The Viscardi Center

at The Viscardi Center

Providing a lifespan of programs and services that educate, employ and empower children and adults with disabilities.
An employer membership organization and comprehensive resource for disability employment best practices.

DONATE

Header Links

  • Login
  • Media Room
  • Contact Us

Share

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • You Tube
  • Instagram
  • Home
  • Our Services
    • Abilities, Inc.
    • E-Learning
    • Henry Viscardi School
    • The Disability Entrepreneurship Institute
    • Nathaniel H. Kornreich Technology Center
    • Services by Type
    • Services by Age/Audience
    • Services for Businesses
    • How to Obtain Services
  • Our Stories
    • Adults
    • Businesses
    • Children
    • Donors
  • Get Involved
    • Ways to Give
    • Together We Soar Campaign
    • Advocacy
    • Volunteer
    • Share Your Story
    • Viscardi Alumni
  • News & Events
    • News
    • Blog
    • Events
    • Media Room
    • Viscardi Voice Newsletter
  • Digital Accessibility
    • Document Accessibility
    • Web Accessibility
    • Captioning & CART Services
    • Audio Description
    • Viscardi Multimedia Learning Center
  • About
    • History
    • Staff Leadership and Boards of Directors
    • Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards
    • Sunny
    • FAQs
    • Careers
    • Financials
    • Contact Us
www.viscardicenter.org > Viscardi Blog > Education > Your 5-Step Digital Accessibility Playbook

Your 5-Step Digital Accessibility Playbook

January 16, 2019 by Mike Caprara

  • A A A

With accessibility lawsuits on the rise, follow these steps to lower your organization’s risk.

 January 16, 2019

 Michael Caprara

Keyboard and gavel
Photo Source: https://www.goodfreephotos.com

 

Over the past decade, one of the most concerning legal trends for organizations in the U.S. has been digital accessibility lawsuits. This environment of “serial litigation” has been especially prevalent in certain states; California, New York, and Florida. The complaints included organizations having websites or documents inaccessible to screen readers, or video content not captioned & audio described. According to analysis by Seyfarth Synopsis, ADA Title III website accessibility lawsuits filed in federal courts in 2021 jumped 14% over 2020, besting the 12% 2020 increase.

For organizations trying to avoid the risks of maintaining inaccessible digital environments, there is already a well-established playbook. Following these five steps is paramount for any size organization to avoiding costly litigation.

  1. Create a Plan – First and foremost, organizations should check with their legal counsel to ensure that accessibility is a priority, and that a comprehensive compliance plan and accessibility policy is developed and made available to the public. The compliance plan should include steps to assess and remediate accessibility for websites, apps, documents and videos, along with a dedicated, accessible method of contact for users who are experiencing accessibility issues. In conjunction, internal IT teams or vendors should be consulted to make sure they are aware of their responsibility to make digital environments accessible, and that the accessibility plan includes training for those teams.
  2. Assess Current Digital Assets – Most organizations with web properties should have their sites and apps audited for accessibility by an outside organization to get a baseline of what is needed. The ensuing reports will help guide future training and remediation efforts and will prove crucial in prioritizing work.
  3. Train & Educate Teams – Whether the accessibility fixes will be done by internal IT teams, the current IT vendor, or a digital accessibility focused vendor, organizations should ensure that those responsible for making them are well-versed in digital accessibility: what the issues are, what changes need to be made, and how to implement them.
  4. Make Changes & Reassess – Once the accessibility issues have been identified and teams have been trained in how to fix them, organizations should begin making changes prioritizing the most trafficked pages and documents to have the greatest immediate impact. Once the issues have been addressed, it is strongly recommended (and sometimes required) to have those sites and apps checked for usability by stakeholders in the outcomes – people with disabilities.
  5. Ensure Continuity of Accessibility Planning – Digital accessibility is not an end-goal, because your digital environments will ostensibly keep changing. As such, organizations must make sure that accessibility is continuously considered in any digital iterations, to avoid falling back out of compliance.

