Most organizations that serve the public have to meet the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA rules ensure that people with disabilities can navigate everyday life without discrimination.
The ADA compliance standards include accessibility requirements for government and commercial websites and public transportation. These ADA standards make sure organizations provide equal access to information by offering communication aids and services to users with disabilities.
Our team at Signapse developed an artificial intelligence (AI) solution for real-time sign language translation.
The technology provides d/Deaf users with a visual translation presented by a photorealistic American Sign Language (ASL) translator, significantly enhancing accessibility in public spaces and online. Our cutting-edge AI technology provides an easy and cost-effective way to support digital accessibility and achieve ADA compliance.
Understanding the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The ADA is a federal law that protects people with disabilities from discrimination in public life. Like other civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination based on sex, race, or age, the ADA ensures that people with disabilities have the equal opportunities when it comes to getting a job, using public transportation, and participating in other aspects of daily life.
Organizations that must comply with the ADA law include:
State and local governments
Businesses that serve the public
Employers
Public transit
Telecommunications
The ADA has five titles that address the requirements for each of these types of organizations. For example, Title I says that employers must provide people with disabilities equal access to employment opportunities, including promotions, pay, and hiring.
Organizations under Title II (state and local governments) and Title III (businesses open to the public) also need to adhere to ADA requirements concerning effective communication with individuals who have communication disabilities. The ADA mandates that Title II and III entities must ensure that their communication methods are accessible to people with hearing, vision, or speech disabilities. This encompasses not just the physical aspects but also the digital sphere, including websites. Making a website ADA-compliant involves using web accessibility practices to ensure that all users can easily access the site, and that there are effective means of communication for those with disabilities. Signapse can assist organizations in meeting both the communication requirements and making their websites more accessible.
Web accessibility involves auxiliary aids and services like screen readers, audio descriptions, captions, and compatibility with assistive technologies. Organizations can follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure their websites are fully accessible for disabled users.
The Importance of ADA Compliance for Organizations
Upholding the core principles of the ADA is crucial for the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in society. Organizations must be ADA-compliant to avoid lawsuits for infringing on civil rights.
Since the ADA applies to so many aspects of life, organizations across the board, from schools to public transit, have to keep the law's basic principles in mind when designing their facilities, products, services, and websites.
Introducing Signapse: A Revolutionary Tool for Enhancing Accessibility
Even with the rise of accessible design, most websites still lack effective communication assistance for ASL users in the Deaf community.
Signapse's AI-powered technology fills this gap in website accessibility. Our product automatically translates written content into sign language, helping d/Deaf users gain independence when completing tasks online.
In public areas, such as airports or bus stations, Signapse can translate announcements for departures, delays, and emergencies in real time so d/Deaf people who primarily use ASL can confidently use public transportation.
How Signapse Fulfills ADA Compliance Requirements
The ADA compliance standards promote equal opportunities for Americans with disabilities, including d/Deaf people. Based on past accessibility lawsuits and settlement agreements, web accessibility is just as important to the ADA as accessibility in public spaces.
If your organization violates disability rights by having a website that's inaccessible to users with disabilities, you could face legal issues that threaten your business.
With Signapse technology, it's easy to make your website ADA-compliant when it comes to providing access to d/Deaf people who use sign language. Our integrated translation tool drastically improves the user experience for ASL users, allowing them to convert written content into sign language.
The Signer Overlay generates a video of a photo-realistic translator signing the web content, providing a more engaging and relatable translation for ASL users.
The Benefits of Using Signapse for ADA-Compliant Websites
With Signapse, you can offer a wider range of users access to your website, meaning more chances to reach your target audience. User-friendly websites tend to rank higher on search engines like Google, meaning your site's accessibility plays an important role in achieving your organic traffic goals.
While many websites provide captions for videos, use a certain contrast ratio for text, or add an audio description for visual content, most sites don't offer sign language translations. By partnering with Signapse, you can build your reputation as an inclusive, modern organization at the forefront of web accessibility.
Taking Action Towards Web Accessibility with Signapse
In the future, technology like Signapse's Signer Overlay could be a standard feature for ADA compliance. Advancements in AI, changing laws, and greater awareness of accessibility for d/Deaf people on the web are just a few of the reasons you could see more organizations adopt auto-generated sign language translations.
Our technology uses a database of sign language videos of real translators combined with deep learning methods to generate precise sign language translations in real time. If you want to learn more about making your website more accessible to d/Deaf people, contact us to schedule a demo.