Articles

When it comes to making a website accessible to ensure it meets the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or other similar legislation, the immediate assumption is that this is an area purely for IT, the web or digital team, or a digital agency partner. Most business stakeholders will assume it’s “just one for the techies” to sort out, and a technical problem that can be fixed.

Receiving a demand letter from a legal firm with the potential threat of legal action can be stressful. But it’s becoming an everyday part of running a business.

New Report Shows Shocking Widespread Failure of Digital Inclusion; Litigation Risk

New York, November 8, 2022 - According to the new Risk INDEX™: Higher Education (opens in a new window) Report from InsurTech AAAtraq (opens in a new window), 96% of higher education websites are not accessible to people who browse the web with assistive devices, making them non-complaint with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In today’s post-secondary education environment, 19.4% of students are disabled.¹

For years, Congress has been incapable of enacting (and even introducing) legislation that would have a meaningful impact in assisting the millions of disabled Americans currently disenfranchised by discrimination on the internet.

While the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 508 do protect disabled individuals from most discrimination on the internet, it does not protect them in every instance or in every municipality.

If you’re the Risk Manager or AAAtraq Service Owner, you may hear this from your technical team, so be ready: THIS REPORT IS WRONG! RUBBISH! THIS SYSTEM DOESN’T WORK! IT’S INCORRECT!