting a service, a professional service but they’re not. What … Read more