California Website Accessibility & Guidelines
If you have a website or online portal that operates in the state of California, it is required to comply with the applicable federal and state laws related to website accessibility and guidelines. As a business, you will be required to comply with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the state Unruh Civil Rights Act. Government agencies or entities are required to adhere to Section 508 of the federal law and the California AB 434 state law in terms of website accessibility.
Even if your business is from out of the state and you want to operate in the state, it will be required to comply with the Unruh Act. There are instances of lawsuits that support this point. At Mystic Web Designn, we would like to shed some helpful insights into the topic given our experience and expertise in the field of web designing, development, and digital marketing.
Website Accessibility
It is important to realize that the ADA was created at a time when the internet hadn’t become a big thing. The ADA doesn’t make any specific mentions of the internet in its anti-discrimination requirements. But this doesn’t in any way mean that someone cannot claim damages if your business violates web accessibility requirements.
Millions of Californians access websites every day. It is essential that websites accommodate users with all kinds of needs that may be hampered by barriers. For example, your website can become inaccessible if you cannot offer alternate text in images or closed captioning for audio within videos. These are basic accessibility requirements that your website must observe in order to prevent unnecessary litigation. Even when you don’t get an intimation or penalty from the Department of Justice or the state authorities, accessibility requirements do apply to web content.
What is the California AB 434 Accessibility Law?
The California AB 434 bill requires all websites of state entities to be made accessible to users with all kinds of abilities. The law requires that all websites should conform to Level AA of the W3C’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0. While local government organizations may not be required to comply with this law, they are required to adhere to Section 508. Interestingly, Section 508 also requires the entities to conform to the same Level AA of the WCAG 2.0.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
It is interesting that the legal rules related to website accessibility are not directly mentioned in the ADA or the Unruh Act, but you are still required to ensure web accessibility to your users. Courts have increasingly referred to the WCAG for guidance related to legal claims related to noncompliance.
The WCAG has been compiled by the World Wide Web Consortium that pools resources from multiple web organizations for creating the international standards. Currently, the new version of WCAG, v2.2 is in the workings and is set to be launched in the fall this year.
Whether you are a business or a state entity requiring the design, development, or update of your website, feel free to contact Mystic Web Designn to ensure the creation of an elegant, technically sound, and compliant website. You can reach us at 1-760-216-4589 or 1-212-763-6585 or write to us.
About the Author:
Rosario Berry is a professional freelance writer, like to introduce Website Design in Oceanside, CA. When designing an ADA-Compliant Website, it is recommended to follow the WCAG 2.0 guidelines.