Reasons, Rewards, and Tips for a More Accessible and Inclusive Web

The following is a guest article by Ben Cash, Founding Partner and CEO at Reason One The end of September marks International Week of the Deaf, followed soon after by Blind Americans Equality Day. Both are reminders of the need to make online resources accessible to all. Supporting this is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), intended to protect the civil rights of persons with disabilities when it comes to areas like employment, government services, public accommodations, transportation, and telecommunications. For any organization – and particularly healthcare entities and systems – accessibility should be top of mind. Failing to meet compliance can not only result in legal issues and penalties, it can limit an organization’s ability to attract new investors, take advantage of market opportunities, and more. Still, most importantly, accessibility leads to better delivery of healthcare services and patient outcomes, the primary goals of the industry itself. Legal Issues and Opportunity Seyfarth Shaw, a law firm that tracks ADA lawsuits, reported that filings reached a new high in 2022, marked by a 12% rise over 2021. This is due to prior ADA compliance shortfalls. Specifically, when COVID-19 forced people to do more online, including handling healthcare concerns, it was clear accessibility had a long way to go. Lawsuits like Domino’s Pizza versus Robles brought greater attention to the space. This will continue as higher settlements are awarded and the ...
Source: EMR and HIPAA - Category: Information Technology Authors: Tags: C-Suite Leadership Communication and Patient Experience Health IT Company Healthcare IT Hospital - Health System Accessibility Ada Automated Tools Ben Cash DE&I Digital Accessibility ESG Healthcare Accessibility Reason One Scre Source Type: blogs