Website accessibility is not an option. ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Litigations are at an all-time high. Still, since the adoption of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, the entertainment industry has been hit hard due to accessibility issues on their websites. While a lawsuit should not be your motivation for ensuring accessibility, the legal costs are better avoided by ensuring compliance with ADA and WCAG. That is partly why Family Entertainment Centers need to be inclusive.
In 2017, up to 800 web accessibility litigations in federal courts involved the hospitality and entertainment industry. This is partly because plaintiff firms have turned web accessibility into a money-making opportunity as they push for a sue-and-settle strategy with non-compliant websites. According to a Web Accessibility Lawsuit Report in 2019, ten firms were responsible for filing over 82% of ADA website accessibility lawsuits in federal courts.
In July 2020, Shael Cruz sued Brunswick Bowling Products LLC for violating the ADA and WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards. Shael claimed that Brunswick’s website lacked the alt text attribute on images, properly labeled elements, most links on the website were broken, among other allegations. You can get more details on the lawsuit on the Accessibility website.
Web accessibility stretches beyond human disabilities to technological or situational limitations. It also accommodates people living in underdeveloped countries or rural areas who might not have the best technology facilities.
All businesses that depend on the public for profit are subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act. Title III of the ADA demands that your family entertainment center needs to be accessible to those with disabilities – whether or not you have employees.
According to Developer Circles Lagos, these are the three modes of disabilities you should pay attention to:
- Permanent disability – for internet users with physical impairment like vision problems, hearing problems, or missing hands/fingers.
- Temporary disability – for internet users with conditions like autism, dyslexia, or mental illness, which affect their coordination or memory.
- Conditional/Situational disability – for internet users facing out-of-hand difficulties like a slow internet connection or a website that cannot be accessed with a phone or a loud environment where they cannot listen to the audio in your video.
Web assistive technology tools like screen readers make it possible for the blind to use smartphones and computers. But a screen reader cannot help the user if your FEC is not well optimized through labeled elements, titles, and images.
Besides screen readers, other web assistive technology tools include:
- Screen magnifiers to enlarge web content.
- Alternative input devices, e.g., head pointers, eye tracking, large-print and on-screen keyboards, joysticks, trackballs, and voice recognition.
- Keyboard navigation.
- Accelerators such as browser history and bookmarks reduce user effort when clicking or typing.
If you need a more in-depth web accessibility analysis, contact Rocket Effect. We shall connect you with our professional team to guide you through improving your website accessibility and ADA compliance.
Why FEC Web Accessibility Is Important.
Conforming to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 means that your family entertainment center follows best website design practices and automatically complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Here are some reasons why web accessibility is important to your family entertainment center.
- A great user experience for visitors using assistive technologies.
- Avoid legal repercussions for non-compliance with ADA and WCAG that would cost your business.
- An all-inclusive FEC ensures that you reach a larger audience that competitors could ignore.
- Including everyone in your FEC improves your brand’s authority. It creates goodwill from your users and the potential to form lasting relationships.
- Not only does web accessibility lead to SEO best practices, but it also improves your website’s ranking on search results. Google’s ranking algorithm takes different factors into account when determining the top search results; website accessibility and SEO are factors.
How To Ensure Website Accessibility?
Review Your Website With A Web Accessibility Testing Tool
Scan your family entertainment with a reputable website accessibility assessment tool to identify accessibility issues. Our website accessibility scanner will show you what’s present and what’s missing to make your family entertainment center accessible. As part of the scan results, we also show you how to improve your entertainment website to make it accessible. Your development can easily improve your website with a reference to the missing elements.
Be Proactive
Make sure that your website designers have expertise in website accessibility and the commonly used assistive technologies. Keep in mind that regulations are updated continuously, so stay up-to-date with the ADA and WCAG.
Resolve Accessibility Issues
Resolve any accessibility issues on your websites and applications as soon as you discover them.
Insurance Coverage.
Some insurance providers offer protection for website accessibility claims. Ask your insurance provider or consult with an insurance broker to get proper coverage.
Do you need expert guidance to make your website accessible? Reach out to our team of website accessibility experts today.
