If a business has a brick-and-mortar store, it may be required under law to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) because websites and apps have been ruled as extensions to physical stores and restaurants. For dealerships who have a physical lot, this means that you may need an ADA compliant website.
As a business owner, it is your responsibility to make sure that your dealership and dealer website are ADA compliant. It is important to make sure that everyone has access to the same services. To learn more about ADA website compliance and how it applies to your dealership, keep reading this article.
What is the ADA?
The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) is a civil rights law that was passed in 1990. It prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in any place that is open to the general public. For more information, click here.
It is also essential to keep in mind that while the ADA covers various aspects of compliance, it is not the only disability act that exists. Each state has its own laws that you may need to comply with.
Who has to comply with the ADA?
The ADA defines an “employer” as someone who is employing 15 full-time employees (or more) for 20 or more calendar weeks in the year. If your dealership has less than 14 full-time employees, you may not have to comply. It may be a good idea to reach out to a law professional to check.
What does ADA compliance mean for websites?
In the recent news, the Supreme Court denied a petition from Domino’s on Oct. 7, 2019. Domino’s had been sued by Guillermo Robles, who is blind and was unable to order food from Domino’s website and mobile app using screen-reading software. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals stated that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to websites and applications, not just restaurants and stores. This changed the game for many stores and the topic of website accessibility.
So, what does this mean for your website? If you are a smaller independent dealership, you may not have to comply with ADA laws. But for bigger dealerships and especially franchise dealerships, you may need to make sure that you have an ADA compliant website.
What is an ADA compliant website?
As of right now, there no specific ADA regulations concerning web content, but courts and lawyers often refer to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. The WCAG 2.0 has different levels and different requirements. Here is a link to a checklist of all levels of the WCAG 2.0.
How can I make my website more accessible?
There are several different ways to help make your website more accessible to everyone. Some of them are small changes that you can start doing immediately. For example, you can add alternative text for your images, which allows screen readers to ‘read’ the image or have a screen reader read it to them. You can also use colors that are easy to read and distinguish on your site. Turn off AutoPlay music, audio, or videos, which can be frustrating and distressing for users with cognitive impairments, and even cause epilepsy seizures.
While these are proper smaller steps to take, they won’t guarantee ADA website compliance.
Can AutoJini give me an ADA compliant website?
AutoJini offers plugins and programming that make your website accessible and ADA compliant.
- Keyboard navigation optimization – People who suffer from certain impairments are unable to use a mouse, and therefore they use their keyboard to browse the internet.
- Screen reader compatibility – This makes your website accessible to those who are blind or have visual impairments.
- Built-in dictionary – People who have had brain strokes or are suffering from cognitive impairments may not be able to comprehend specific expressions.
- Disable flashing or blinking animations – Flashing banners can induce seizures to people who have epilepsy.
- Web content adjustment – Accessibility to people who suffer from color blindness, glaucoma, or other visual impairments. Increase or decrease font sizes, change colors and contrast, add more spacing, and etc.
How can I get started?
Call us today at 515-232-2024 and ask us about our ADA compliant dealer websites, or send us a message through our contact form. Our goal is to help our dealerships make their websites accessible to everyone, and that can start today.