The Department of Justice (DOJ) is revising the rules under the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) to include language specific to websites and mobile applications. The projected release date of the DOJ’s proposed rules is April 2016 with final rules available in July 2016. Even without specific rules, the ADA prohibits discrimination offline and online. Recently, UX Magazine published an article providing an overview of the issue written by ChannelNet’s Director of UX/UI, Rashaud Brooks.

The vacuum of requirements is being filled by voluntary, industry Web Content Accessibility Guidelines known as WCAG 2.0 Level AA Guidelines. The DOJ has successfully used the WCAG 2.0 or Level AA to win and settle lawsuits.

Currently, federal circuit courts are split on how to apply the ADA regulations to websites. In the meantime, Target, Amazon.com, PeaPod, Netflix, H&R Block, Hilton International and a long list other corporations and government agencies have paid millions for failing to have accessible websites.

The UX Magazine article, 15 Website Accessibility Tips That Increase Everyone’s Engagement, gives practical advice on how make your website solution ADA compliant.

Brooks stresses there are added benefits to the ADA guidelines, “Adding consistent and clear labels can improve your site’s SEO, as browsers crawl the same elements outlined in WCAG. This means your content will be easier for any potential customer to find. And, missing captions are a lost opportunity. They help to create curiosity and educate all visitors.”

Brooks is responsible for championing ChannelNet’s user experience strategy across new and existing client programs.

Read the article and learn how to avoid ADA legal issues and how to benefit all your website visitors, not just those with disabilities.