Michael Caprara

Michael Caprara

Chief Information Officer, The Viscardi Center
Michael oversees all aspects of technology at The Viscardi Center, where he implements and innovates accessibility for students, staff, and faculty.

Filed Under: Education, Employment, Empowerment

News & Events

  • News

    >

  • Blog

    >

  • Events

    >

  • Media Room

    >

  • Viscardi Voice Newsletter

    >

Blog Categories

  • Empowerment
  • Education
  • Employment

Events

A young man icing a cupcake

All in for Viscardi

[php snippet=2]

View All Events

Related Posts

A graphic with a network of social media and web icons over an image of hands typing on a laptop keyboard

Should WCAG Compliance Be Your Goal?

A man in business attire points to a touchscreen graphic featuring icons representing the legal system.

Web Accessibility Insurance: The Next Frontier

Young professional engaging in a video conference with four colleagues through his laptop.

Answering Your Top Digital Accessibility Questions

Recent Posts

View All >
  • 2022 Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards Bestowed

    December 2, 2022 December 3, 2022 The Viscardi Center, a renowned non-profit organization that educates, employs, and empowers people with disabilities, announced six recipients of the 2022 Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards. The Awards were first bestowed in 2013 to honor the vision and legacy of the Center’s founder, Dr. Henry Viscardi, Jr., a leading disability advocate who himself [...] Read More...
  • Reach for a Star 40th Anniversary Receives Rave Reviews!

    November 29, 2022 November 29, 2022 The Viscardi Center’s annual Reach for a Star Luncheon celebrated its 40th Anniversary on November 15, 2022, at the Crest Hollow Country Club. This year’s luncheon happily returned to in-person after being remote for two years due to the pandemic. It was a magical event filled with music and joy. Chilina Kennedy, [...] Read More...
  • All in for Viscardi

    November 14, 2022 Date:February 9, 2023 Time:6:00 - 9:00 p.m. Location:The Viscardi Center 201 I.U. Willets Road Albertson, NY 11507   Purchase Tickets & Sponsorships   Join us, and the Viscardi Advisory Board, for All In For Viscardi on Thursday, February 9, 2023, from 6:00-9:00 pm here at The Viscardi Center. Tickets to this fun event include an [...] Read More...
  • Viscardi Announces John J. Gutleber Aquatic Center

    September 2, 2022 September 2, 2022 The Viscardi Center—a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating, employing, and empowering children and adults with disabilities—has unveiled its newly renovated John J. Gutleber Aquatic Center, which will provide high-quality aquatic physical education programming for students with severe physical disabilities at the Henry Viscardi School starting in Fall 2022. Made possible by Castagna [...] Read More...
  • Announcing Roy Danis as Board Chair

    July 19, 2022 July 19, 2022 It is my pleasure to announce that Roy Danis, President & CEO of Conecuh Brands, assumed the role of Chair of The Viscardi Center Board of Directors on July 1, 2022. Roy succeeds Russ Cusick. Under Russ’ leadership, Viscardi’s programs have experienced significant growth and have made a meaningful impact on the [...] Read More...
  • Viscardi Hosts 10th Annual Golf Outing

    June 30, 2022 Funds Raised to Support Youth and Employment Programs June 30, 2022 The Viscardi Center is holding its 10th annual Golf Outing on September 19, 2022 at the prestigious Mill River Club in Oyster Bay, where dozens of golfers will spend a fall day on the greens to raise vital funds for the Center’s youth transition [...] Read More...

Contact Us

The Viscardi Center
National Business & Disability Council at The Viscardi Center
201 I.U. Willets Road
Albertson, NY 11507
516.465.1400
info@viscardicenter.org
Careers at the Viscardi Center | Staff Log in
Accessibility | Privacy | Site Map

Sign up For Enews

The Viscardi Center is a 501(c)(3)
non-profit recognized by the IRS.

Connect With Us

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • You Tube
  • Instagram

© 2023 The Viscardi Center. All rights reserved. | Designed & Developed by Infinite Media Corp.