Whether you have a storefront or an online business; it must be usable and accessible to all customers, not only is it good business practice, it’s the law. Under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, business and organizations that provide services for the public need to be accessible to all people.
Why are Websites Changing to ADA Compliant?
After a blind customer was unable to customize a pizza online; they sued Domino’s Pizza. In October 2019, the Supreme Court upheld the law suit agreeing that Domino’s Pizza should have made their online store accessible (DOMINO’S PIZZA, LLC V. ROBLES, GUILLERMO). This lawsuit clearly established that ADA not only applies to brick and mortar, but online as well.
Business websites can potentially fall under laws of the Title III of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 USC § 794d). These laws require that your website should provide accessibility and usability to all individuals. Since the Domino’s Pizza case, there has been an increase in lawsuits related to online business ranging from hotel bookings to retailers. Changing websites to accommodate all people is not only an ethical business practice, but allows for new potential customers.
Best Practice for Website Compliance
W3C, is a nonprofit organization, created Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). WCAG provides recommendations for disabilities ranging from visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, language, learning to neurological. The Federal government requires their agencies to use the standards set forth in the WCAG 2.0 guide. While businesses and organizations cannot point to one common and enforceable standard, WCAG has provided a common framework that has served as a guide for ADA compliance and has become widely referenced in state and federal courts.
ADA Compliant Payment Processing
Making your business services accessible is important, but it is important that paying for those services is also accessible. Whether a customer is paying a collection agency or utility bill; it should be accessible to all customers. Do you provide an ADA accessible method for customers to process payments? We do. At PaymentVision, we recently upgraded our web payment portal to be ADA compliant. Our web payment portal provides a secure and compliant way for customers to login and make payments online. Your company can easily integrate our payment gateway to your system for ACH, debit card or credit card processing.
For additional information on ADA compliance, check out https://pressidium.paymentvision.com/legal/ada-information
