Dealer.com’s Head of User Experience answers your questions on this hot topic.
With the number of ADA-related lawsuits on the rise, we’re empowering our clients—and the industry at large—to understand accessibility as it relates to your digital storefront.
We’ve received a lot of very good questions from our network of dealers about website accessibility. Jeffrey Pierce, a veteran of Dealer.com and the Senior Director of User Experience, is leading the effort to raise awareness and understanding about this important topic. He sat down recently to answer some of the questions we’ve been fielding through our Performance Management and Support teams.
Q: Does my website need to be ADA compliant?
A: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects persons with disabilities—almost 19% of the population—by ensuring that commercial and public entities—like dealerships—provide equal access and accommodation for individuals with a range of disabilities. As eCommerce continues to expand, dealer websites are now being classified in some jurisdictions as “places of public accommodation,” and are therefore subject to compliance regulations.
Q: Why isn’t my site already ADA compliant?
A: Website compliance is a two-fold process—requiring both platform accessibility and content accessibility. Although the Dealer.com hosted website platforms have undergone many ADA-specific updates creating the foundation for a more compliant user experience, there will always be a need for you to ensure your site’s content is ADA compliant.
Q: Why do I have to pay for this?
A: To help ensure a website is and remains compliant, it needs to be manually tested with assistive technology to ensure optimal end user experience, remediated by a team of developers, then retested and actively monitored over time as content is added and removed. Dealer.com’s Website Accessibility Solution, powered by AudioEye, provides all that and more, which is why there is a cost associated with the solution.
Q: Am I guaranteed to be WCAG 2.0 AA compliant?
A: Compliance is a journey, not a destination. Because websites are ever-changing, no site can ever be 100 percent compliant 100 percent of the time, However, AudioEye strives for conformance to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines to the greatest extent possible. Additionally, AudioEye stays current on evolving WCAG Success Criteria to help ensure their clients adhere to new standards.
Q: If I have a Dealer.com website and I sign up for the service, how long will it take for my site to become compliant?
A: The road to compliance starts from the day we activate the initial JavaScript, but achieving AudioEye’s Trusted Compliance status strongly depends on the complexity of the site, due diligence in manual testing, and remediation steps. AudioEye will strive to get a site to AudioEye Trusted Certification within approximately 120 days.
Q: What happens if I delete pages or add new content – will my site still be compliant?
A: After achieving AudioEye’s Trusted Certification, your site will be constantly monitored, scanned, and evaluated. Results are compiled on a weekly basis and analyzed; and any new accessibility concerns are addressed.
Q: How does Dealer.com’s solution, powered by AudioEye differ from the competition.
A: Other accessibility providers offer businesses one or more of the services needed to ensure compliance, however AudioEye uses all available tools for a more comprehensive strategy. These tools include: Assistive Tools for Consumers, Manual Accessibility Testing, Automated Accessibility Testing, and full-site remediation.
Q: What happens if I receive a demand letter or lawsuit with AudioEye on my site?
A: AudioEye will supply their Sustainable Testing and Remediation (STAR) Plan, which addresses the work that has been done on the site, and will continue to be done, to help ensure conformance to compliance. The AudioEye legal team will review all allegations and provide additional correspondence as needed.
To learn more about Dealer.com’s Website Accessibility Solution, powered by AudioEye, contact your Dealer.com Sales Representative or your Performance Consultant, or click here for more information.