Also co-authoring a new book on revolutionary web design and
SEO strategies
TEANECK,
N.J., Aug. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Wedding
industry educator, author, and website consultant Brian Lawrence
now offers solutions for companies looking to improve website
accessibility for disabled users. This new service also helps
protect businesses from discrimination lawsuits from failing to
comply with the American Disabilities Act.
Lawrence developed this latest service for his web design and
SEO agency out of a personal desire to make businesses more aware
of disabled communities and their website needs. He started with
his website, BrianLawrence.com. Through rigorous research, design,
and testing, Lawrence and his team have recreated his website to be
fully accessible to WCAG 2.2 AA standards, which comply with the
American Disabilities Act requirements.
Learning and advocating for website disability access
"Being an advocate for accessibility resonated with me as
my dad and a close cousin both had disabilities, and I was their
caretaker at different stages of my life for many years," remembers
Lawrence. As Lawrence watched the wedding industry evolve to
embrace the goal of inclusivity, he became acutely aware of how
disabled communities were often overlooked when it came to website
accessibility.
Lawrence believes accessibility in digital spaces often gets
overlooked from a lack of awareness. "People with disabilities can
face unintentional barriers that make navigating websites
difficult, from shopping online to learning about services like
those provided by wedding vendors," offers Lawrence. "This gap in
accommodation can lead to a subpar experience and, in some cases,
legal repercussions for businesses."
Understanding website disability access
To offer accessibility solutions to his clients, Lawrence became
a "student of disability" by conducting extensive research, plug-in
testing, and working with several accessibility experts who also
had a disability. "I discovered," says Lawrence, "some conflicting
information and claims from companies that offered accessible
solutions actual feedback from disabled users. Ideally, accessible
sites are designed to make the user experience as good as possible
for individuals with sight impairment, hearing impairment,
dyslexia, epilepsy, or ADHD."
Lawrence found a plug-in he was comfortable working with and
began testing it on his site and the sites of clients who came to
him regarding ADA compliance. A user himself, once he received
feedback about the plug-in's limitations to full accessibility, he
proceeded to make his company's website totally accessible,
enlisting the assistance and guidance of well-known accessibility
expert Sol Escobar. A case study on
the Brian Lawrence website transition is available here.
Finding solutions for true accessibility
In testing accessibility improvements for his website, Lawrence
found a complex and labor-intensive process—particularly for an
existing website. "It seems that in some cases, creating a new site
from scratch is more feasible than retrofitting an old one to meet
accessibility standards," notes Lawrence. "To verify compliance,
rigorous testing needs to be conducted against standards set
through the American Disabilities Act. These tests simulate the
actual user experience of a website from the vantage point of
different disabilities."
Now that his company's website has been thoroughly tested, meets
ADA standards, and provides a quality experience for those with
disabilities, he will continue to train his designers in
accessibility and offer extensive site design services. In the
interim, he will continue to offer the plug-in to prospective
businesses as a positive first step towards accessibility,
understanding that the path to full accessibility is an ongoing
process.
About Brian Lawrence
In addition to owning a boutique web design and SEO agency,
Lawrence is a respected speaker. He frequently appears on
industry-related podcasts and at Wedding MBA. His blog is an
authoritative resource on topics such as website design,
technology, SEO, and website accessibility for disabled
communities.
Brian Lawrence is in collaboration with well-known wedding
industry consultant, author, and speaker Alan Berg on a comprehensive book that covers
all aspects of website design, SEO, and user experience. It will
also include insights on the importance of disability access and
website design. Their publication will be released at the
November 2024 Wedding MBA Conference
in Las Vegas.
To learn more about improving website disability access,
call/text (201) 244-5969 or email 381476@email4pr.com.
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SOURCE BrianLawrence.com