# Website Accessibility WCAG 2.1 Compliance

**URL:** https://www.perrill.com/what-we-do/website-accessibility-wcag-2-1-compliance/
**Author:** scribe
**Published:** January 6, 2020

> Give every user the tools they need to become your customer If you aren’t meeting website accessibility guidelines, then you’re immediately putting up a barrier between you and some of your customers. You’re also putting yourself at risk. Over 57...

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### Give every user the tools they need to become your customer

If you aren’t meeting website accessibility guidelines, then you’re immediately putting up a barrier between you and some of your customers. You’re also putting yourself at risk. Over 57 million Americans are disabled, and the disability market has over $544 billion in disposable spending power. Missing these customers hurts your business, and it hurts society as a whole. It’s also against the law and leaves your business susceptible to expensive discrimination lawsuits. The only solution that protects your company and serves your customers is website accessibility.

 

### Who Needs Accessibility

E-commerce, banking, dining, medical, and hospitality are currently the most targeted markets for accessibility lawsuits. ​But that doesn’t mean they’re the only ones who need accessibility. Every website benefits from accessibility. More importantly, every individual benefits when your website is accessible. You need website accessibility if:

- You accept job applications online (Title I of the ADA prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities)

- You sell goods on your website

- Your site is in the government, education, medical, banking, ​restaurant, or other public accommodation industry

- You want to reach all your potential customers

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### Understand the Law

Title III of the “Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)” prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. The ADA requires websites and apps be accessible to disabled persons and compatible with common assistive technologies such as JAWS, a screen reader. The [Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1 AA)](https://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/wcag) provides the foundation from which most sites are audited and adjudicated. The vast majority of websites are not compliant, leaving them open to litigation that could cost them millions. With thousands of accessibility cases already on the books, the odds of you being served are growing every day.