Despite the number of web accessibility lawsuits plateauing in 2019 compared to previous years, banks and credit unions can’t become lax about maintaining a website that’s compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In fact, financial institutions need to be more concerned about web accessibility as the COVID-19 pandemic forces more customers to conduct business online.

With technology constantly changing the way consumers do business, web accessibility standards must keep up. You can maintain an ADA-compliant bank website by keeping abreast of changes to federal ADA law and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

 

The ADA, Section 508, and the Growing Need for Clarity

Web accessibility has a long history beginning with the passage of the ADA in 1990. The law prevented businesses from discriminating against individuals with disabilities in all public and private spaces open to the general public. Websites eventually fell under this definition of “places of public accommodations” as more businesses began offering the same goods and services online that customers were able to purchase at brick and mortar locations.

In 2017, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was updated to require all federal websites to meet WCAG 2.0 requirements for accessibility by January 18, 2018. Although non-federal websites may not directly fall under the purview of Section 508, federal, state, and local laws mandate business websites to be ADA compliant.

Also in 2017, the Department of Justice (DoJ) formally withdrew from making any decisions regarding web accessibility standards in spite of the sharply increasing number of ADA-compliance lawsuits. This prompted a bipartisan group of 103 Representatives to write a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions that called for the DoJ to “provide guidance and clarity with regard to website accessibility” a mere six months after the Section 508 deadline.

With a presidential election in fall 2020, a new administration could put web accessibility back at the forefront as soon as 2021 or 2022.

 

WCAG 2.0 and Counting

Without federal guidance, the best way to maintain web accessibility is to follow the guidelines developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). As mentioned earlier, even Section 508 requires federal websites to meet WCAG 2.0 standards. These standards are based on four pillars of accessibility:

  • Perceivable: All users must be able to perceive the content and interface of a website.
  • Operable: All users must be able to operate and navigate the website.
  • Understandable: All users should be able to easily comprehend the organization of the website and the language used on it.
  • Robust: User agents and assistive technologies should be able to interpret website content.

WCAG 2.0 level AA continues to be the minimum standard for web accessibility even though the W3C released WCAG 2.1 in mid-2018. This version introduced 12 new success criteria in addition to the ones defined by WCAG 2.0. While the latest version of guidelines has yet to be adopted, the W3C announced in February that WCAG 2.2 was already in development.

 

Final Words

Unless you have a dedicated person or team managing accessibility issues on your bank website, maintaining ADA compliance can be daunting. Our BankSITE® ADA Accessibility Module lessens your workload by using current guidelines to continuously monitor your website for ADA compliance. Through our partnership with AudioEye, you can safeguard your website from falling prey to expensive accessibility litigation.