As more of our daily activity moves online, requests for websites that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are on the rise. Our Thryv development team has recently added enhanced accessibility for websites. Sites are more user-friendly for visitors who have hearing or visual impairments or other physical limitations that make operating a standard website more difficult.
While there are no current national requirements for sites to be ADA-compliant, states are passing laws that do require some accessibility features, particularly in California. These laws can apply to your site if you reside in California or service clients there. In fact, more than 2,200 lawsuits were filed in 2019 over website accessibility issues.
The Enhanced Accessibility Toolkit
So how can you make your site more accessible? Thryv provides an enhanced accessibility toolkit that allows several key features, including:
- A bigger curser tool that makes it easier to find and use
- A reading guide line and highlighter to make reading easier
- The ability to change the site’s color contrast, text size and spacing and font
- The ability to turn off animation on the site
The kit includes many other features, as well. A website with the toolkit will feature a round blue icon in the lower right corner. When the visitor clicks the icon, the site options appear so he or she can make the needed adjustments.
As of May 4, 2020, all new Thryv 4.0 websites include the accessibility features, and the toolkit can be added to older sites, as well. To find out more, read our Frequently Asked Questions page. Want to learn how you can make the content you share more accessible to a wider audience? Check out these great tips: How to Create Accessible Designs.
