In 1990, after decades of disabled people protesting and organizing, Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act. From criminal justice to childcare to voting, the ADA is meant to protect American citizens with disabilities and ensure that they receive equal access to public life. The act applies to most public spaces, excluding religious organizations, but many fail to follow it.
The most blatant examples of failure to comply with the ADA are within public businesses. The law requires that businesses communicate with disabled people effectively, allow service animals even if they have a no-pets policy, and “remove architectural barriers in buildings when it is readily achievable to do so.” Aside from clearly breaking the law by not allowing service animals or refusing to take the order of a Deaf person, businesses frequently abuse the legal loophole of accommodations being “readily achievable.”
Congress defines “readily achievable” as “easy to do so without much difficulty or expense,” correlating the level of accessibility with the resources the business has. While it is important to recognize that not all businesses will be able to afford accessibility, too many businesses take advantage of this detail.
Not only is it legally important to comply with the ADA, it is the humane step to take as a business. More than 1 in 4 United States citizens— 70 million people — have a disability. When countless businesses refuse to offer accommodations that could benefit a quarter of the population on a daily basis, what does that say about our society?
Furthermore, businesses are supposed to serve customers, and serve customers well. When people in wheelchairs cannot enter a shop or blind people cannot pay at a kiosk, businesses are not doing their job.
There are numerous reasons to comply with the ADA and generally promote accessibility within businesses. The financial repercussions of accommodating customers will most likely fall short of the repercussions you could face for excluding a fourth of your potential customers. By complying with the law, you are opening your doors to millions of Americans who might otherwise be unable to do business with you.
When websites follow the ADA, they become easier to navigate by all people, considerably decreasing bounce rates and increasing product sales. This trend is true across all aspects: when you increase accessibility, everyone benefits.
In the end, accessibility is an investment, but it is the most worthwhile investment a business can make. By making it possible for all people to access their products and services, business owners extend their customer base and contribute to a society where every person has access to an equitable public life.
