CPA_Practice_Advisor_April_2020 - 23

MARKETING YOUR FIRM

Does Your Website Pass the

Compliance Test?
By Becky Livingston

WHAT DO BURGER King, Harvard, and Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. have in common?
They have all been sued for their website's lack of meeting the Web Content
Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) in relation to the Americans with Disability
Act (ADA).
Title I of the ADA indicates any business with
at least 15 full-time employees that operates for
20 or more weeks every year is covered by the
law. Title II refers to compliance for state and
local governmental agencies. Title III states businesses that fall into the category of "public
accommodation," such as hotels, banks
and public transportation, are also
required to comply.
If you (or your clients) meet
any of those descriptions, is your
website safe from a lawsuit? Here's
how to tell.

WHAT IS WCAG?
The Web Accessibility Initiative states that it
was "developed through the W3C process in
cooperation with individuals and organizations
around the world, with a goal of providing a
single shared standard for web content accessibility that meets the needs of individuals,
organizations, and governments internationally."
The Guidelines explain how website developers can make web content, such as text, images,
sounds, structure, and presentation, more accessible to people with disabilities.
There are three acceptability levels for website compliance, including:
A = below average;
AA = standard (where most sites are and
should be); and
AAA = exceptional.

DANGERS OF NON-COMPLIANCE
In addition to a potential lawsuit for your firm,
there is also the risk of damaging your firm's
reputation, brand, and sales.

many plugins already on the market that work
well, including WP ADA Compliance Check Basic,
Accessibility by UserWay, and WP Accessibility.
They are free to install; but, it does take time
to decipher the results and correctly implement
changes.

COMPLIANCE CHECKLIST

IT'S YOUR CALL

In short, there are four things to tackle when it
comes to WCAG compliance. They are:
1. Fix your website in accordance with the
guidelines.
2. Test the site with persons with
disabilities.
3. Reduce or eliminate
your site errors.
4. Write a robust,
custom web accessibility
policy.
For an in-depth checklist,
view "The Ultimate ADA Website Compliance Checklist: 2020
Edition," by Glenmont Consulting. It
covers website presentation, content alternatives,
individual user control, website usability, assistive technology considerations, and customer
support recommendations.

If you're launching a new website or redesigning an existing one, consider adding this to the
developer's task list.
If you do not plan to update your site, think
about how this risk could derail sales and tarnish
your firm's reputation. Then decide if you should
test a few, important webpages to determine if
revisions are needed. ■
Becky Livingston has over twenty-five years' experience
in marketing and technology in financial services and
engineering firms. She is the President and CEO of Penheel
Marketing, a boutique marketing firm specializing in
social media and digital marketing for CPAs. In addition
to being a marketing practitioner, Becky is also an adjunct
professor, author, and speaker. With a graduate degree
from Pace University in Information Systems, Becky also
holds undergraduate degrees from two other colleges and
also has a Certificate in Corporate Training from NYU.
She is also an active member of the Association for Accounting Marketing (AAM). Connect with Becky's firm on
Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Pinterest, and YouTube.

HOW TO TEST AND FIX
YOUR WEBSITE
Free and simple-to-use tools like WAVE and
SortSite allow you to enter a webpage URL for
scanning. Both tools do a good job of listing
errors, warnings, and accessibility features
found on the page. Each also has a paid version
allowing you to scan a full site and to gain access
to reports.
Developer-focused tools like aXe, Pa11y, and
tota11y require coding knowledge to implement
and to use them successfully. They, too, are
efficient scanning and reporting tools. However,
they may be difficult to understand if you do not
have website coding skills.
If you have a WordPress site, there are a

APRIL 2020 ■

COMPLIANCE
CHECKLIST

✔Fix your website in accordance with

the Guidelines
✔Test the site with persons with

disabilities.

✔Reduce or eliminate your site errors.

✔Write a robust, custom web

accessibility policy.

www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com

http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com

CPA_Practice_Advisor_April_2020

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