NEWS BLIPS
Campgrounds Question Their Websites' ADA Compliance
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved and first published through Woodall's Campground Management's website.
Woodall's Campground Management reports on the issue of a campground or park’s website meeting ADA standards. The Internet and websites are now being challenged as “places of public accommodation” due to the way in which they are accessed. Regulations regarding websites were slated to be finalized in 2018, but those standards were put on hold under the President Donald Trump administration.
Woodall's staff speaks with Peter Pelland, CEO of Pelland Advertising, to discuss the viability of making one's website comply with ADA standards. Unfortunately, actual regulations (as ill-advised as they may have been) are replaced by extensive recommendations and a “Wild West” of lawsuits appears to be on the horizon. The ability of robots to search for vulnerable websites has opened up new opportunities for eager attorneys representing not only the blind, but individuals with low vision or cognitive impairments, as well as the deaf, using either computers or mobile devices. In lieu of regulations, highly confusing recommendations have been put forward by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The guidelines to test one's site are broken down into three levels: A, AA, and AAA, where “A” is the most basic and “AAA” is the most extreme. Learn what each mean here.
In addition, there are online tests that will allow you to check your website for compliance red flags. One of these is the WAVE web accessibility evaluation tool. There are other fee-based online service providers that offer tests and remediation. View the full article here.