BRADENTON, FL — March 2, 2020 — Daryl Schmucker, CEO of the full service end-to-end digital marketing firm Noble Webworks, delivered a presentation at the Manatee Chamber of Commerce on the importance of ensuring that business websites are compliant with the standards and provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The ADA (https://adata.org) is a comprehensive body of civil rights legislation that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, such as jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public.
The presentation, which took place on February 18, 2020 at the Manatee Chamber of Commerce’s Bradenton Office, covered several best practices for building and maintaining websites that are accessible and usable for visitors with disabilities that impact their seeing, hearing and physical capabilities. Topics included:
- The importance of using consistent hyperlink styles, consistent button styles and consistent layouts.
- How adding labels on forms provide helpful clues and instructions for visitors with disabilities.
- How using color contrast helps visitors who are legally blind, have low vision, or who are color blind.
- The importance of structuring websites and content in a logical manner, so that information can be effectively captured and interpreted by screen readers.
- The value of creating a so-called “breadcrumb trail,” which enables visitors to easily grasp how a website and its content are structure — ultimately so they can consistently identify their current location and navigate to previously-accessed web pages.
Those in attendance were also introduced to a variety of online tools to help them test their business website for accessibility and usability, and pinpoint aspects that need updating or additions.
Commented Daryl Schmucker, who also serves as Co-Chair of Manatee Technical College’s Web Development Advisory Committee: “Obviously, there is an important legal incentive for businesses to ensure that their website is in full compliance with the ADA. Website accessibility lawsuits have increased nearly 300 percent from 2017 to 2018, and 96 percent of those lawsuits were filed in Florida in New York. However, ensuring that all visitors enjoy an optimal and informative experience is also simply the right thing to do. Businesses that demonstrate commitment and care in this area generate goodwill in their marketplace and set a higher standard.”
About Noble Webworks
Noble Webworks is passionate about making clean, creative, responsive and easy to use web sites that clearly convey your message to your potential clients and customers while working to make you one of our biggest fans. We are strategic in creating comprehensive online marketing solutions that connect the dots of branding, online content, social media and search engine visibility to help make your business successful. Learn more at https://www.noblewebworks.com.
