Accessibility Services

Accessibility consulting provides specialized advice to enhance products, services, and environments for people with disabilities; it also assists businesses in understanding the necessary regulations when it comes to compliance of inclusiveness laws. Whether you are looking to improve your customer service or increase workforce morale–accessibility consulting has proven time and again that creating a barrier-free environment is one of the smartest investments any business can make.

Hiring an accessibility consultant can help organizations create a more inclusive atmosphere and benefit both their customers as well as employees with disabilities.

From a business perspective, making your website accessible increases your potential market. In addition, inclusion can be a marketable feature of your company and demonstrates a certain level of concern for customers’ needs. Lastly, making your website/application may be required by law and helps to reduce your organization’s exposure to potential lawsuits.

Take a look at our article on the “Top 5 Reasons To Make Your Website Accessible” for additional information.

It depends. If your customer is a government or non-government entity that receives federal funding, Section 508 of the American’s with Disabilities Act likely applies. Another potentially relevant statute is Title III.

Title III prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the activities of places of public accommodations (businesses that are generally open to the public and that fall into one of 12 categories listed in the ADA, such as restaurants, movie theaters, schools, day care facilities, recreation facilities, and doctors’ offices) and requires newly constructed or altered places of public accommodation—as well as commercial facilities (privately owned, nonresidential facilities such as factories, warehouses, or office buildings)—to comply with the ADA Standards.

The Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) – or Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) – is the leading global reporting format for assisting buyers and sellers in identifying information and communications technology (ICT) products and services with accessibility features.

Version 2.4 of the VPAT was expanded to include the leading ICT accessibility standards: Section 508 (U.S.), EN 301 549 (EU), and W3C/WAI WCAG. To add to its credibility, the VPAT/ACR is used from small to large businesses, to include Google, Microsoft, and more.