As institutions of higher learning, universities have a mission to create and promote knowledge, not just among students, but also among the public. University websites have a particularly important role to play in this mission as they are often the first touchpoint between institutions and users. As public accommodations, websites fall under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and recent court rulings have decided that websites should become accessible to users with disabilities.

This article will examine website accessibility, the importance of the ADA in ensuring accessibility in university websites, and the critical role of an ADA compliance website in universities and other educational institutions.

What is website accessibility?

Website accessibility refers to a set of practices that allow users with disabilities to understand, navigate, and engage with web content. For example, an accessible website will have accommodations for users with visual impairments, such as support for screen readers, high-contrast themes, or the ability to change font sizes. It can also include practices that make navigating the content easier, such as keyboard control, content headings, and image at text.

In the United States, website accessibility is mandated by laws such as the ADA and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. The latter is applicable to institutions that receive federal funding for research or student financial aid. These laws, in turn, refer to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as a source of best practices for web accessibility.

Complying with the ADA’s guidance on accessible websites will mean that the university is committed to providing an inclusive environment for every student, regardless of their disability status. 

How to Ensure ADA Compliance

While implementing accessibility in an institutional website might seem like a tall order, your university can take a few initial steps towards achieving ADA compliance. Here are a few ways you can make your website more accessible:

Semantic HTML

Semantic HTML elements, such as headings and lists, help organize content in a logical manner. This helps screen reader users navigate through text efficiently to find the content that’s relevant to them. It also helps search engines index your content, making it more visible to a wider audience.

Keyboard navigation

Many users with mobility issues depend on keyboard shortcuts to navigate websites. For example, they use the arrow keys or tab key to toggle between web elements, the space bar to input data into form fields or visit outbound links, and the enter key to submit their data. An accessible website allows users to explore and interact with web elements without having to use a mouse or touch screen.

Visual content

An ADA compliant website provides descriptive alt text for images and subtitles and captions for videos. These measures help users with visual and hearing impairments understand and interact with multimedia content. 

Readable text

ADA-compliant text content uses a font that possesses a high level of readability, such as sans serif fonts. A website can also offer alternative font options to accommodate specific classes of users, such as uses with cognitive impairments like dyslexia. Using a high-contrast theme also improves readability. 

What Happens if Your Website Is Not ADA Compliant?

Unfortunately, only a handful of websites are accessible to users with disabilities. Many university websites have been the target of ADA-related lawsuits. For example, Harvard faced a lawsuit filed against them by the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) in 2019 due to its failure to provide captioning for certain types of content. The university’s settlement agreement with the NAD included captions for massive open online courses, real-time captions for major university event live streams, and other video content posted on the university’s video-sharing channels on YouTube, Vimeo, and SoundCloud.

Aside from the threat of legal action, non-compliant university websites exclude potential students who are unable to find information regarding the school or their desired major. They also result in lower engagement rates among current students, faculty, and administrators with disabilities. The lack of accessibility also affects student performance.

ADA Compliance: The Key to Unlocking Full Participation

As organizations tasked with educating students and fostering research, universities should also lead in promoting digital accessibility. This involves maintaining ADA-compliant websites. These websites incorporate accessibility principles into their design and development, such as improved readability, text equivalents for multimedia content, and support for alternative navigation methods. By making their websites accessible and ADA-compliant, universities open their virtual campuses to users with disabilities, resulting in a more inclusive and participatory academic environment.