At Netix Solutions, we now provide a helpful accessibility plugin that will increase compliance with WCAG 2.1 , ATAG 2.0 , ADA , & Section 508 requirements.

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Netix Solutions has a new tool for our Community and Business customers that will help take their existing website and bring it into compliance!

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Did you know that failure to comply with Section 508 of the Department of Justice’s ADA (American with Disabilities Act) Standards for Accessible Design could expose your company to hefty fines, the risk of expensive criminal and civil litigation as well as a reputation for being unfriendly to the disabled.

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What is the Law?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) was signed into law in 1990 and prohibits discrimination “on the basis of disability in the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations” offered by businesses.

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What About Websites & Apps?

The ADA was passed before the Internet as we now know it existed. However, U.S. Department Justice (“DOJ”) has taken the position that the ADA applies to websites, and that to avoid illegal discrimination a website must be designed to be accessible through and compatible with electronic screen reader technology commonly used by blind and visually impaired persons.

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What does “accessible” mean?

The DOJ and many well-known advocacy organizations take the position that to be accessible a website must comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0). Formal regulations from the DOJ are expected in 2018. (see Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking), however the absence of formal regulations has not stopped the DOJ or plaintiff law firms from initiating litigation, and multiple courts have found that the ADA applies to websites even without formal regulations.

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Websites who do not meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards can be fined up to $50,000 for a first violation and $100,000 for a second, and even more for compensation of damages.

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But all of that aside, it is about doing what is right. Brining a tool like the Netix Accessibility Plugin to your site is a way to reach your entire audience, even those that previously could not use your website!