Businesses Beware: Website Accessibility is Required by Law

Foster Swift Attorneys Outline Potential Legal Problems for Businesses

Lansing, Mich, Sept. 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Could the color selection or choice of fonts on your website put you at risk for a lawsuit? Yes. Local experts are sounding the alarm for business owners who may not realize they are required to follow website content accessibility standards (WCAG).

“We saw this incredibly fast shift to go digital at the start of the pandemic,” says Julie Holton, owner of mConnexions Marketing Agency and host of the weekly TV show, Expert Connexions. “Many retailers and restaurants, for example, rushed to create websites so they could offer expanded services online. But now they need to circle back — and make sure their digital space is just as accessible as their brick and mortar.”

A recent survey found that as many as 70-percent of websites may not be in compliance with WCAG guidelines.

In a new show, Holton sits down with a panel of legal and digital marketing experts to talk about some of the most common issues that lead to lawsuits against businesses when it comes to accessibility, including missing image alt tags, lack of closed captioning or subtitles, and issues with color contrast and font selection.

“Anyone who has a website and a retail location absolutely has some exposure here,” says John Mashni, an attorney with Foster Swift. “They should be working with their web developers or their marketing people to make sure that their websites are accessible, or at least meet WCAG standards.“

It is commonly known that the Americans with Disabilities Act requires things like accessible sidewalks with wheelchair ramps. In the last ten years, Mashni says there has been a movement to also require a business’ website presence to be considered a place of public accommodation.

The show will air at 9 a.m. on Monday, September 27, 2021 right after Good Morning America on WLAJ-TV in the greater Lansing viewing area. The segment will also be available online following the broadcast at expertconnexions.tv.

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Media outlets looking for further information and resources are invited to connect with the experts at connect@mconnexions.com. Expert Connexions on WLAJ-TV features weekly segments with legal, marketing, sales, and leadership experts from contributors that include Foster Swift, Strategic Solutions for Growth, SuperWebPros, Symposia Labs, UnoDeuce Multimedia, She Leads Michigan, and mConnexions Marketing Agency. Learn more at expertconnexions.tv.

CONTACT: Kimberly P. Hafley Foster Swift Collins & Smith 517-371-8112 khafley@fosterswift.com