The question: What to tell your boss when they walk in and say: “how much is it going to cost us to get our website ADA compliant?"
The answer:
"Ohhhh, sorry bossman… that's not a question that I really want to answer… the truth is I have priced it and it starts at $225/hour..."
It didn’t used to be this way, but digital access to content (like website compliance) was added to ADA ten years ago (2010) when the law began requiring that public spaces be accessible to individuals with disabilities. Ever since, the number of lawsuits has snowballed into the thousands - with a 177% increase from 2017 to 2018, a landslide that continued into 2019.
ADA: Americans with Disabilities Act - A civil rights law established in 1990 and put in place by the federal government that prohibits discrimination against disabled individuals.
Title III of the ADA - Although still rather muddy, Title III requires places with public accommodations and commercial facilities to be accessible to people with disabilities - and this strangely includes web-based and mobile applications. It’s not limited to brick and mortar. There are certain exclusions, however, like religious entities including churches, private religious schools, thrift shops, adoption agencies, and daycares.
