Alphapointe Announces Launch of 508 Accessibility Compliance Division
Alphapointe announced the launch of a new 508 Accessibility Compliance Division designed to assist organizations in ensuring website accessibility.
508 Compliance refers to Section 508 of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which requires any electronic communication products used by, made by or sold to the federal government to be accessible to anyone with physical, sensory or cognitive disabilities.
A 2020 study by WebAIM analyzed the top 1 million websites around the world and found that more than 97 percent had home page accessibility errors with an average of more than 51 errors on each home page. Further, the study found that only 22 percent of home pages had five or fewer errors and only 30 percent had fewer than 10 errors.
“More than 13 million people in the United States have a disability that effects their ability to engage with online content that is not in compliance with Section 508 of the Americans with Disabilities Act,” said Alphapointe President and CEO Reinhard Mabry. “While compliance is underway in some sectors, the vast majority of websites in the United States are not fully compliant. We find that unacceptable. We have created a new division to address this systemic issue because people with disabilities deserve to have the ability to successfully engage with online content.”
Alphapointe’s 508 Accessibility Compliance Division features 508 certified technicians who provide comprehensive testing, reports and recommendations for ensuring that any website meets ADA and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Technicians also complete training through the Department of Homeland Security to become “Trusted Tester Certified.” Alphapointe’s 508 Accessibility Compliance Division features team members who are blind or visually impaired who use adaptive technology in their daily lives, which allows for thorough testing to ensure any organization’s website is fully compliant.
“In order to take the steps needed for a website to become fully compliant, there’s no one better than someone with low vision to analyze a website and provide guidance on how to become compliant,” Mabry said.
For more information on Alphapointe’s 508 Accessibility Compliance Division, visit alphapointe.org/508 or contact Joshua Trask at 816-237-2001 or [email protected].
