ADA Guidelines
What are the ADA regulations?
ADA or the Americans with Disabilities Act passed in 1990. Originally it was created to address physical accommodations such as ramps, elevators, and other things that would allow people that are handicapped to get around the retail environment like stores and access to multiple store venues.
For those of you who aren’t familiar, the ADA is the Americans with Disabilities Act, passed in 1990. It was originally for physical accommodations – retail locations with ramps, elevators, things that would allow people that are handicapped to get around the store and access different floors and levels.
In 1990, the ADA didn't have to worry about web presence, however, in 2016 lawsuits in regards to website accessibilities gained attention and led to the current changes.
Changes to ADA website compliance in 2018
When Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was originally created, evolving technologies were an afterthought. Websites, documents, and software programs that met Section 508 standards could still have issues for disabled government employees and the public alike. Therefore, revisions were made and all federal agencies as well as contractors must abide by the updated 508 standards as of January 18, 2018.
Just as Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act was out of date, the original version of the Website Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 1.0), was published as a World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommendation in 1999. The last updated version was released in 2008 as WCAG 2.0. Since 2008, web-connected technologies, mobile devices, and tablets are used a lot more frequently and the new WCAG 2.1 will better regulate these items, attempting to keep discrimination towards individuals with disabilities at bay. Currently, WCAG 2.1 is still a working draft and the final version is set to be released in the middle of 2018.