Off er options and alternatives

ADA Compliance: What is it?

The Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice passed the ADA Standards for Accessible Design, which mandates all websites and all information technology and electronics to be accessible to people with disabilities, such as hearing loss and vision impairment.

Under ADA Title I, businesses that operate at least 20 weeks or more annually and with at least 15 full-time employees are covered. And in Title III, companies that fall into the category of “public accommodation” (e.g., banks, hotels, public transportation) are obliged to comply.

Importance of ADA Compliance

Did you know that digital ADA lawsuits increased by 15% in 2021 and 74% of these lawsuits target e-commerce sites? Another study shows that 10 ADA-related complaints per day were fi led in 2021. Indeed, making sure your website is ADA-compliant saves your company from a lot of trouble, especially if you’re selling something online, be it a product or service. Lawsuits aside, following the ADA guidelines could also increase your engagement rate signifi cantly. Studies show that ADAcompliant sites have better conversion rates, watch duration, and SEO rankings.

Ways to Make Your Website ADA-Compliant

Making your website ADA-compliant can be done in many ways. Make sure to refer to the ADA Web Accessibility Standards & Requirements to make improvements to your site. You might also like to consider the following simple tweaks to address accessibility issues: 1. Create text transcripts for audio and video content. 2. Identify the language of the website in the header code. 3. Make sure the site’s layout is organized and consistent. 4. Create alt tags for audio, image and video fi les. 5. Off er options and alternatives when users encounter input error. 6. Allow users to enlarge the site’s font size. 7. Always consider color and contrast sensitivity. 8. Include keyboard navigation options that allow users to interact with diff erent website elements, such as dialogue boxes, drop-down menus, forms, CTAs and widgets. 9. Make sure the site’s URLs are descriptive. 10. Avoid using tables and placeholder texts.

Yes, following the ADA guidelines might require you to tweak your site, which requires resources. But you can always contact a professional website development company to help you out. If you need help making your Website ADA compliant please reach out to us. Expert help can get you a long way.

BY ANDREAS DOLLESCHAL Guest Columnist

Andreas “Andy” Dolleschal is the president and CEO of Smargasy. Contact (239) 214-8592 or a.dolleschal@ smargasy.com.

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• Salute to Small Business April 22 April 13

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity is accepting proposals for the state’s Community Planning Technical Assistance Grant program for state fi scal year 2022-2023.

Administered by DEO, the CPTA Grant program provides local communities an opportunity to address various planning initiatives such as economic development, resiliency strategies and critical local planning issues. Additionally, the program promotes innovative planning solutions to protect Florida’s natural resources. Communities may receive up to $75,000 in CPTA grant awards. Funding is contingent upon appropriations by the Florida Legislature and the Governor’s approval of the state’s budget.

“The community planning investments that we make in Florida’s rural and urban areas today will ensure a bright future for families who will call our state home for generations to come,” said DEO Secretary Dane Eagle. “I am proud to announce the Department is accepting grant requests for projects that will help strengthen Florida communities by addressing their economic development, resiliency, and planning activities.”

Florida counties and municipalities are eligible to submit proposals individually, or regional planning councils may submit proposals on behalf of the region with support, in writing, from the counties and municipalities impacted by the project. Applicants are encouraged to seek funding for innovative, creative or unique approaches to planning, development and infrastructure in their communities.

Eligible entities may submit their grant requests for funding to DEO on or before 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on Monday, April 11. Submission of a request for funding does not guarantee that funding will be provided. DEO will consider grant requests received by the deadline listed above before grant requests received after the deadline.

To learn more about the CPTA Grant program, eligibility requirements, and how to submit a proposal, visit www. FloridaJobs.org/CPTAGrants.

When asked about the impact on commercial structures and investment properties, Gardner stated, “Some of my clients are experiencing dramatic changes while others are not. It does not seem as bad with commercial buildings.

“In fact, there is a big decrease for older homes, which includes commercial buildings. Some of my commercial clients were way overpaying and now they are seeing a decrease, but some were way underpaying as well.”

Heidrick added, “2.0 is not a bad rating structure, the problem is in the affordability. We all need to urge Congress to work on the aff ordability framework, outside of the NFIP, because at some point in the future the rate cap will expire—and then it will be too late to act.”

Missert urged, “At the local level, keep track of your specifi c experiences and make your Congress members aware of them because they are not hearing about many negative experiences at this point—and those are what Congress members can both relate and respond to.”